Destroy.
Kill.
The noise of the battle fades away and my sight is focused solely on the assailants in front of me.
The first pirate raises his sword, but I already clocked his first movement. I easily duck his heavy swing and slide the dagger across his scrawny thigh, severing his femoral artery. A splash of his blood hits my face and it’s as refreshing as dipping into a cool lake on a hot summer day.
The second one takes the opportunity to attack from behind, trying to catch me off guard.
As if that could happen.
Instead, I sweep one of my legs out hard, catching him behind his knees. Almost in the same place the King had swung his sword at me all thoseyears ago.
His leg crumples, losing balance for only seconds. It only takes me seconds, though, to use my small knife and cut the back of his sword hand, causing him to startle and drop his weapon. Defenseless, and at my mercy, a voice in my head whispers that I could knock him out cold. The louder voice in my head screams that I’m weak, and it’s that voice that drives my body to slice his jugular.
I’m rewarded with another warm, wet spray of crimson.
A third pirate screams, charging at me from the side. His hands are covered in soot, and I wonder if he’s responsible for the small explosions toMidas.I have a particular fondness for this ship, and he’ll pay for the damage he caused.
This man appears more competent in his sword fighting. He parries and defends my attacks more skillfully than his brethren. I’m only toying with him, though. I move side to side, backward and forward – a trick I learned when I was nine to wear your opponent out.
I hear a body thud to the ground. Out of the corner of my eye, Ginna pulls her sword from the burly pirate’s chest, hurrying as the fourth man brandishes his weapon at her.
The man I’m fighting is panting now, sweat glistening on his wide forehead. It’s time to end this.
I feign movement to the right, and as he goes to follow my lead, I use my dagger to hold his sword at bay and send a kick right into the man’s stomach. He doubles over, breathless from both the earlier movement and now the kick. I use that opportunity to slide my dagger into his side, watching him slowly drop to his knees before collapsing forward, sword clattering to the ground.
Deciding it was a good chance to upgrade my weapon, I steal his sword and drive it through his back for good measure, before pulling it back out to face my last offender.
The last pirate is hesitating, sword trembling slightly. I throw him a cruel sneer and raise an eyebrow, daring him to attack. He takes the bait, of course, and comes barreling toward me, sword out long. I chuckle at the simplicity of his attack as I sidestep him, leaving my foot six inches above the ground to trip him right as he reaches the spot I was just in.
The pirate goes sprawling on the deck, sword scattering, and scrambles back on his hands, eyes wide with fear.
I slowly trail after him, sword at my side. His back hits the side of the mast, nowhere left to move.
“W-Who are you?” The pirate cowers.
I raise my sword to the sky, blade hovering over the man’s heart. “I’m a Hunter…and you are my prey.”
And I drive the blade through the man’s chest, piercing his heart.
I find Ginna, alone, her last opponent defeated, blood and ash covering her face.
“Bet you wish you had your armor, huh?” She smirks.
I wave my hand dismissively. “Nothing I couldn’t handle without it.” My pulse is still racing, adrenaline pumping. My hands are twitching incessantly around the pommel of my sword, desperate for another fight.
“You good?” Ginna asks, and I realize I’m bouncing on the balls of my feet.
I stop abruptly. “Yes.” I cough. “Sorry - it’s the adrenaline. You know how it is.”
“Right.” She pauses. “Well, I’ll alert the crew. Make sure they can’t spot any more pirates on their way and have them deal with this.” She gestures at the bloodied deck, holes blown in the planks, and the bodies scattered about.
“Have you seen Elia?” When Ginna shakes her head I continue. “I need to go check if she's okay. She must still be in the galley with the quartermaster.”
I turn to leave and that’s when I see Elia standing by the railing. She looks like the siren she is, emerging from the fading smoke of the explosion, dress and hair whipping in the wind. But it’s the horrified shock on her face that stills me completely. As if she’s seen a ghost.
Or, I guess in this case, seen what a Hunter looks like when he’s caught his prey.
