章 678: 21
Chapter 21:
Six years ago:
"Well, it seems we have a knack for attracting trouble," noted Sasame wryly, over the rumble of their ship's guns and the shouts of the men.
"I think we need to talk to Shinrei about more coastal patrols," noted Kyo, as he watched the smaller, faster watercraft swarm about the ship carrying them to Leng. "We seem to have developed a bit of a pirate problem."
"It's part and parcel to not having anything equivalent to a navy," said Sasame, with a heavy sigh. "We can't ask the Kingdoms to patrol our seaside territory, but if we built up naval forces of our own, even if they existed solely to prevent this sort of thing, the Kingdoms would get nervous and pushy with us."
"Damned if we do, damned if we don't, hmm?" mused Kyo idly.
Ruby, for her part, couldn't countenance how sanguine the two were being about their situation. The voyage had been quiet at first. Then, just a few days out from the coast of Sanus, they were swarmed by several small ships, which both her siblings and the crew had identified as pirates. Right now, the crew was keeping them at bay with their ship's guns, normally used to hold off aquatic Grimm.
Of course, with Kyo on board, Grimm weren't an issue. But the pirates clearly knew their business, and their own smaller boats were fast and agile, darting in and out of the line of fire before they could be caught. Occasionally, one would swoop past, with the men inside firing shots, peppering the deck of the larger vessel with Dust-rounds. Sometimes, there would be a cry of pain, and Sasame would spring into action to treat the afflicted. But, by and large, it seemed like a stalemate. The smaller boats possessed nothing powerful enough to bring the larger vessel to a stop or divert its course. All the smugglers had to do was keep pressing forward, and they would reach a, hopefully, safe harbor.
"What are they trying to do?" asked Ruby, carefully peeking over the side of the ship to watch as another pirate vessel dashed past.
"I imagine they're trying to keep us occupied, so that we don't notice the fog bank ahead," said Kyo, pointing at the gray cloud billowing just above the water.
"What is that?" gasped Ruby.
"Steam-Dust, I'd guess," commented a chiseled, black-haired man with tanned skin, coming up beside Kyo. He went without shirt or vest, leaving his top half exposed to the elements. His black hair was slightly spiky and combed back, a short, black goatee hanging off the end of his chin. Gold hoops were looped through his left ear. He surveyed the incoming boats with hard, dark-green eyes, his face set into a scowl. His hands drifted to the cutlas-type weapon belted on at his waist, hanging to the side of his worn, brown pants.
"Can we divert around it?" asked Kyo.
"Not likely," said the ship's captain. "There's a larger ship inside that cloud, mark my words. If we move, they'll move to keep us cut off."
"Then why bother with all the smaller boats?" asked Ruby, glancing over the edge again.
"If we get caught up trying to avoid the fog bank, they'll catch us and board us while we slow down to maneuver," said the captain. "Their first objective is to get people aboard."
"That would make sense," said Sasame. "They wouldn't want to risk damaging this ship, and losing potential cargo."
The captain sighed and shook his head. "Except we ain't got no cargo, yet. Those folks in Leng don't care for anything we can bring from Vale's side of the sea."
"You'll be adequately compensated," promised Kyo.
"So you've promised," said the captain. "I'll take you at your word. It ain't normal to set out with an empty hold like this. Problem is, none 'o those pirates know we ain't got nothing worth stealing."
Sasame leaned over, and quietly whispered something to Ruby about "double-negatives," which made her giggle, in spite of their situation.
"I don't suppose we could inform them of that," said Kyo.
"They wouldn't believe us," grumbled the captain.
"Would your guns be sufficient for the larger vessel?" asked Sasame.
"Maybe," said the captain. "Depends on the size. The problem is that only our turret can face front. We'd need to turn to give 'em a full-on broadside. The smaller boat's'd catch us if we did that."
"Well, we can deal with boarders," said Kyo, exchanging looks with Sasame. "But we'd hate to make a mess of your ship."
"So long as she still sails afterwards, that's all that matters," said the captain. "I'll add damages to your bill."
"They'll be covered," promised Sasame.
"That being the case, let's head straight in and spring their trap," said Kyo. "To avoid casualties, please have your crew move belowdecks."
"Got it," said the captain, walking along the deck and belting out orders.
"You'll go below with the crew," said Kyo, resting a hand on Ruby's shoulder.
Ruby swallowed and nodded. A small part inside of her protested at being put out of the way, like a child, but her training with Kyo and Sasame had taught her that facing battle was no easy task. She wouldn't be as lucky as she'd been with the bandit woman in Barrowdown. Ruby had done a few sparring sessions with Kyo, if they could even be properly called that. Even when he was slowing down and holding back his strength to the fullest, she had difficulty keeping up with him.
"All right," she said.
All around them, the crew of the ship rushed along the deck. The guns fell silent as the crew members left their posts at the captain's orders, heading down the hatches to the quarters belowdecks. Reluctantly, Ruby moved to join them, only to be stopped by the captain, who rested a hand on her shoulder.
"I've got a place for you," he said. "You wanna watch these two in action, right?"
Ruby nodded.
"Come with me," he said. "I've sent the helmsman below too, but someone's got to steer this tub."
The captain led her along the deck, trading nods with Kyo as they passed. The captain led Ruby onto the ship's bridge. The vessel wasn't all that large, yet the bridge was surprisingly spacious. The windows afforded them a clear view of the ship's deck, as well as the sea around them.
Ruby noticed that, now that the guns had fallen silent, the pirate boats were coming alongside. A minute later, ladders clanged against the railing and men began swarming up from the boats to reach the deck. They reminded Ruby of the bandits that had attacked Barrowdown, though she supposed that pirates were essentially seafaring bandits, so it was understandable that there would be a resemblance.
However, she noticed that they seemed better-dressed than the bandits, their clothes less tattered and worn. The sunlight gleamed off the blades they drew, and some of them brandished weapons with mechashift capabilities. Knives extended into spears. Rifles sprouted bayonets. One man even brandished a cutlass similar to the captain's, a red Dust gem glittering in the pommel of its handle.
For the most part, the pirates weren't yet interested in getting through the hatches to reach the crew. Instead, they gathered on the deck, moving to encircle the two people who remained facing them. Ruby gulped, focusing her eyes on Kyo and Sasame.
"Looks like you've got some sense after all," commented a thin man with narrow eyes, idly spinning a kukri by a ring set into the base of its handle around his finger, the blade a whirling blur. "Finally decided to give up fighting?"
"Not as such," said Kyo pleasantly. "I'm afraid you've gone through a great deal of trouble to no end. This ship has no cargo presently. My friends and I are passengers, so I'm afraid there's no point to your actions."
"Ha!" barked a tall woman near the back. "You really think a bald-faced lie like that can fool us?"
"Well, you can check the hold, if you wish," said Sasame. "There's nothing here to steal."
"Even if that's the case, you'd think we'd just walk away?" commented the thin man. "A fine ship like this would make a great addition to our fleet."
"Fleet?" mused Kyo, raising an eyebrow.
They entered into the fog. After a few minutes, it began to lift, revealing that they were between, not one, but two ships, angled so that the smuggler vessel couldn't go forward any farther. The captain, seeing that the way was blocked, slowed the ship to a stop. Behind them, a third ship emerged from cover, cutting off any path of retreat.
"Aye," said the pirates' spokesman. "This is the fleet of Commodore Bloodworth. You'd best not offer any resistance, or the entire crew of this ship'll be butchered and fed to the Grimm."
"And where is this Commodore?" asked Kyo. "It seems odd that so many of you have assembled here, but the commander of this force is not present."
"Our Commodore's gone to take the bridge, of course," said the the spokesman with a laugh. "You'd think she'd just mill about on the deck?"
"Oh bother," muttered Sasame, turning to head for the bridge, only to stop as one of the pirates behind her fired a harpoon that pierced her from behind. Sasame lurched as the blade of the weapon pierced through her back, continuing on to punch out through her chest. She staggered two steps, then stopped.
"No interfering!" crowed the woman who'd fired the harpoon, which was apparently an extension of the jagged blade of the halberd she brandished.
Mocking laughter rippled back and forth amongst the pirates, only to die off as Sasame straightened and reached up to her chest. Grasping the harpoon behind its blade, she twisted and snapped the metal shaft like a twig. Walking a few steps forward, she was able to pull the cable that tethered it to the pirate's weapon out of her back, then turned to face the pirates once more.
"That was uncalled for," she said firmly. "It seems you lot enjoy bloodshed a great deal."
"Y-you're damn right we do!" shouted the pirates' spokesman, unnerved by her shrugging off what should have been a lethal wound. "We do as we like!"
"I see," said Sasame, bringing her hands together and cracking her knuckles. "I wonder how much you'll enjoy bloodshed, when it's your blood that's being spilled. We need to settle this quickly, I'm afraid, so your suffering will be brief...if you last long enough to experience any at all."
The door to the bridge slammed open, a tall woman dressed in a dark-red greatcoat strutting in. Both Ruby and the captain whirled around to face her. The captain's hand immediately blurred towards his cutlass.
The patch over the woman's right eye flashed. What looked to be a yellow gem set into it flared, and a bolt flashed across the space between her and the captain with a loud crack, and the smell of ozone, striking him right in the chest. Streamers of lightning rushed across his body, the captain spasming and screaming in pain for a few seconds, before dropping to the deck. With a horrified gasp, Ruby rushed to his side, checking for signs of life.
"He's still alive, Little One," said the woman in a condescending tone. "He may still be useful after all."
Ruby growled and put herself between this strange woman and the downed captain, her hand going to the handle of her own sword. The woman made no response as Ruby drew the kodachi Kyo had given her, and held it up in a basic stance. Instead, she watched Ruby silently, something approaching amusement dancing in the wine-colored iris of her visible eye.
The woman certainly fit the image of the classical pirate. Her greatcoat was decorated with gold buttons at the front, with gold lining along the flaps and collar. Her shoulders were decorated with epaulettes, each with a white skull on a blood-red field, surrounded by a gold fringe. The cuffs of her sleeves were also black, but decorated with gold thread. She also wore what seemed to be cufflinks with red gems. Below her greatcoat, the woman wore black pants, with thigh-high leather boots that thudded with an authoritative sound against the deck, every time she took a step. Her hair was the only thing really at odds with the color motif, being a dark-blue, tied into a braided tail that was draped over her right shoulder. The top of her head was covered by a black and gold tricorn hat. Then, of course, there was her black eyepatch, with the yellow gem set into it.
As she faced the woman, Ruby's eyes went to the belt around the woman's waist, just visible between the flaps of her partially-buttoned greatcoat. The hilt of a sword of some kind protruded out from it, the handle a gleaming, gold color. Besides the gem in her eyepatch and her cufflinks, the woman was decked out in a surprising amount of jewelry. Their was a silver brooch with a blue jewel over her left breast-pocket. Green gems on gold rings decked out her fingers. Around her neck was a silver necklace, from which dangled a black gem with violet highlights. Silver earrings with pale-blue gems dangled from her earlobes.
At first glance, it seemed gaudy and impractical to load so many extras and accessories onto her person. But the woman's first action, bringing down the captain with a blast of lightning from her eyepatch, had played her hand. Ruby only knew a little about Dust from her basic education in elementary school. But she knew that its fundamental form was as naturally-occurring crystals that were left intact, or ground down into powder. The crystal in her eye patch was, in fact, a Dust-gem. Each accessory this woman wore might be Dust of some kind, meaning she was concealing a veritable arsenal in plain sight, enabling her to attack without even needing to reach for her weapon.
The woman strode forward, her boots clomping on the deck as she approached Ruby, who swallowed, keeping her guard up.
"Well well," said the woman, "a little one with some spine. You'll make a fine addition to my crew."
"I'm not going to be a pirate," growled Ruby.
Her denial only seemed to amuse the woman further. "You really shouldn't knock it, Little One. This is a fine life, taking what you please, doing what you want. You can live free from those idiot Kingdoms and their Councils."
"I don't care," growled Ruby. "I don't want to be someone who steals from others."
"Well well...the Little One has principles, hmm?" mused the woman. "That just makes me want you all the more. I'll take you and break you out of those silly little ideals, until you can't live without the smell of blood."
Ruby swallowed hard, remembering what Sasame had told her after she'd killed that bandit woman. Some people tumbled headlong into a life of crime, seeing little other recourse, if they wished to survive. However, Sasame had also warned her that there were those who took pride in their willingness to take what belonged to others by force. It seemed that this woman was the latter.
It was more than what she said. It was in the quality of her clothes, the expensive-looking Dust-armed accessories that dotted her person. This was a woman who wasn't hurting for means. She didn't participate in piracy to survive. She did so because she enjoyed it.
Ruby would sooner die than become someone like that.
"My name is Morgan Bloodworth," said the woman, her hand going to the golden handle of her sword. "I command three ships and over a hundred sailors. No one defies me for long, least of all a child."
Her blade slid free. It appeared to be a rapier, albeit one with a broader blade than most, almost wide enough for it to qualify as a longsword. This was a weapon built as much for slashing as it was for piercing. It looked heavy, but the woman flourished it with ease, not seeming bothered by its weight. The blade was a silvery color, with a pair of lines running up either side of the blade.
With a click, Morgan squeezed a trigger and the blade suddenly began to spin, becoming a whirling blur, almost as much a drill as it was a sword. She released the trigger, and the blade stopped spinning. "Well now...are you going to be a good little girl...or am I going to have to give you a little discipline?"
Ruby growled, carefully hefting her blade and keeping her stance.
"Well then, far be it for me to go all out against such a cute little thing," said Morgan, her tone taunting. "It sounds as though my sailors are amusing themselves with the crew, and whoever is supposed to be defending this tub, so I'll play with you while I wait for them. The bridge is as good as mine anyway."
Ruby's cheeks flushed with anger. This woman considered the fight already won. Of course, it was a pretty natural conclusion to reach. Ruby had been training hard, but there was no way a few months of training, however intensive, could put a nine-year-old on remotely even footing with a woman who clearly had a level of skill equivalent to a fully-trained Huntress, seeing how easily she'd used the Dust-crystal on her eyepatch. Despite that, Ruby was determined to give it her all. The captain was down, and she'd protect him with everything she had.
For all that he'd been a harsh man, with a rather intimidating manner, the captain of this ship had been kind to her, for the brief duration she'd spent on board, sharing stories and teaching her about the seafaring life. Even his inviting her onto the bridge had been an act of kindness, a presumably safe place she could watch her brother and sister fight from. He might have been only stunned, but Ruby would do what she could to help him.
She took a deep breath, and let it out. Kyo and Sasame had warned her that an excess of anger could be dangerous. It could be a source of strength, but only if she didn't let it govern her actions. She had to draw on it, but not let it overwhelm her. Taking another breath, Ruby let her anger flow through her body, almost seeming to merge with her Aura, hardening and intensifying it. Her Aura flowed up through her blade, strengthening its core and honing its edge. She'd been practicing using her Aura through her weapons. Now was the time to put that practice to use.
Ruby lunged forward, expelling Aura from her feet to accelerate explosively, her body becoming a blur as she closed the distance between herself and Morgan. At the same time, she used Flow to channel her Aura, concentrating it along the length of her sword, which she brought down in a diagonal swing, a basic technique she'd practiced endlessly.
Morgan raised her sword almost casually to block, though her eye widened slightly. Ruby's speed impressed her, being faster than the pirate had expected. However, it was still within the realm of what Morgan could handle, so she didn't need to exert herself to catch Ruby's attack. Their blades clashed with a clang that resonated throughout the interior of the bridge. Morgan's block was firm and unyielding, the impact sending a jolt down Ruby's arms as she was repelled back by the recoil of her own blow.
She hadn't been the only one who'd felt a jolt. Morgan let out an impressed whistle, examining her own arm. "Well well...for a little thing, you can certainly pack quite a bit of power into your swing." She grinned and beckoned Ruby forward with her free hand. "Come now, Little One, show me what else you can do."
If she wants to play with me, then fine, thought Ruby determinedly. If she was free to attack, then she could keep trying, and hope to work a blow through Morgan's defense. So Ruby shot forward again.
Their blades connected again, Morgan blocking Ruby's sideways slash with ease. The impact was lighter. Morgan opened her mouth to comment on it, only to realize why Ruby hadn't put so much power in that slash as Ruby followed it up by bringing her blade around and up in another diagonal strike. Morgan turned her wrist, shifting her blade, causing Ruby's sword to skid off of it. However, Ruby immediately flowed into another attack, shifting through technique after technique, just as she'd practiced in the katas that Kyo had taught her.
Morgan blocked every strike, but the intensity of Ruby's onslaught was actually causing her to step back. "What a fascinating little thing you are," she commented as she fended off blow after blow. "You clearly practice diligently. In a few more years, you could be quite the little warrior." She blocked another two strikes. Then Ruby jumped up, bringing her sword straight down in a two-handed swing, aiming for Morgan's head.
"Still..." said Morgan, catching Ruby's strike with her own sword, holding it with one hand, horizontally, above her, stopping Ruby's blade cold. Intercepting Ruby's strike caused her to pause in the air for a fraction of a second. That was all Morgan needed. She lashed out with a kick, slamming the heel of her boot right into Ruby's stomach, and sending her flying across the room to hit the wall on the other side of the bridge. Ruby cried out in pain and fell to the floor. "...you need to work on not leaving yourself so open when you attack. I could have ended this a dozen times over already."
Ruby coughed. It hurts! Tears ran down her face. It was the first time she'd ever really been hit. When she'd sparred with him, the worst Kyo had ever given her had been the occasional rap, which stung, but couldn't compare to the brutal pain of being hit for real, even if it was a kick that had probably only used a fraction of Morgan's strength. The closest comparison had been the time that she'd broken her leg practicing the Shukuchi Sasame had taught her.
Her stomach burned and ached. Ruby felt like curling up into a ball and crying.
"Oh?" Morgan pinched her chin with her fingers thoughtfully. "Is this your first real fight? You've never taken a real hit before, have you? You poor dear. I hope you realize that, if you continue to resist, you'll only experience more pain like that. In fact, it'll get worse each time."
Ruby sniffled. Part of her wanted to give up then and there. It hurts...I'm scared! I want to go home! Then her eyes drifted to the captain, and Ruby sniffled a little harder, clearing her nose.
Gritting her teeth, Ruby forced herself to her feet and took up her sword once again. Her constant practice ensuring that she wouldn't drop it, even after taking a hit like that.
"Well well..." said Morgan again, her smirk becoming a grin, "...you're a determined little one. Good, I'd be disappointed if you gave up so easily, even if this is your first time tasting the fear of a real battle. Let's see just how far you can push that determination of yours, before you give up."
"I-I'll n-never give up," stammered Ruby.
"I very much doubt that, my dear," said Morgan. "Everyone submits eventually. There is only so much pain and fear you can endure, before your resolve crumbles. Now...come." She beckoned Ruby with her free hand yet again.
Ruby dashed forward again, her blade held high, ready to strike. Morgan smiled and raised her own sword to block, only for her eyes to widen as Ruby's knees bent and she went into a deep crouch, her sword sinking with her to execute a side-slash at the level of Morgan's shins. Morgan backpedaled, moving to lower her own sword with an indecent haste to intercept Ruby's attack.
But, even as her sword rebounded off Morgan's block, Ruby propelled herself out of her crouch, launching herself upwards, following through with a lightning-fast cut to try and catch Morgan's upper-body before she could reposition her sword to block. Morgan's own sword became a blur, flashing up to catch Ruby's, Morgan's body flinching away from the attack. Landing, Ruby Projected her Aura from her feet again, this time using the technique to dart through the opening created by Morgan's guard to flank her, then using it again to rapidly reverse her course and come at the pirate's back.
Morgan spun to follow Ruby, appearing to misgauge the angle of Ruby's attack, her sword held up at the wrong angle to intercept Ruby's next strike. A sense of triumph surged through Ruby's veins as she realized she was about to land a hit.
Then, with a click, the blade of Morgan's sword split, the edges separating and spreading apart in a scissoring motion, one blade becoming three. Ruby's sword struck one of the outermost blades, the angle of interception causing her blade to slide inwards, until it struck the base of Morgan's now trident-like weapon. Then Morgan pulled the trigger on the handle, causing three blades to spin together in a single unit, twisting to catch Ruby's sword with the torque of the motion. Then Ruby herself was pulled along by the force of the spin.
The world whirled around her, and Ruby was pulled along as Morgan turned, moving her arm in conjunction with the spin of her sword blade, before bringing the weapon, and Ruby, down, stopping her spin to release her weapon's hold on Ruby's blade, and slam Ruby into the floor with enough force to easily drive the breath from Ruby's lungs. Ruby actually bounced back up from the impact, and Morgan delivered yet another kick, throwing her across the room to hit the wall in almost the same spot she'd hit before. Ruby hit the wall and found herself sprawled on the floor yet again.
"You have a strong grip, Little One," commented Morgan, as Ruby sobbed where she lay. "Most fighters wind up having their weapons yanked right out of their hands when I do that. Of course, it helps that you're light enough that I was able to swing you around easily." With a click, her blades closed back together, becoming a single sword blade again. "Now then...ready to give up?"
Ruby sniffled and whimpered. Her limbs trembled, feeling like jelly. As Morgan had promised, this had hurt even worse than the previous kick. Still, Ruby managed to get her right hand under her and push herself up. Struggling to rise up on her shaking legs, she faced Morgan again, though the point of her sword wavered as she held it at the ready.
"My my...so determined," said Morgan, her grin widening. "Oh...this is beyond words! What a find you are, Little One! I can't wait to get you aboard my flagship. Once we're alone in my cabin, I'll gladly test how much you can endure, before you break."
Ruby took a deep breath, then another...and another. The fact that her opponent was such a sadist was working in her favor. Morgan was willing to give Ruby all the time she needed to regain her coordination, and recover from the hits she'd just taken. Taking a few more deep breaths, Ruby felt her trembling still. It came more from fear than any damage she'd taken. The pain had been incredible, but her Tempered Aura had held, and her body itself had actually not taken much in the way of damage.
Raising her blade, Ruby cried out as she dashed forward again, once again going with an overhead strike, swinging straight down. This time, Morgan separated her blade right away, and caught Ruby's attack between the outer and center blades. With a click, the blades rotated again, trapping Ruby's blade between them and sending her whirling around as Morgan aimed to slam her into the floor again...which she did.
As before, Morgan planned to follow through with another kick. However, that was forgotten as pain exploded in a line across her abdomen, driving the wind from her lungs this time, the force sending her staggering back, even as Ruby bounced off the floor. The blow she'd just taken actually sent Morgan reeling back, staggering back out the door she'd entered through, until her back hit the railing of the deck outside the bridge, which allowed her to stop without toppling overboard.
"What-?" gasped Morgan, blinking through the pain and focusing on Ruby, as the girl once again got to her feet, moving more surely this time. Then Morgan's eye widened as she saw the girl raise her sword in her right hand...and a blade of dark-red wood in her left.
Secure in her sense of superiority, Morgan hadn't bothered to note the nuances in Ruby's technique. When they'd begun, Ruby's two-handed grip had held the sword with her left-hand in front, with the right hand gripping behind. But, during this latest attack, Ruby had switched hands, her right hand moving to the fore. When Morgan had caught Ruby's kodachi by splitting her sword again, Ruby had actually released her weapon with her left hand, so that she could reach down and draw the wooden practice-sword she wore next to her real blade. As Morgan had sent her weapon and, subsequently, Ruby into a spin, Ruby had drawn the wooden blade, channeling her Aura into it and striking in conjunction with her draw, adding the force of Morgan's own counter to it as she slashed the wooden blade across Morgan's stomach.
Now Ruby stood, a weapon in each hand, both held at the ready as she faced Morgan again.
Ruby looked down at her weapons and frowned. No...that's not right. Right now, she stood with her weapons angled out to the sides, basically facing Morgan straight on, and leaving a huge opening right in front of her. She crossed the blades in front of her, but didn't feel satisfied with that either. They'll just tangle each other up, if I try to swing like this. My stance needs to be more like this... She slid her right foot forward, holding out her kodachi in front of her in a guard, while keeping her wooden sword in her left hand out to her side. At least, like this, she could block with one, and then follow through with a swift strike from the other.
Morgan was no longer smiling. "Clever little minx, aren't you?" she asked, a growl of frustration entering her voice. It seemed that this wasn't so fun when she was the one getting hurt. "Well then...perhaps it's time I got more serious about breaking you. Let's see...perhaps a little electroshock therapy..."
There was a click and yellow arcs of electricity began to jump between the separated blades of her sword, bridging the gap between the blades and crawling along their length, from the hilt to the tips. The blades began to spin, the crackling of the Dust-powered lightning merging with the whirring sound of the mechanism spinning the blades creating what almost appeared to be maelstrom of electricity whirling above the handle.
Ruby's mouth went dry, a sense of dread filling her as she watched the miniature storm that Morgan's blade had become. Her metal blade would conduct that electricity right into her hand. The wooden blade would break instantly under the mechanical torque exerted by the spin. In either case, there was no way she could defend or counter an attack like this. Unconsciously, her feet began to move of their own accord and she began to edge back.
"Ah...finally getting a sense of your inadequacy?" asked Morgan, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly, though her teeth remained gritted and bared. "But it's too little, too late, I'm afraid. I'm going to give you some stringent discipline, Little One. Let's get a head start on knocking that defiance out of you, shall we."
Ruby shivered as the blatant sadism in Morgan's tone. The pirate was clearly looking forward to the pain she'd soon be inflicting on Ruby. The sight of that malevolent gleam in her eye made Ruby quail.
Then Ruby caught a flash of movement behind the pirate woman and gasped.
The gangly man who'd been the pirates' spokesman gaped unashamedly at what remained of the boarding party. One of his compatriots threw himself at Sasame with a bestial howl, a massive claymore clasped in his hands. He brought it down towards Same's head, the blade splitting through her skull, and continuing down through her neck and into her torso.
But the split halves of Sasame's body joined back together in less than a second, leaving her looking as though the attack hadn't happened at all...save for the broad blade of the massive sword now lodged in the center of her stomach. The pirate's eyes widened in shock and he pulled back, only to stop short when his blade refused to budge, trapped in Sasame's stomach, almost as though clenched in a vice.
Sasame looked down casually at the sword imbedded in her, before her gaze drifted back up to meet that of the man who'd just tried to bisect her. Then she smiled cheerfully at him.
The man let go of the sword and backpedaled, trying to get away. But Sasame was too quick, darting forward, the sword lodged in her gut not slowing her in the least as she struck with an uppercutting punch that slammed right into the man's own stomach. The blow was such that the pirate spokesman expected his unfortunate comrade to be sent flying into the sky. But the power was beyond even that.
The attacker's upper body, including his head, exploded like an overripe fruit, a massive spray of red blood, mingling with chunks and giblets of the man's pulverized insides spreading out through the air, leaving only the man's waist and legs standing on the deck, before they toppled over.
"So messy," commented Kyo casually, standing amongst the bloody chunks of his own victim.
"And you're not?" countered Sasame, reaching down and casually gripping the blade of the sword and pulling it free from her torso. The blade was so long she had to pull it out through hand-over-hand transitions, before she finally pulled its full length clear of her and let it clatter onto the deck. "It's always such a hassle to remove these longer blades."
The pirate spokesman stumbled back away from the two of them, backing all the way up to the tip of the ship's bow, his back pressed into the wedge formed by the converging lines of railing. "Wha-wha-wha-what the hell are you?" he stammered, barely able to speak coherently."
"Too much for you and yours, I'm afraid," said Sasame, popping her knuckles for dramatic emphasis again. "Now then, let's finish this. Ruby-chan is doing well, but your Commodore is a little too much for her at this stage."
"Screw this!" exclaimed the spokesman. "Forget taking this ship intact! You're all sleeping with the fishes!" His hand darted inside his vest and he pulled out a small metal cylinder, a flare of some kind. "We'll just blow this heap out of the water."
"That won't do," said Sasame, with a disappointed frown.
"Ah-!" said Kyo abruptly, reaching out towards the spokesman with his free left hand.
"You're all dead!" shouted the spokesman, raising the flare into the air, preparing to trigger it.
"Look-!" Kyo began.
There was a flash of blue. A loud roar, like the rushing of river rapids or the sound of a thundering waterfall, echoed through the air. An azure, serpentine shape rushed up over the edge of the bow, fanged jaws closing across the man's torso in a spray of blood. Then both the man and the shape were gone, the sinuous form arcing over the bow and down the other side, the unfortunate pirate gone before he even had time to scream.
"-out..." finished Kyo, lowering his hand. "Well...this is somewhat unexpected."
"It seems we won't need to speak with Shinrei after all," commented Sasame, casting her gaze about, as more serpentine shapes rose around them, almost like a forest of blue kelp extending out of the water, twisting and winding, darting over the decks of the ships that encircled them.
The screams of pirates filled the air as they were snatched off the decks of their vessels and pulled into the water, or torn apart by fanged jaws where they stood. More forms punched through the hulls of the ships, teeth tearing through solid metal as easily as flesh. With low groaning sounds, the ships around them began to list, even as they were torn and rent into pieces.
Then a shrill scream cut through the air. Sasame turned and dashed towards the bridge of their own ship.
It happened in the blink of an eye. A blue, serpentine shaped lunged upwards from below, rising up over the railing like a striking snake, jaws stretching open as they lunged for Morgan from behind. Apparently, Ruby's expression and sudden gasp had alerted Morgan to her danger, and she spun about, sidestepping automatically as she brought her spinning, lightning-charged weapon about to counterattack. Her movements demonstrated speed worthy of a woman who commanded such an impressive force of pirates.
Yet she was no match for what had come for her. Her own eye widened as the jaws of an azure dragon; with an elongated snout at the end of an almost leonine head, perched atop a winding, sinuous body; closed around her left arm before she could fully pull it out of the way. Razor-sharp fangs slashed effortlessly through her Aura, easily reaching the flesh beneath, and powerful jaws snapped the humerus like a twig, ripping almost the entire limb off, leaving a bloody stump hanging just below the shoulder.
Morgan screamed in pain and fear. The force of the dragon's strike knocked her off balance, and she went tumbling over the railing, leaving Ruby, staring blankly at the space where the pirate had been standing a second earlier.
Was that a Grimm? wondered Ruby, trembling at the thought. That didn't seem possible. While traveling with Kyo, Ruby had never seen even a single Grimm. Sasame continually assured her that the Grimm wouldn't come within miles of Kyo. Also...Grimm weren't blue...were they?
A pair of gentle, familiar hands gripped her shoulders and squeezed them. Ruby felt a warm, familiar Aura washing through her, the aches left by Morgan's kicks and the battering she'd taken fading into nothing in a matter of seconds. Ruby looked over her shoulder and into Sasame's smiling face. Behind Sasame, her tail extended to brush over the captain, her Aura healing him as well.
"Well done, Ruby-chan," said Sasame.
Relief at the sight of Sasame made Ruby feel weak all over again. Her legs began to quiver, and she suddenly felt exhausted.
"Put your swords away," Sasame reminded her.
Ruby nodded and tucked her wooden sword into her belt. Then, carefully, she slid her kodachi back into its sheath. By the time she finished, her hands were shaking so badly, Ruby was afraid she might cut herself on the blade before she could get it in. Only when both weapons were stowed did Sasame release Ruby's shoulders and allow her to turn around. Then Sasame opened her arms.
Ruby sniffled, then threw herself at Sasame, hugging her tightly and sobbing into her shoulder.
"Shh...it's all right," cooed Sasame, stroking her fingers through Ruby's hair. "I'm so proud of you, Ruby-chan. Were you scared?"
"Yes," Ruby mumbled, her voice muffled by the cloth of Sasame's kimono.
"That's to be expected," said Sasame. "A real fight is scary. Getting hurt is scary. Fear and pain are both something you'll need to experience and learn to overcome. It's not easy...but I know you can do it. You certainly showed it during this fight."
"I...I..." Ruby sniffled and pulled away from Sasame, red lining the skin under her eyes from her crying, tears making her cheeks glitter. "I was so scared! I wanted...I..."
"You wanted what?" asked Sasame gently.
"I wanted to go home!" exclaimed Ruby. "I just wanted it to be over, to stop...I was...I'm a coward."
"Oh, Ruby-chan! No!" Sasame pulled Ruby's face against her shoulder. "Yes, it's only natural to think that, when you're afraid, when you've never dealt with that kind of fear before. But...when you thought that, when you felt that fear...did you give up?"
"N-no," whimpered Ruby.
"That's right," said Sasame. "Being afraid doesn't make you a coward, Ruby-chan. Surrendering to fear, letting it rule you and dictate your actions, that is what makes a coward. You were so afraid, but you stood up again and again, even though it hurt so much. That, Ruby-chan, is courage. You were so very brave."
"R-really?" asked Ruby.
"Yes," said Sasame. "I am so proud of you." She kissed the crown of Ruby's head. "Now then, my brave Ruby-chan, shall we meet our friend?"
"F-friend?" asked Ruby, pulling back to look at Sasame in confusion.
"That's right," said Sasame, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping away Ruby's snot and tears, her Aura washing over Ruby and soothing the last of her fear away. "There. All better."
"What about the captain?" asked Ruby, looking past Sasame.
"Oh, he'll be fine," said Sasame. "The hit he took wasn't bad at all."
Sure enough the ship's captain groaned and sat up, rubbing his head.
Ruby sighed in relief, glad to see that he was all right.
"Let's go," said Sasame, taking Ruby by the hand and leading her out of the bridge.
Morgan tumbled over the side of the ship, plunging towards the water below. Blood streamed from the stump of her severed arm, staining the tattered remnants of her greatcoat sleeve. She hit the water below hard, exploding to the surface, sputtering and floundering. Her hat had been knocked off and drifted away.
Turning, her eyes alit on one of the small boats some of her crew had been using to harass the smuggler vessel. Now she swam to it with her one good arm, channeling her Aura into the stump of her left arm to staunch her bleeding. Despite that, she left a red streak in the water behind her. Finally, gasping with exertion, she heaved herself over the side of the boat.
There was no time to rest though. The groaning of metal and the screams of her sailors filled her ears. Looking around, she found herself in a scene from a nightmare, as the water itself seemed to come alive, blue dragons rising up from the sea, striking out to snatch unfortunate men and women from the decks of her ships, even as others tore right through the vessels' metal hulls like paper. Morgan's mighty armada, the pride of her life, was being torn to shreds before her very eyes, and she was helpless to do anything.
Cursing, Morgan sheathed her sword and made her way to the boat's helm, starting the engine and steering away from the massacre taking place aboard her ships, aiming her boat for open water. The water behind her swelled and elongated, serpentine dragons leaping after her, their jaws opening wide.
Turning to look over her shoulder, Morgan punched out with her remaining hand. The cufflink on her wrist flared, and a bolt of fire launched out, striking the first dragon and evaporating its head into steam. The rest of its body collapsed back into regular water. The other heads continued after her. The gems on her brooch and earrings flared and the air around her suddenly chilled. A second later, the remaining dragons froze in place, their bodies crystalizing into ice.
By that time, Morgan had made it clear of the sinking remains of her fleet, and reached open water. As she did, her mind went back over the day, wondering what had gone so wrong. Her mind flashed back to the little girl with silver eyes. If I hadn't been distracted by her, I would have seen this coming. However, the feeling that surged through Morgan was not one of anger, nor of resentment. Instead, all she felt was eagerness. Just you wait, Little One! I'll make you mine someday.
Sasame led Ruby out onto the deck, where Kyo stood, watching the other ships sinking around them. When he turned and saw her, he immediately stooped and lifted her up in his arms, Sasame taking charge of his sword, allowing Ruby cling tightly to him.
"You did very well," Kyo told her, kissing the tip of Ruby's nose, eliciting a giggle from her. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Ruby leaned into Kyo's shoulder and closed her eyes, relaxing in his presence.
A metallic tang reached her nose, and she blanched. Pulling away from Kyo, Ruby suddenly realized why he'd picked her up as soon as he'd seen her. In her post-fight daze she'd failed to notice that the forward deck was covered in blood and guts. Scattered lumps of meat that had once been people lay everywhere, and nearly the entire surface was coated with blood, as though it had been used for paint.
Ruby's stomach roiled uncomfortably, and she looked Kyo over more carefully, shocked to see that not a single drop marked his body or his clothes. He looked perfectly clean. As did Sasame. However, she knew full well that this was their doing. They had killed all these people. Certainly, they had been pirates, who would have done God-knows-what to the crew, had Kyo and Sasame not stopped them. But that didn't change the fact that they were still people in their own right. It made her uneasy.
Sasame's tail brushed over her back and Ruby's queasiness abated. "I understand," said Sasame softly. "I hope you never reach the point where killing comes this easily to you, Ruby-chan."
"Me neither," admitted Ruby.
"Good," said Kyo. "You have your own path to follow, after all. Now, let's talk to Shinrei."
"Shinrei?" asked Ruby, looking around.
Stepping over the bloody deck, Kyo and Sasame approached the bow. Reaching the end of it allowed them to look over the stretch of water directly ahead of them. Looking down, Ruby gasped, her eyes going wide.
A young man, about Kyo's age, maybe a little older, was standing there...on the water itself, as though it were solid ground. His arms were folded across his chest. He looked up, favoring them dark-blue eyes and an amused smile. "Permission to come aboard?" he called out in a lilting voice.
"We're hardly in a position to grant that," Kyo called back. "But I believe the captain won't mind overly much."
The young man nodded and bent his legs. The water below him seemed to sink downwards. Then, as he pushed off, the surface sprang back, stretching upwards, as though the water's surface had become elastic. He launched into the air and touched down lightly on the deck. Now that he was closer, Ruby was able to see him much more clearly.
The young man, Shinrei presumably, stood a little bit shorter than Kyo. He had a head of short, black hair, save for the back, which had been tied into a long, narrow tail that dangled back down past his waist. He wore a dark-blue vest over his torso, which hung open, displaying an impressively well-defined set of muscles, along with his bare arms. His legs were covered by a pair of white hakama that were tied closed at his ankles, his feet covered by white socks and what appeared to be plain, straw sandals.
"Ruby-chan," said Sasame softly, "this is Shinrei, one of the Goyosei, the Five Stars of the Mibu Clan."
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