A blast from a single-shot firearm in a nearby alley momentarily shattered their resolve. The dark area lit up with a brilliant flash that virtually blinded them even though they weren't directly viewing it. The entire city was glowing at random intervals from torch fires, burning buildings, and sporadic gunfire around every other corner.
Gotleff Square, usually one of the busiest places in the city, was not far away. The two of them had been zigging and zagging through a maze of streets that converged at the square as quietly as possible. It had been exceedingly difficult for them to stay out of harm’s way considering the chaos happening everywhere all at once. They had even taken extra precautions by slipping as quickly as possible from one shadow to the next along the walls to make sure no one spotted them. Despite their best efforts to remain unnoticed so far, the body of a young soldier fell right in front of them, blocking their path.
Kalos and Grimm were about to turn and run when a group of five ragged-looking pirates rounded the corner before they could even recover from being caught off-guard. The pirates seemed almost as surprised as they were about nearly colliding into them, but one of the intruders instinctively pulled a pistol from his belt, aiming straight-away at Kalos. Grimm shoved him aside just as he pulled the trigger, causing the bullet to whistle right past his head faster than he thought possible for something to move. He had never even seen an arrow being shot at him. He couldn't comprehend how close he had been to death in that very moment until they were already stepping back to defend themselves.
The pirate strung together several curses with such a thick accent that Kalos couldn’t understand a fraction of what he said though his emotions were clear as crystal. The man quickly drew a long, curved sword from his belt and leapt forward, taking a wild swing at them even though they had stepped backwards just out of range before he could attack.
The rest of the pirate group seemed hesitant at first, but slowly drew their weapons as well, and began advancing toward them in unison. The attackers quickly lined-up despite the exhaustion in their eyes. Though they were on the offensive, the only one who seemed to have the energy for such an encounter was the one who had fired his gun and started the attack.
“Flay’em ya ingrates!” The shooter growled over his shoulder before lunging forward.
Grimm drew his sword, parrying the pirate's sword and leaned over as if to step in front of Kalos to keep him safe, but just before following through, he decided to step beside him instead. There wasn’t enough time to do anything else but brace for impact. He slid one foot back, adopting an unusual mid-stance that Kalos had seen only once or twice before during training.
“Kalos!” Grimm snapped in a sharp tone.
Realization struck immediately. Kalos hadn’t even revealed his weapon yet. He quickly reached behind and drew his dagger just before the assailants thrusted their weapons forward as a unit.
Grimm’s counter was basic, but his movements were lightning fast and flawlessly executed. He parried the first blade into the other three, temporarily removing his son and himself from harm in one, single motion. Though the maneuver had only earned a second or two of extra time, Grimm took advantage of their unsteady state by stepping beside them to one side. With one powerful motion, Grimm threw his shoulder into his closest enemy, sending a ripple effect all the way to the other end that caused them to topple over like dominoes into one big pile.
Kalos and Grimm had just enough time to run away as fast as they could while the pirates scrambled to regain their footing and take pursuit. As the two ran past the alley where the dead soldier lay, a group of eight more soldiers rounded the corner. Cutting the pursuers off from Grimm and Kalos, they quickly locked eyes with the pirates who stopped dead in their tracks and nervously took a few steps back.
“The city’s under attack, get outta' here!” One soldier yelled while the rest of his troop filled the void around him. Just as the soldiers moved forward toward the pirates, another shot rang out. Somehow the pirate leader had been able to perform a quick reload during the confusion and taken aim directly at the soldiers' commanding officer before pulling the trigger.
The soldier who had called for Kalos and Grimm to escape groaned, clutching his side, and dropped heavily to one knee. Four soldiers stepped in front of him while a fifth took a moment to examine his wound. Visibly shaken, the soldiers were completely unprepared for losing their leader in the heat of battle.
The pirates' morale instantly spiked as they approached the inexperienced troop. Grinning wide with eyes full of confidence, they surged forward at the last second using the same tactic they tried earlier on Grimm and Kalos, but with much greater effect against the soldiers. Two of the attackers were holding a dagger in one hand and a sword in the other, giving them an edge in close-quarters combat against normal troops. The pirate gang’s initial thrusts were easily parried, but the soldiers weren’t able to avoid the follow-up attack. The wild-eyed pirate who had nearly killed Kalos earlier, who also shot the soldiers' leader, pressed forward with more intensity, delivering a brutal slash across the neck of one of the soldiers. He let out a triumphant “Ha!” before kicking him to the ground and proceeding to another target. One of the other soldiers yelped in shock. Two of the pirates took advantage of his trauma by driving him through with their swords at the same time. The soldiers' armor only consisted of light leather, which didn’t provide much protection against long, piercing blades like the ones the pirates were using.
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In only a few seconds, the eight-to-four advantage over the invaders dropped to one injured commander, three shocked amateurs, Grimm, and Kalos, with no damage inflicted on them at all. Bloodlust filled their eyes as the pirates moved forward for another attack against the last three soldiers standing in front of them.
A cold chill ran down Kalos’ spine despite the surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins. He had not expected the fight to be so quick and bloody. In his mind, the good guys were always supposed to win. He immediately wanted to run and hide. Maybe if he was fast enough he could even get away and somehow survive the night on his own. Just as he was about to flee, Grimm launched ahead to join the troops. Together they had been safely watching the battle unfold from several paces away. Now, Kalos was both terrified and enthralled to see his father courageously join the fray. Grimm immediately startled everyone with his presence with a rasping roar that caused even quelled the pirate leader's vicious state-of-mind just long enough for him to get into position next to the soldiers.
“Look lively, men!” Grimm shouted, stepping forward to parry a thrust from the shooter, who had just tried to slay another soldier with his sword while he was routing them back to battle. Grimm’s counter also rendered the dagger ineffective due to the angle, so he again took advantage of the moment by shoving the pirate to the ground with a powerful kick to the ribs.
The remaining three soldiers instinctively reacted with a spark of hope though their commander was barely breathing. The commander’s wound was deep, but his soldiers were ready to fight without hesitation for the sheer authority Grimm displayed as he retaliated against their enemies head-on. The strength in his father's voice alone was all Kalos needed to join the battle as well.
“These scum shall not live to see another dawn!” Grimm’s proclamation invigorated them even more. While cursing his enemies loudly with each comment, Grimm fluidly parried one attack after the other, pushing them back one step at a time. Finally, only three pirates still remained, and they were quickly growing exhausted again. Just when they were about to surrender, the shooter clamored back to his feet after recovering from Grimm's kick, and yelled at him, “Ya scurvy inbred swine, we’ll naugh’be the ones dyin’ere tonight!” The pirate leader threw all of his weight into the fight, completely disregarding his own safety as he tried to fight back again.
Despite their best efforts, and the sheer dumb luck they had on their side up to that point, the pirate gang was finally being overwhelmed by Grimm and the soldiers, but the pirate leader was relentless even in the face of defeat. He clearly intended to fight until the bitter end as the battle continued dragging-on at a sluggish pace. The small skirmish eventually devolved from a series of moves and countermoves to a near-deadlock of men elbowing and leaning against one another since they were too weak to use their weapons. Grimm and the soldiers were pushing the pirates back only by his superior skill and random, youthful bursts of energy from the soldiers.
“If hell is what you seek, old man,” Grimm stated after a deep breath before delivering a blurry cross-slash at the pirate leader who managed to lean back just enough to receive only a light cut on his forehead. “Then I'll show you the path most expedient!”
Grimm stepped closer, thrusting his sword forward so fast that the pirate leader couldn’t react in-time. The scallywag tried to parry, but the distance from which Grimm attacked was too close. The pirate barely managed to prevent Grimm’s blade from piercing his heart, but the long, slender sword still ran him through just below the ribs where Grimm kicked him earlier. Grimm had no intention of stopping there. He stepped even closer and grabbed the stunned pirate by the throat with his free hand, immediately twisting his blade like a corkscrew, instantly separating the pirate’s ribs and creating a gaping wound at the top of his stomach. In the lull that followed, Grimm smiled like a demented killer denying his victim even a glimmer of peace before death would carry them away.
Kalos stared in shock, as did the other pirates, and the soldiers standing next to him. The pirate leader’s eyes fluttered, but Grimm’s hard gaze never turned away until he lost consciousness entirely. The dead pirate’s weapons clattered against the street as he slowly began sinking to the ground in a heap. Grimm reluctantly let go of his throat and dislodged his sword from the pirate’s flesh through gravity alone. He watched the corpse a few seconds longer, making sure that he wouldn’t try to get up again. Soon, his chilling gaze turned toward the other pirates, who immediately dropped their weapons and knelt to one knee in fear.
For a moment, bloodlust consumed Grimm’s face as he stepped toward them even though they had already surrendered. The exhausted pirates were just about to run for their lives when the injured commander’s strained voice called out to him, “You fight like the Great Reaper himself, friend. Thank you for your assistance.” A couple of his soldiers clumsily helped him to his feet while Grimm took a few seconds to redirect his thoughts.
Kalos watched Grimm turn to give a casual response, “You and your men are safe. That’s what matters, now...”
The commander pounded his breastplate with his right fist only once before carefully swinging his hand back to his side in a slow, wide arc. His movements were precise and intentional. It was an ancient, long-forgotten salute that had been banned altogether by decree of the Black King many years ago; A display of respect and fealty no longer recognized by Ceirlan's rulers. The soldiers’ eyes grew wide.
Grimm slowly looked over at Kalos, bloodlust finally fading to reveal a deep sense of sadness from within.
“On your butts, now!” growled the commander at the pirates before calmly addressing Grimm with an altogether different tone. “We’ll take care of the rest, friend... It’s dangerous... in the city,” he said, struggling not to lose his breath between words while simultaneously refusing to give in to the pain as best he could. “Safe travels, friends of the Old Way.”
No one said a word. The soldiers all looked confused, like they had seen a ghost and didn't know what they should do next. The pirates simply sat on the cold street, trying not to pass out from exhaustion while simply waiting to find out what would happen next.
“Quickly, then... We have somewhere to be,” Grimm quietly said to Kalos while sheathing his sword and taking off at a brisk pace. Kalos sheathed his dagger as well, following after him while the commander started barking orders at his men.
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