Martial Online.

"This is your cabin." Damian leaned on the door while showing Ambrose the view of the cabin.

It had one bed tucked in the corner, covered with a cozy quilt, and a small window next to it, allowing sunlight to stream in. Beside that was a small wooden nightstand with a lamp and a stack of books.

It wasn't very big, but it was perfect for a quiet getaway.

Ambrose stepped inside and nodded carefreely. He didn't really mind the slightly cramped cabin because he knew it would provide the solitude he needed.

"If that's all, I am going to take a nap." Damian put a hand over his mouth and yawned. "I am on night duty because of my vampiric vision, which allows me to see in the darkness, making me the most suitable candidate."

"I see. Have a good rest." Ambrose nodded, and after the half-vampire left, he closed the door, removed his boots, and sat down on the bed while putting the boots under the bed.

"Mhm." He put the pillow behind his back and leaned against the headboard.

As he looked at the cramped room, he heard the water splashing against the window pane and realized the weather was getting somewhat stormy in Dark Waters.

'If Mars is able to steal the fates of people, was it my fate to get abducted?' Ambrose wondered, his expression steady and cold. 'If so, then I must find a way to resist and fight back against this cruel destiny.'

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, determined to find a solution.

'No matter how long it takes, I will not give up until I have overcome this challenge.'

After opening his eyes, he moved to the edge of the bed and moved his toes on the floor.

He then stood up and scratched the back of his head.

'For now, I'll train my swordsmanship. I am unable to learn any more Mortal Style skills as my intelligence and dexterity seem to be lacking. I have already learned over half, so that's good for now.'

He flicked his hand, opened his inventory, and took out his training puppet, which he purchased in Amaterasu a long time ago.

He placed the training puppet next to the nightstand and then drew his Black Sword from its sheath.

After moving into his familiar sword stance—his hands on the hilt, the sword in front of his body, and his body standing upright with his feet positioned shoulder-width apart and his toes slightly angled outward.

After a few practice swings, he stepped forward and hacked across the training puppet's neck, leaving a small mark.

He then stepped backwards, spun the sword around his hand, and stabbed it into the puppet's chest in the place where its heart would be.

'Calmness, focus, and precision.' Ambrose repeated the words to himself while he continued dancing across the floor, sending powerful strikes at the unguarded training dummy.

'My emotions are heightened; they are like overflowing bath water.' He thought while controlling his breathing and focusing his energy on each strike.

'My master taught me to channel my anger and jealousy into my muscles, increasing the density and strength of each strike.'

Smack, smack—the training dummy swayed after each strike, and soon, a wide crack appeared on its chest, going from top to bottom.

"Mortal Style..." Ambrose whispered and closed his eyes, feeling a surge of power coursing through his veins.

"Trennung."

Swoosh—with a powerful downward swing, the training dummy split in half like neatly cut butter.

Trennung was another Skilled-ranked skill he had learned and mastered.

It wasn't the most powerful or fastest skill, but it was a skill that was perfect for him to practice channeling his anger and jealousy.

It almost seemed as though the Wisdom King had specifically created the skill for him for that purpose. 

Schwing—Ambrose swung the sword to the ceiling, then slowly spun it around and slipped it inside the scabbard. Once the hilt was secretly in place, he removed his hand from it and sat back on the bed.

After the small training session, his overflowing emotions again calmed down.

His emotions were at ease when he was in Hightown with Bella and Emma, but now, after meeting with Mars, they were once again stirred up.

As if getting his fate stolen caused something inside him to be very angry.

'Yeah, something inside of me doesn't like getting the future stolen.' Ambrose's eyes turned cold. 'Neither do I.'

Slam—without a single knock, the door swung open.

The broad-shouldered captain of the Black Heart Pirates stood by the doorway, smoking a cigar, and smirking confidently.

"What do you want now?" Ambrose asked without standing up, showing great disrespect.

"You met others yet?" Mars asked with a large grin.

"Yes."

"Good, then I have you a job." Mars removed the cigar from his lips and crossed his arms. "We'll be docking at the port of New North in an hour or so.

"I'll be visiting someone; you'll guys come with me and bring shovels. While I do my business inside, you guys go in the backyard; there is a small cemetery, and dig up whatever is buried there."

"How do we know the right spot?" Ambrose asked with a frown and wished they weren't there to dig up some corpses.

"There is a tombstone with my name on it." Mars said nonchalantly and then pointed with his cigar-holding hand to nearby cabins. "Tell others the same thing I told you. Do it quick."

After saying so, he left the room, leaving behind an eerie silence.

'Why me, I don't even know others.' Ambrose sighed and stood up.

He then left the room without closing the door and walked to a nearby cabin.

Unlike storming inside like Mars, he knocked on the door twice.

A faint sound of a guitar inside quieted down.

"Come in." A soft voice said.

Ambrose put his hand on the doorknob and opened the door slowly.

He was a light blue-eyed man with a handsome, smooth face and curly blond hair, with a guitar on his lap.

His fingers were somewhat long, as if they were specially made to play guitar.

"Apollo, right?"

"Yes?" Apollo looked away from the music notes and met the curious gaze of the person speaking to him.

"Uhm, Mars said that we have a job at... New North, I guess it was." Ambrose hoped it remembered the island's name correctly. "We have to dig up something from the backyard of some associate of his."

"Ah, I see." Apollo chuckled and flicked the guitar strings, adding a playful melody to the conversation. "We are visiting his mistress. It isn't the first time, but this is the first time we have something to do there."

"His mistress?" Ambrose asked and felt shivers run down his back.

He couldn't believe anyone would be willing to be with Mars, even though he was relatively good-looking, but his aura of maliciousness couldn't be hidden.

Unless his mistress was just as bad of a person as he was.

"Yeah..." Apollo smiled and winked. "A Heartstopper."

"His mistress is Heartstopper?" Ambrose's eyes widened as he didn't expect to meet this legendary creature so unexpectedly."

"Yeah." Apollo laughed. "We have never caught a proper glimpse of her, though. Good for us, I guess. I don't think most of us would be alive if we saw her."

"I see..." Ambrose nodded and pointed outside. "I guess I have to go tell others the same."

Apollo nodded, but before he left, he said: "We usually visit New North when Mars has some fate-related business near it.

"You remember his silver eye with a silver-shaped pupil, right?"

"Yeah." Ambrose nodded, as it wasn't something that could be easily forgotten.

"That is the Eye of Shimon." Apollo said. "Apparently, it is an eye that belonged to Ancient Grounded God that had the power to alter and steal fates. He now has it, and it guides him to places with a lot of fate and opportunities.

"It only works if he has stolen enough fate, which is why he relentlessly seeks out new opportunities to alter and manipulate destinies.

"That's why we are abducted and not killed; it takes way longer for him to steal our fates, and since we are always with him, he gets free fate, which then fuels the Eye of Shimon, which in the end takes him somewhere with great opportunities."

"I see..." Ambrose whispered.

"I have been here for five years." Apollo whispered. "Most of my fate has already been stolen, so it won't be long before I am fateless."

"What will happen to you then?" Ambrose asked with a deep frown.

"I don't know." Apollo smiled with a hint of sadness in his features. "I wish to be able to return home, though I fear it might never be possible."

Ambrose nodded and with heavy heart left the room to deliver the news to other crew members.

As the black-sailed ship crossed the foggy waters, the port of New North appeared on the horizon.