While a small boat housing the two escapees, the captain and his rookie, sailed eastward, the deserted Galleon Ship Aliarda continued westward towards its original destination.
Only now, a new battle was about to commence on board.
“Let her go or die a horrible death!” Riana shouted as her pupils shrank into tiny needle points.
“Eh?” Lawkey, taken aback by her sudden threat, stood in place like a rock statue. A few tense seconds later, he regained his ability to think and took a slow step forward, “relax, alright? I know you; I know you care for this girl.”
He hadn’t immediately made the connection, but looking at the siren in front of him now, he recognized her as the same one from the fake memories that invisible entity implanted in his head.
“No, you don’t know anything about me. Put her gently on the ground, now!” The siren clenched her spear tightly, reminding the one in front of her of his current situation.
“I think you’re misunderstanding the situation here.” Lawkey began to explain with a sigh, “I was a prisoner too. I’m not with these people. If I were, would I know you’re her auntie?”
“You take me for a fool? You wear their clothes, don their guild emblem, and walk freely on their ship…” Riana trailed off, scanning the one holding her beloved niece in front of her, “And you want me to believe you are not with them?! You all know who we are, don’t play coy!”
“Look, I only wore these clothes because I couldn't find mine. Just listen-”
“Enough! Last warning, put her down and I’ll kill you quickly!”
Getting cut off mid-sentence, Lawkey's left eye began to twitch as a vein bulged within.
“So, I’m dying either way then, huh?” He muttered beneath his breath as he walked back and gently put the sleeping Sana on the floor next to the opening he just came out from.
He had tried the easy way, to talk things through, but it was now clear that wasn’t going to work.
Besides, it’s not like he would ever turn down a challenge.
“!?”
“Fine, if that’s how it is, it’s a duel!” Lawkey announced as he sauntered back towards the bloodied floor.
He grabbed the cloak he had stolen and threw it behind him in a flourish as he unsheathed his blade, Eclipsed Dawn.
Seeing that and feeling the tension around her body, Riana’s wide eyes quickly narrowed.
He’s not just a normal guard… he must be the true Captain of this ship! She hypothesized, seeing as the other captain quickly abandoned the ship with his tail between his legs. Whereas this one in front of her was eager to fight her head on.
While she continued to glare at him, he lowered his body with a cheeky smile, as if egging her on.
As the two stood still for a moment, each in their respective fighting stances, the rising wild waves around the ship began to incessantly fight back, signaling the arrival of turbulent and stormy weather.
As if the sea itself was bearing witness to what was about to precede.
A single droplet made its way through the sky and came to rest on the floor, splashing the red liquid.
And with that, the siren and the Swordsman lashed at each other, their weapons clenched tight.
“I’ll make it quick!” Remembering her earlier promise, Riana shouted with a forward thrust of her spear.
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The second it entered his range, Lawkey fazed in and out of sight, moving like a shadow that’s adjusting to light.
“Heh, why? What’s the hurry?”
“?!” Riana’s eyes widened in shock.
One Shadow Sword Style - Eight Stance!
Morning Phantom Dance!
Leaving a series of afterimages behind him, in a matter of a mere half a second, Lawkey had blocked the spear just in time and redirected it to his left side.
Then immediately, he whipped his body to the side, using his new momentum to turn around and reposition himself in Riana’s blindspot to her left. He made sure his blade was held high above his head.
Not giving his opponent time to turn around or adjust her posture, he engulfed his blade with shadows and swung Eclipsed Dawn down at her.
“!”
To his shock, Riana quickly adapted to the momentum of her spear thrust from earlier and bent her body forward, dodging his attack just in time.
However, she didn’t leave it at that, and instead, supported her falling body by pushing her hands against the floor, and swung her leg in an arc towards Lawkey’s head.
What the hell?! What are you, a gymnastic master?! Watching her foot pass right in front of his nose, grazing it, Lawkey thought to himself, remembering all the times Emi, one of his friends from the Shadow Sword Style School, tried to practice her gymnastics during their practice breaks.
Continuing her somersault, Riana quickly repositioned herself a few meters away and aimed her spear forward once more. The newly pouring rain washed away all the blood that was sticking to her skin.
“That was pretty cool!” Lawkey said with shining emerald eyes, not being able to hide his excitement. For his part, he regained his posture and donned another smile, “It seems I should get a bit more serious then!”
“...” Riana narrowed her eyes as she watched him lower his stance and hold his sword on his opposite side.
She had glanced a hint of blackness on the sword earlier, which she could only connect with the hidden clan of shadows. She hadn’t encountered that sign directly just yet, but she had heard rumors about them.
That only served to strengthen what she had guessed. That the opponent in front of her was part of her enemies, the Golden Garden Guild, and one that held a great deal of authority within that group as well.
Having gathered his shadows around Eclipsed Dawn, Lawkey tightened his grip on the handle and swung his blade in a quick but long arc in front of him, sending an overflowing wave of shadows at his opponent.
“!”
One Shadow Sword Style - Second Stance!
Evening Autumn Moonbow!
Seeing the attack coming her way, Riana wasted no time and rushed towards it. Just before they collided, she stabbed her spear in the ground and propelled her body upwards in the air above the shadow wave.
As Lawkey’s eyes widened, he watched her pull the spear in the air along with her. He couldn’t hide his astonishment at having found an opponent that fought in a style that was completely unfamiliar to him.
In his daze, he overlooked the fact that his opponent was coming down at him, her spear swinging downwards at his head.
Whoops! That was close, I got distracted! The old man would kill me if he was here… He thought as he quickly readjusted the grip on his sword and swung it upwards to meet the coming weapon.
One Shadow Sword Style - Six Stance!
Early Spring Moon-
CLASH!
“?!”
Before he could finish his attack properly, he was interrupted by a collision of weapons that felt so weak, it couldn’t have been swung by a fighter, especially not the strong opponent he was up against.
What the hell?! He thought as his eyebrows stretched the limits of his forehead.
His suspicions had quickly proven true when two legs suddenly made their way through the collision of weapons and wrapped themselves around his neck before he could retreat back.
Riana had let go of her swinging spear to throw him off, and rushed in herself to hold her opponent’s neck in a chokehold between her bulging thighs.
As her body pushed him backwards, sending him towards the floor, she quickly reclaimed her spear from behind her, turned it around and brought it down at Lawkey’s face.
THUD!
After his back hit the ground and his opponent landed on top of him, Lawkey felt the tip of the spear immediately stop on his neck.
It wasn’t like Riana had taken pity on him, or changed her mind for some reason. It was simply the feeling she noticed inches away from her neck too. Glancing down, she saw her opponent’s blade threatening her soft skin.
Tsk, he managed to move his sword just in time… Riana thought with a click of her tongue.
With both their weapons at each other’s throats, a single move of their bodies could mean their death. They found themselves at a complete impasse.
“You are annoyingly persistent!” She voiced her annoyance with a twisted expression.
“And you are surprisingly stubborn, but what now? Are you ready to hear me out?” Lawkey’s smug smile had made its way back to his lips.
“I said I’m killing you! All of you until-”
“Auntie?”
As soon as she got cut off, Riana’s head turned towards the voice in a split second, forgetting all the danger her life was in.
Seeing Sana standing on her own two feet with no injuries in sight, the siren’s fury and twisted expression immediately turned into a mix of surprise and overwhelming joy.
“Sana! I’m here to save you! Stay right there, I’ll be with you in a bit after taking care of this bad guy, okay?” She exclaimed, quickly remembering who she was sitting on top of.
“No! Stop it!”
“?!”
Before Riana could turn her back to her opponent, Sana’s ethereal voice sent shivers down her spine.
“S-sana, calm down!” Riana managed to let out through clenched teeth, “I’m sure he tricked you somehow, just turn around and wait for me!”
“No! No!” As tears began to form in Sana’s eyes, her hair rose behind her and her turquoise pupils began to emit a bright shine.
“Sana, don’t! I told you not to use that! Calm down!”
Wait, is that…?! Lawkey couldn’t believe his eyes as he watched a familiar bright light emit from Sana’s body.
“I TOLD YOU TO STOP IT!!”
Sana’s sudden shout created an immediate emerald sphere bubble around her body, completely obliterating the floor around her.
As if it blew it all out of existence.
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image [https://i.imgur.com/KQmIY8F.png]