Eve’s knowledge of pirates wasn’t from famous movies or books. Real pirates, back on Earth, were a dirty, messy, murderous lot willing to kill at the drop of a coin. Unlike the romantic images portrayed in quite a few forms of media, real pirates were vicious killers willing to dump an entire ship’s crew over the side to steal an oil tanker, cargo ship, or pleasure yacht.

The first few times Eve’s secret squirrel military squad had been sent by her government into areas with pirate activity, it made her glad she had a gun. If a few pirates on the way to a target happened to fall down some stairs onto a sharp knife, well, such things never made it into the report for the higher-ups, so no one cared much. In retrospect, those few excursions had probably given her the extreme distaste she had for slavery. Rarely did pirates take male prisoners, and as a result, almost all slaves she saw in a pirate nest were exclusively female.

The inability to extract any slaves at the time since it would alert whatever target her squad was going after often haunted her years later. While no one said anything at the time, it was well known she had scheduled shrink sessions with the military doctor attached to their command regularly after her first pirate nest excursion. If it wasn’t for that kindhearted psychiatrist’s efforts at keeping her sane, Eve was certain she would probably have cracked long before making it to this System world.

While she still had a deep rage for ending slavery, the simple fact was her brother’s knowledge prevented her from taking extreme action in this world. Here there were no support networks, no airstrikes, no extraction helicopters. Only power mattered here. Eve couldn’t rescue all the slaves in this world, and the knowledge caused a deep bubbling rage. Normally, the rage was contained by her own trait, allowing her to function, but on occasion, it bubbled to the surface.

However, that meant that the few times she could act, Eve did.

The sandstorm made the ambient mana around her extremely chaotic, which meant that unless someone had a third-tier sensing ability such as Aura and a Domain to go with it, they couldn’t see far. As a result, the paper clones Eve created arrived on the lead pirate ship with ease, which allowed her to scan the ship much as she had done for the merchant ship she’d just left. Eve floated a whisper of existence above the sand barely, with her paper armor fully activated. When the mana pulse of her clones returned, informing her of several female slaves with multiple children in chains, Eve’s emotions grew cold and rational. Her paper puppet clone’s eyes glowed a soft silver promise of death, and as a result, they were the first thing the sailors on the lead pirate ship’s deck saw.

They were also the last thing quite a few pirate sailors saw too.

Eve concentrated a moment and created paper clones. They served two purposes. First, they allowed her to exercise her Domain, extending her range in the sandstorm without disruption. Like cell towers for smartphones, each clone was a powerful receiver and transmitter of Eve’s mana. This allowed for pinpoint precision, almost as accurate as having her Aura extended. Second, each clone could perform at Eve’s Class Tier minus one, perfectly providing life-saving decoys in a pinch. It was one of the methods she had been developing to preserve her own life over the past five years. While she didn’t detect anything above a Tier Two level of mana on the pirate ships, her paranoia was still rather extreme.

As a result, once slaves were confirmed by her clones on almost all the ships, Eve gave the clones a single directive.

No pirate survivors.

The paper clones opened up with a lethal salvo of KP Diamond hypersonic paper bullet rounds as their alpha strike. Deep white-black flames highlighted those that were struck by Eve's attack in the initial salvo. Pirates who saw the flames burning in the air the fallen realized a screaming form was visibly deteriorating within them. If anyone had been able to see the bullet’s rune markings, they would realize the Soul Burning Curse was embedded inside each round. Eve’s paranoia took the form of using clones to attack and ensuring there were no souls available to be interrogated in the aftermath. The clones crippled priority targets like the Captains, Navigators, First Mate, and other officers before being wrapped in paper bindings.

Four of the ships fell without issue, but the fifth, the far-right ship, revealed that her paranoia was well placed. A rock armored figure used sand for ripping her paper clone to shreds utterly. Eve’s own sense before the clone was shredded clearly told her that she was facing a third Tier Earth affinity Class. More clones were created to handle the situations on the first four captured ships, while Eve went to the last ship, which was now attempting to escape.

Landing lightly on the prow, Eve paid the price in mana to quadruple the size of her storm-eating cube. The sudden cessation of the storm caused the pirates still alive on deck to look around in confusion. At that moment, Eve attacked with absolute ruthlessness clearing the decks of every living individual except for the Earth Class wielder. The rock armor that enclosed the enemy managed to tank each of the KP Diamond paper bullet rounds, regenerating almost instantly after each blow. Since this was the first real combat against someone of equal power, Eve was meticulous in every detail. Her diamond shield-form enhanced with runes spun around her floating form. The paper armor around her form that looked like science fiction armor with full facial shielding also glowed with a separate set of runes. Loose sheets of paper spun around her form, providing portals to Nota that were held open in Eve’s right hand.

Let’s see how I stack up against an enemy of the same Tier from this world. An isolated opponent, no possible interference from others, and favorable battlefield conditions! This is probably the best chance I have, and if it fails, I can always retreat into the storm to hide. Eve thought as she watched the counterblow from her opponent arrive. Earthen compacted sand shards mimicking my own KP Diamond rounds, so the concept of accelerating a small object to lethal force is not unknown here. Either that or this pirate is a singular genius who can mimic the attack I used with minimal knowledge.

Switching from KP Diamond shots to paper sheets slicing with lethal chops caused the opponent to generate a mini-sand tornado to shred the paper sheets. Within seconds though, her paper sheets reformed from the tiny particles they were cut into by the sand. Eve’s eyes lit up even brighter as she immediately made the connection. While the KP Diamond rounds moved at an extreme speed and could have runes applied, they were no longer attached to her mana. Bullets, such as they were, remained a fire-and-forget weapon type. Conversely, the paper sheets that she chopped, sliced, and diced with were part of her Domain and gained a passive connection to her mana.

While she didn’t know the technical details, the simple fact that paper coated in her own mana could regenerate proved extremely valuable. Deciding to take the initiative, hundreds of sheets of paper spilled from the few pieces surrounding her. The noise of a storm of paper instantly filling the air around her with a swooshing sound of flexible death.

The enemy took one look at the approaching white blades and promptly dropped to the ground, dispelled their armor, and didn’t move. Eve was impressed at the revealed young man’s ability to make a split-second choice. Without delay, she formed a paper collar around the enemy’s neck.

The hundreds of sheets of paper vanished, and only a few remained as she approached, still floating in her shield form.

“Your ship has no slaves, and that singular fact is the only reason you are alive. Why are there no slaves on your ship?” Eve asked. Before the captured pirate could respond, a crystal accelerated from the doorway leading below decks directly through her defenses.

Even with her accelerated mind, the attack appeared as nothing so much as a laser made of crystalline light. The crystal shard’s acceleration had been so fast, it was out of range of her senses and lost in the storm in a fraction of a second. Eve could see the gaping wound where her heart was, and looking at the doorway, she witnessed a younger version of the Earth user collapse unconscious.

Am I dead? Eve thought, her accelerated mind giving her a strange sensation of avoiding death. Glancing back down at her wound, Eve watched it vanish as if a godly eraser had rubbed a mistake in reality out. The only proof she had even been struck was the hole in her paper armor and the shattered portion of her shield form.

Shiny rock save. Nota said, dispensing book wisdom.

The phylactery! Eve thought, her mind leaping to the shiny crystal that had been part of the ritual involving creating her familiar, Nota. So this is what that vague wording meant!

The shock of a near-death experience was gently suppressed by Bibliotheca Mind allowing Eve to calmly and rationally look at the situation. After the attack had occurred, the Earth user’s expression had been shocked as well, and she guessed the attack used had some restriction or cooldown that made it extremely difficult to use. It wasn’t difficult to understand, as his own skill from using it clearly damaged the young teenage boy’s body.

Eve wrapped the younger version of the Earth user in a full-body paper splint before sealing his eyes with a paper blindfold and wrapping a second paper collar on him. At the same time, she outfitted both men in a harness that would allow her to float them with minimal effort.

Floating both of them close, Eve gave a long hard look at the older male who hadn’t responded to her question before repeating it, “Why are there no slaves on your ship?”

“My little brother was enslaved in the past. There’s no way I could have collars on any ship with him. He’d have nightmares for weeks.” the Earth user finally said reluctantly.

Well, that makes sense. Eve thought, looking at the teenager in a new light. I still don’t understand why they are pirates if they can manipulate Earth and Crystals. On the other hand, without money, knowledge is rather rare. They might not understand how easy it can be to generate income with their talents in a much greater amount than piracy ever could.

“My name is Eve. What’s the name of you and the idiot brother of yours that tried to kill me?” Eve said as she summoned paper sheets above the ship before pausing and asking, “There isn’t anyone else on this ship you value, is there?”

“My name is Thomas, and my brother is James. There isn’t anyone else on board I would trust not to stab me in my sleep. My crew is bound by only two of the three great motivators, fear and profit.” Thomas said with a grimace.

“Ah, good enough,” Eve said before letting the paper sheets fall like steel slates, creating a similar effect on the wooden ship as a cheese slicer through cheese.

While she had plans for these two men, their ship was not required, and Eve needed to work out a bit of anger for almost dying. As a result, the pirate ship took the brunt of her anger and was disintegrated into bits of flotsam with the odd body part mixed in.

I have two new assets. Both of them could be quite valuable depending on where we end up at the next layer. Eve reached out, finding Sara exiting the Dungeon even through the chaos of the ambient mana to send information on the recent developments. While mana was affected by the storm, Sara’s new Class acted similar to a paper clone, allowing her message to reach.

Mistress, I am certain I can convince the older hunk to join us if that is what you desire? Sara replied in a hungry voice. The younger one, however, will need treatment.

Indeed. I can’t give him to Kudzu, so let’s have the girls handle it. They need exposure to the stupidity of boys at an early age. Tim isn’t enough of an idiot to give them a good inoculation. This kid, however, James, should be an excellent grindstone. Few people are stupid enough to attack a higher Tier with a skill that damages them even as their brother is in the process of surrendering.

Are you ok? Sara sent.

Absolutely, the benefit of being a Witch. Eve replied smugly. In a more serious tone, she replied. We have several recently freed slaves and quite a few test subjects for Kudzu now. I trust you can handle such things? I’m a bit tired from all the fun out here.

Of course. Please allow me to take care of the details, my lady. Sara immediately sent.

Good. Eve replied, breaking the connection before glancing at her captives and saying, “There are accommodations at my Hut for both of you. Ensure your brother understands that any violence upon my people will result in me giving you to another as gift-wrapped packages for experimentation.”

Thomas bowed his head and said, “As long as I am near my brother when he wakes up, this will not be an issue.”

“Good.” Eve said before smiling, “I plan to offer the two of you employment as soon as your brother is healthy. Of course, there is no need to join me if you do not wish to do so.”

Thomas glanced at his previous ship slowly being devoured by the storm’s sand before asking, “Would there be any problems with refusing to work for you?”

“Of course not!” Eve said brightly, “I’ll just hand you over as a present to the Oasis authorities when we arrive there.”

Thomas’s face became resigned as he said, “Happy to work with you, Boss.”

Eve’s bright smile continued as she floated the two of them off to rejoin her clones, who were freeing the other ship’s slaves.

It’s nice to be the Boss, sometimes. Eve thought as her plans for the next layer shifted with the two new possible additions to her family.