Being the only one that can see in the dark, I lead my group of misfits to the Seden’s Orbit. The ship is undeniably impressive compared to the ships I’ve come across. It has a thick hull, girthy top and side masts, with an elongated bow that makes it look elegant but also dangerous. Disregarding the many closed portholes hiding the ship’s cannons and the single large ballistae on the deck, the ship would scream danger if not for the clear lack of crew.

We arrive near the ship's entrance and note a dead body hidden behind several crates. The expression on the corpse shows signs of surprise and suffocation.

After glancing around for a moment, I urge the group up the plank and onto the ship proper. The smell of blood hits me from a couple directions.

My ears flick as I listen to the environment, but I hear no noise. The deck is empty.

Sniffing, I hop off Emma’s shoulder and silently rush to where the scent of blood is most present. What I find is another corpse- this one gutted through the stomach.

“What did you fi- oh shit,” Daveed curses when he sees the puddle of blood.

The rest arrive a moment after with similar reactions. Except for the statue. He has a rather stony expression.

I place a paw on the blood and grimace.

“This is bad. This is very bad,” I announce.

“What is?” Daveed asks. “Should we even be here? Are we in danger?”

I turn and glare at the man. I lift up my paw with a bit of dripping blood. “No, this blood is very fresh. Barely any coagulation. Whoever did this is still around. My bet is he’s inside the ship. We shou-”

I hear a loud bang come from below me. Kind of like dynamite, or a gunshot.

“Fuck. They are taking my prey!” I whine. “We’re going inside. Come on.” I hop on Carrian’s shoulder.

“Let's go inside. I’ll not have my prey taken from me!”

“Isn’t that-”

“Dangerous?” I finish his question. “Not nearly as much as my anger if my prey is dead. Now let's go. I’m hearing fighting below.”

______________________________________________________________

Both fear and curiosity war with Emma’s emotions as Carrian enters the ship, followed by his younger brother. The thought of turning around and leaving them to their fate does come to mind, but is quickly suppressed by the thought of losing her friend. She takes a breath and follows the boys.

“Just like your mother,” she hears her father comment before walking in step right behind her.

Now that she’s inside, she can hear the reverberations of breaking wood and the ding of metal touching metal.

“Faster, that way.” Quasi points and Carrian moves and she follows. As she gets closer, the sound of fighting intensifies. Eventually, the group reaches the [Captain’s] cabin, where the fighting is taking place. At the entrance, she instantly notices a young human child peaking from the side.

“Clay? What are you doing here?” Quasi asks the child at the doorway.

“Fluffy?” The boy exclaims in surprise.

“Yes, it’s me.” Quasi hops off Carrian and lands next to the child. “Now what's happening?” Quasi then looks through the doorway. “Is that Boriss? What the hell is going on?”

Emma looks through the doorway to find a human man with a hammer facing off against a naked Buxon wielding a battleaxe.

“Boriss was showing me how the KGB fight,” He explains.

Quasi frowns. “KGB… what? Why?”

“They sent people to kill us.”

“Ohhhhh.” Quasi nods. “They attacked and he wants revenge… I can understand that. What I can't understand is why you have to be here. You’re not even ten. You should be back at the ship sleeping, not following some crazy Russian.”

“He was showing me all the ways to kill people,” The child explains.

Emma, Daveed, and Carrian seem to choke at the child's words. Even the statue has a reaction, albeit through the eyes only.

“You’re not even ten,” The cat whines. “Goddammit.”

The cat walks into the room. “BORISS.” he yells.

The two fighting stop, though it was less of a fight and more like Boriss getting played with by the Buxon.

“Comrade Fluffy, you are here!” Boriss exclaims happily.

“Yea, to kick your goddam Russian ass. What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you bringing Clay to a conflict?”

“Is good for training.”

“Clay is goddam seven!”

“I kill first man when I was seven. Is normal, yes?”

“You killed your first- no, that is not normal. Who the hell kills there fir- goddam you frustrate me.”

“Ho. A talking cat?” The Buxon interrupts with a grin.

Quasi looks away from Boriss to stare at the Buxon. The Buxon is large, spiky, and very red.

“Oy, I’m busy talking to my subordinate.” The cat waves a paw. “Go suck a horn or something.”

The Buxon laughs. A throaty, angry laugh that reveals sharp teeth. “This day gets worse and worse. My crew is dead, my [Mage] is murdered, and now a fucking cat is talking down to me.”

“Oh shut up, you whiny, red bitch. You make it sound as though SOMEONE SPILLED YOUR MILK. Because I see no fucking spilled milk, so don’t even think about talking to me about a bad day.” Quasi huffs angrily. Then he turns back to Boriss. “Boriss, when we’re done here, we’re going to need to have a conversation about your action, and probably a conversation about what constitutes normal.”

“Am I actually being ignored?” the Buxon asks.

Quasi rolls his eyes. “Yes, you’re being ignored,” he exclaims. “So just shut up and let me finish my talk with my subordinate. I’ll deal with you in a bit.”

Emma can’t help but snort rather loudly at the sheer insanity of the situation and the expression on the Buxon’s face. The man looks both surprised and pissed in equal measure.

“Now, where was I? Ahh, right. Boriss, yo-”

“DEAL WITH ME?” the Buxon roars. “No, it’s me that's going to deal with you.” He gazes at all those present with an intelligent anathema to the churning anger. “All of you. I know your faces. I will find out where you all live. Each and every one of you will be dead.”

The Buxon glares at Quasi.

“Especially you. I’ll turn you into a fucking ornament.”

Quasi opens his mouth to speak, only for the statue to take several steps forward until he stands at Quasi’s right. With a swish, he points the runed greatsword at the Buxon.

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“I will not accept threats to my daughter,” he says with no apparent emotion.

“Dad!” Emma yells in surprise.

The Buxon looks him up and down. “Ahhh, you’re that Gemma [Runesmith]. I think your name is Afinov?”

“And you are [Fleet Captain] Calvaron.”

“So you’ve heard of me?” Calvaron rests his battleaxe on his other shoulder. “That's good. You can curse my name with your dying breath.”

Boriss walks to Quasi’s left. “We fight now, yes?” He takes a stance with hands firmly around the hammer. Bruises dot his body, but nothing too severe.

“Stamina good?” Quasi asks the Russian.

“Da,” the Russian nods.

“Good. Then I don’t need to delay.”

Calvaron raises an eyebrow at the cat's words, and then takes a step back as smoke explodes from the cat's location. Not a moment later, several gasps come from the doorway.

Calvaron takes a surprised step back. He even takes a stance with his Battleaxe.

“You’re a wolven?” Then he notices the horns. “No, a Fenrimorph! Here?”

The Fenrimorph grins. It’s legs lower and it rushes forward with a speed few could react to.

Calvaron is one of those few. His axe moves quickly to meet the rushing Fenrimorph, but the Fenrimorph dodges by hopping up and over. At the same time, Boriss and Afinov reach Calvaron. Boriss whips out his hammer while Afinow slashes forward with his greatsword. The Buxon counters the blade, dodges the hammer, and then spins backwards with a strike that almost hits Quasi.

__________

“Did you know he’s a Fenrimorph?” Carrian asks Daveed while their eyes are glued to the ongoing battle.”

“Y-yes. That’s why we surrendered and why I followed his directions,” Daveed explains.

“What's a Fenrimorph?” Clay asks.

Carrian looks at the curious child. The child looks nervous, but not necessarily afraid.

“They are monsters who can infect and turn others into monsters,” Carrian explains.

“How?” Clay asks.

At the same time the child asks, Quasi slashes with a claw across Calvaron’s arm. Skin tears, followed by sparks as claws meet bone. Not without cost, for the Buxons axe slices into Quasis chest. Afinovs uses the opportunity to get a solid hit on Calvarons back and Boriss slams his hammer into the Buxon’s side. Blood and sparks fly from Afinovs strike while Boriss’s hammer bounces off.

The three back away from their foe. Calvaron glares at the three, seemingly uninjured except for the tears in his skin. Tears that have already stopped bleeding.

“From a Fenrimorph’s claws and teeth,” Carrian says.

Emma frowns at the Buxon's relaxed expression. “He doesn’t seem worried about turning into a monster.”

“Buxon’s are immune to poisons, curses, and infections,” Carrian explains.

_______________________________________________________

Afinov glances at the Fenrimorph and the human fighting with him. They are skilled, maybe even more skilled than himself, but skill alone isn’t enough to overpower a leveled Buxon. They don’t have the raw stats… and neither does he. They’re going to need luck.

“He’s put nearly all his points into [Endurance]. His bones are going to be harder than Rune-reinforced steel. Focus his joints, throat, and head. The armor there is thinnest.” He explains to the two.

Then he notices it. The hammer in the human’s hand is runed. He counts ten runes, and from the runes, he can already deduce the effect.

“Why are you not activating the hammer's ability?” he asks the human named Boriss.

Boriss glances at the hammer for a moment. “I not know how.”

“Switch.” He throws his sword towards the Russian. The Russian reacts quickly by throwing the hammer. They catch each other's weapon and then take a stance.

Calvaran notices the exchange. His eyes squint dangerously at the now lit runes on the hammer.

Quasi growls towards Boriss and Afinov, and then rushes into the fight. Boriss and Afinov join back in to the dance.

You would think three skilled fighters against a single enemy would be enough to overpower him. But no, the Buxon’s combined stats, skills, class, and experience give him an edge that numbers alone cannot overwhelm.

________________________________________________________

“They’re losing. We should leave while we can,” Carrian warns.

“I’m not leaving my father,” Emma says.

“You’re father can't win. The Buxon’s going to kill them.”

“No. That's my dad. Maybe if I-” she takes a step forward, but Carrian quickly grabs her wrist.

“Are you crazy? What the hell can you do? What can we do? We’d just be in their way.”

“Perfect”

“QUASI!” Clay squeals.

________________________________________________________

Goddamn this guy is annoying. How can he move so fast and so well? It’s like he has full vision of his surroundings or something.

Each time we surround him, he dodges and attacks far too well. He even keeps away from walls so as to allow himself greater mobility.

I glance at the sword in Boriss’s hand and the thought of wielding it passes through my head. But the thought leaves just as fast as it is formed. My control is far too low and the handle is too small. On top of that, Boriss wouldn’t be able to fight.

Instead, I glance at the Statue’s glowing hammer. He’s yet to land a hit with it, but the Buxon’s wary.

Fuck me. I’m going to have to bait it, aren't I?

Steeling my resolves, I rush around the Buxon while keeping a close eye on my allies. When the moment arises. I rush in for the kill. The Buxon notices me and slashes his battleaxe. Instead of dodging, I raise my arms and lean into the strike. Surprise rises in his expression as the axe rips into my flesh. I feel muscles, skin, and sinew make way for the cracking of my bones. Pain finds its way into my skull followed by my body accelerating away and Clay screaming out my name.

But I ignore all of that as a grin rises to my face. Boriss takes advantage of the opening by stabbing towards the Buxons neck. The Buxon, unable to riposte with his axe in time, lowers his head and blocks the stab with his armored skull. An impressive reaction, but not adequate enough for the third opponent.

Afinov swings the glowing runic hammer with the full weight of his body. The Buxon attempts to block it with his free arm, but it matters little. The arm is pushed back into the Buxons side followed by the explosion of a gunshot. The Buxon goes flying and crashes violently into the wooden wall.

“They got him!” I hear Emma exclaim from the door. She pushes Carrians arm away and starts walking towards her father.

“Stay back!” her father yells. “It’s not over.”

She stops and then looks towards the Buxon. The man is already standing. His left side is shattered and cracked. The Bones are sticking in and outside the left side of his body next to his dangling mangled arm. Even with all that damage, the Buxon is grinning.

He looks at the Fenrimorph, sitting with both arms limp at its sides. “Smart move. I didn’t expect you to sacrifice your arms for an opening,” Calvaron compliments. “Too bad it was wasted.”

With a grunt, he raises his mangled arm.

“[Instant Armor Repair].”

All watch as the Buxon’s bones shift and crunch back into place. Calvaran grimaces from the pain, but ignores it as his body regenerates back to normal. Within two seconds the left side, including his arm, is back to normal. Except for the skin, which is still missing.

“It has been a long while since I’ve been forced to use my skill.” He tests his left limb and winces at the pain. Externally, his natural armor is healed, but internally, his muscles are damaged.

“That hammer’s more dangerous than I thought,” he grunts. “It won’t hit again.”

_____________________________________________________

With one last glance at the Fenrimorph, Calvaron starts walking towards the last two. Each step sends a wrack of pain from the left side of his body. He can feel the internal damage; the weakened muscles and ligaments. Normally, his innate musculature would allow him to move easily even with damage. But the damage now is far too severe.

Favoring his right side, he takes a stance towards Gemma, the only threat against him. The human, though skilled, lacks any way to bypass his defenses.

Rushing forward, he does a test swing on the Gemma. As expected, the Gemma parries his strike with impressive physical strength, but is then easily forced back by his following strikes. Though Gemma are strong and sturdy, their greatest weakness tends to always be their speed. Lugging around stone for skin has a tendency to slow movement by quite a bit.

Sensing it behind him. Calvaron steps to the right and swings his axe. With little resistance, the sword is parried away. Then he goes for the kill, but the human is fast enough to fall backwards out of his range.

Instead of following, Calvaron turns and re-engages the Gemma. The Gemma is quickly forced back with each swing of his axe. Every step forces him closer and closer to the wall. While pushing, Calvaron keeps his senses open for when the Human attempts to attack. No attack comes. Wary of what is happening, but refusing to give the Gemma an opening, He continues his onslaught until the Gemma is backed into a wall.

Blasting away the Gemma’s hammer with his axe, he swings diagonally and carves straight through his chest in a spray of blood.

“FATHER!”

Though hearing the scream, Calvaron ignores the yell and instead quickly turns towards the human once again aiming to stab through his neck.

He slashes his battleax with the intent to parry, but the human expects this. When his axe strikes the sword, he feels no resistance as the momentum continues. The human had let go of the weapon right before contact. Then he sees the human’s arm whip towards his face.

Reacting quickly, he raises his axe and feels the ding of a dagger bouncing off the metal.

When he lowers the axe, a cat lands right below his chin.

The cat grins.

“Nobody spills my milk!”

Then the cat disappears and is replaced with a Fenrimorph. The monster's teeth wrap around his throat while its legs bend on his chest.

Then the legs extend. The monster hops away with Calvaron’s throat in its jaw.