A swirl of lights rushed towards the heavily modified scout ship. It hung just behind the bend of a very narrow stretch of Portal Gallery, barely wide enough for a single large merchant ship to slip through.
This was known for being a dangerous area, far enough away from Dimarintsia River that none of the regular guard ships patrolled it, and with four paths leading away into a chaotic area perfect for a getaway.
It was also the only way to get from the Dimarintsia River to the larger side branch that held the Granvox world and a few others.
The swirl of lights moved to the center of the ship, turning into a blond-haired man with glowing golden eyes. He landed on the deck amidst a dozen rugged, cold-eyed men and women. Most were wearing some form of slim leather armor and holding weapons. Short swords, daggers, and hand crossbows were the most present. Only two people held nothing: a short man with feathers instead of hair and a sharp face that was nearly a beak, and Vibru, though the latter had a long sword on his hip in a beautiful scabbard.
"Report," Vibru said, his voice cold and annoyed.
"They are almost there, and will reach the bend in twenty minutes," the blond haired man said, showing no fear as Vibru glared at him.
Vibru's eyes narrowed. "And?"
The blond-haired man picked his nose, showing no shame as he flicked something from his finger onto the deck.
"As you said, not a lot to worry about. One or two Ganvils, a Yuurindi with two non-combat soulcards, two younger Yuurindi without even a heartcard, a mediocre Onyxian with full defense, and some handcards: a low-ranked shield and some form of blast card. The most trouble could come from that single soulcarded shadowwalker. His card is… hard to read. The best I can tell you is that he has a summon that can also walk through the shadows. I'd say it's Ruby rank, just because of how hard it is to read, but it can also be some type, perhaps hidden or obscured."
It was quiet as Vibru looked at the man, seemingly waiting for more. When nothing came, he glared hard. "Terlo, stop fucking around. You are missing one. What about the captain?"
"Ah, right! Totally forgot," Terlo said with a wide and mocking smile. "Couldn't read his card at all! It's a soulcard, and he has only one. From how he moved and the way the deck bent below him, I'd say he is fully focused on strength and weight. Very likely it has the hidden feature, because even if it was Diamond, I should be able to get something from it. His two handcards are useless utility cards."
"One soulcard? Impossible," Vibru snapped. "My contacts tell me he is able to create a massive amount of steam, and he was able to hurl something at ships. Either a ball or a weapon. Now you are telling me he also has increased strength and weight?"
"Well, then, I guess maybe he does have a Diamond rank soulcard," Terlo said with a shrug. "I'd say you should probably not attack him because anyone with one of those isn't just some nobody. But hey, from your angry scowl, I can see you won't listen to me!"
Vibru glared at the other, but Terlo just looked at the bird-like man.
"Right, Pieplionyr, it's been lovely working with you again, but you know my motto! Thanks for the job, and if you need someone to investigate something again, you know where to find me!"
With a soft laugh, a swirl of light appeared around Terlo. It instantly turned blinding, and when it faded, there was no sign of the blond-haired man.
Vibru took a deep breath, then cursed in a guttural, wet language.
"Why do you still employ that weak, pathetic human?" he hissed. "He is taciturn, doesn't obey orders, and is insufferable!"
Pieplionyr looked up with gleaming eyes, blinking slowly. "Yes, all of that is true. However, he is also perfectly able to investigate anyone's cards as long as they are below diamond-rank, and is able to teleport across whole sub-branches. Unless you know someone else who we can hire with those skills, that wouldn't instantly report us to the guilds, I'd love to hear about it."
As Pieplionyr spoke, Vibru's eyes narrowed until they were thin slits, the pupils within radiating malice.
"You might be right, but if we ever find someone else, I'm going to gut Terlo and feed his intestines to my fish!"
"Be my guest. Now, with all we just heard, I'd say I just lock the area down. We need to stop that shadowwalker, and if that captain has some steam skill, it could get annoying. Unless you feel like there's any chance he is stronger than you, and you will finally be forced to pull that darling blade of yours?"
Vibru took a deep sigh, then seemed to shake his anger away. His lips widened in a teeth-baring grin that caused a few of the surrounding men and women to turn pale.
"Even if he has a Diamond-rank soulcard that only increases his strength, there is no way he can beat me," he snapped, his fingers squeezing tight around the dark wooden railing. Cracks came from between his fingers as a few splinters shot up.
"Hey! Don't damage my ship!" Pieplionyr shouted, taking a step forward. "I'm allowing you and those hooligans of yours here as payback, but don't think that I won't toss you overboard if you break her!"
Vibru held Pieplionyr's gaze for a moment before finally relaxing his grip.
"Get ready to dampen all active abilities," he ordered, turning away from Pieplionyr to look at the only four of his own crew he had brought.
There was one bare chested Kraniox, two nimble looking humans with an array of daggers across their chest, and a nervous looking man with a simple, nondescript tunic and pants that seemed incredibly out of place on the ship of pirates. Still, it was him Vibru pinned with a hard stare.
"Lock yourself down and focus on us. If anything goes wrong, or I give the order, teleport us all back to The Sharakion," he said.
The man nodded and sat down where he stood. A glow burst out of his hand, and he levitated a foot above the deck while pale green light rippled around his body. A moment later, a crystal barrier surrounded him, and his nervousness vanished, replaced by a relieved look. He raised his hand, pointing at Vibru, who didn't move, as a tiny rune appeared on his forehead. A moment later, the same thing happened to the other three crew members.
Pieplionyr had been following everything closely and was staring at Vibru.
"Just precautions," Vibru said with a nasty grin. "I'm sure with your dampening skill, it won't be needed."
The bird-man kept glaring at Vibru for another few minutes before turning to his crew. "Get ready, we are going physical. All active-ability users get down below deck. Slion, focus on hiding our presence from that Ganvil! I want them unprepared! The rest of you prepare. There's only one potential threat, that's the metallic captain. Vibru is going to take care of him, the rest of you get ready to dispatch all the others. Try and get your hands on that Ganvil."
A hustle happened on deck as just over half of the pirates ran and vanished in the cabin leading down, leaving a dozen people on deck. Most had some physical traits that showed just what their cards did.
Vibru walked to the prow, a nasty grin on his face.
I'm going to take this for myself, Bernwald, and just see how you do anything about it, he thought, his sharklike grin widening.
--
Irwin hummed as he stood behind the helm. The corridor around them was narrowing more and more, the Gallery barrier's crackling energy causing the wood and sails to gleam. The air had turned stale and dusty, something Irwin hadn't even noticed until they had sailed into these narrow, winding corridors.
Irwin missed the vast openness and clean air of the Dimarintsia River, but there was one benefit.
"I can't wait till we reach Granvox," he said, taking a look at Ambraz, who was sitting on the steering wheel. "You are sure I'll be able to start smithing there without having to worry about the Smiths Guild trying to weasel me away to some supposed safe place?"
"Definitely, Kid," Ambraz said. "You aren't the only one who is done with these piecemeal moments of crafting we've been having. I need to catch up to all these punks. Besides, now that I'm bound, Brazardion will allow me access to better techniques! I've never really focused on the musical way to calibrate the resonances in cards, but with how much of a natural you are, I'll need them."
Irwin felt his interest piqued at that. "So, what are the other ways that high rank cardsmiths force the cards along other paths?" he asked. He couldn't really imagine any other way, and could barely remember how he'd been doing it when he was still with Trimdir.
"Well, some do just that. Force them, "Ambraz said. "Unlike how you guide the resonances by first synchronizing with the existing, slowly bending them, there are smiths that just grab the card's resonances and force them into stillness. Then, they brute force them into the paths they want. It's easier to learn and has a reasonably high potential, but some cards, like teleportation cards or anything dealing with emotions or light, require such a fine touch that it's barely possible for them."
"But there are others?" Irwin asked.
"Definitely. There are those that don't even use the resonances directly but use skills to change it to a physical medium, like metal, and then shape the metal and indirectly change the resonance. I don't know much more than what I've seen on occasion, but it seems to require talent and special cards. Anyway, remember that most of these are what the high-rank smiths or wanna-be high-rank smiths use. Most others just do it like Gawarn and the others you've seen. A combination of experience, knowledge, and luck."
Irwin nodded, wondering how it would look if someone was reforging a card through some medium. Looking ahead, he let his curiosity rest for now.
A few minutes ahead of them was another rounded corner, sharp enough to obstruct what was beyond and requiring them to slow down. It wasn't the first, nor the last.
"Greldo, we are closing in on that place Rindiri warned us about," he said, knowing his friend would hear him. "Can you get everyone on deck and ready?"
"On our way," a shout came from below.
Irwin focused ahead, wondering if Rindiri's worry was grounded. "Do you think we will have trouble ahead?" he asked.
"Dunno Kid," Ambraz said as he suddenly vanished. Irwin felt Ambraz's presence appear in his soulscape.
'But if it happens, it will be here!'
Irwin hummed as he saw Greldo, Boohm, Rindiri and Zender appear. Earila would be remaining below deck, though one of her Faerit was sitting on Zender's shoulder showing she could help if needed.
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We need to get her a card that allows her Faerit to change places with each other and take someone along, Irwin thought.
You'gyn was nowhere to be seen, probably somewhere below and annoyed by the whole endeavor, which he saw as unnecessary.
Let's hope he is right, Irwin thought.
Rindiri moved up and took over the helm from him.
"Don't worry too much," she said. "It's just a precaution. Things rarely happen here."
Irwin nodded but walked up to the prow where Greldo was waiting for him.
"Think we are going to see some action?" Greldo asked with a grin. "I know it's stupid, but I'd love to try out my new power."
"Let's hope we can do that in a bit more controlled circumstances," Irwin said with a smile.
They continued ahead, and as they reached the bend, The Sonata began slowing down.
'Hmm…. that's weird,' Ambraz muttered in Irwin's mind. 'I…'
Irwin cocked his head, frowning at Ambraz's incoherent mutterings.
"What's wrong," he whispered, causing Greldo to look at him worriedly.
'I thought I sensed something ahead, but it was gone a moment later… but…'
Irwin didn't bother waiting for Ambraz, and he looked at Greldo.
"Get ready! There might be something ahead! Warn the others, and keep it quiet."
Greldo vanished from beside him, and Irwin focused on the bend. The Sonata slowed even more, far more than he knew was needed, and as they angled around the bend, he leaned forward.
The Sonata began angling around the bend, and the area beyond appeared. A small ship was hovering there, effectively blocking the narrow corridor. A dozen heat signatures stood on the deck, but there was no sign of any soulforce resonances. Instead, it almost looked like a bubble was surrounding the ship, and the few ambient soulforce ripples vanished as soon as they hit it.
"Get ready!" Irwin shouted.
'A presence dampening carded! They are Pirates!' Ambraz shouted in his mind.
Irwin didn't need the warning, but took a step forward and hurled a hammer forward. It enlarged to the size of a barn door as it left his fingertips, propelled with exploding speed by a burst of kinetic energy.
A shout roared across the hundred foot distance between the ships, and Irwin saw a bird-like man step forward, shouting 'Attack' just as his hammer reached the bubble. Irwin's eyes widened in shock as he felt his connection to the hammer disappear while a tall, sharp-faced man with scarring across his eyes, leaned down with abnormal speed and seemingly effortlessly slapped the hammer away.
"Active ability dampening field," Rindiri shouted. "Zender, get below deck!"
Her words barely rang out as the bubble shot outward, almost instantly covering an area that touched the corridor barriers and engulfed The Sonata.
Irwin hissed as he felt his connection to his soulcard become muted. He could still feel it, but it was as if it had been pulled away a thousand miles; the connection stretched. His soulcard abilities seemed gone, and for the first time since he'd gotten it, he couldn't sense his flame.
The ship ahead of them was rushing forward, bridging the distance rapidly.
'They are blocking all active abilities! Find the one who is doing it and kill him,' Ambraz shouted in his mind, his voice seemingly coming from far away.
The ship reached The Sonata, and a split second before it slammed prow-first into them, Irwin saw that they had a thick metal beam attached to the front. Then, The Sonata shook and was shoved backward. Irwin barely managed to keep his footing as he heard Greldo curse behind him. He looked back to see Coal had appeared, looking confused.
What the hell do they want? he thought, gritting his teeth. Were they here for the ship or for him?
Just at that moment, something zipped out of the cabin door, and You'gyn landed on his shoulder.
"Kill them!" a loud roar came from the pirates, rattling Irwin's eardrums.
"We'll try and reduce his influence," You'gyn hissed in his ear, before Irwin faintly felt him appear inside his soulscape. As soon as he was there, Irwin felt him and Ambraz start resonating their own soulforce in tune with his own, and the distance between him and his skills seemed to marginally shrink.
He risked a glance back to see that everyone had gathered behind him, then focused on the pirate.
They jumped across the railing, landing heavily on the deck of the The Sonata. The one that had knocked his hammer away was in the lead, walking towards him with a grin that revealed way too many teeth. He was the only one who hadn't drawn a weapon, his sword still in the scabbard on his hip. Behind him was a ragtag band of human's and a pale-masked Kraniox.
"What do you want?" Irwin snapped, hoping to give Ambraz and You'gyn enough time to do whatever they were trying.
"The bounty on your head, Smith," the scarred man said with a laugh. "And we'll take the Ganvil you are hiding and the sails to boot! Who knows, perhaps we will be lucky, and one of you drops a card!"
"No talk! Kill them," a man with a bird-like face and feathers for hairs snapped angrily. "Someone focus on that bloody summon!"
'Careful of that bloody Emnonriz! He has at least three focused soulcards!'
Ambraz's warning came just as the scarred man dashed across the remaining distance.
Irwin instinctively wanted to summon his hammer, but it didn't respond, and he barely managed to throw up a hand to block a seemingly casual slap on his face. The force that hit his arm snapped it against his face while his internal kinetic ballooned, barely overflowing his capacity. The sharklike man's grin dropped as he gaped in surprise.
Kinetic energy still works, Irwin thought as he struck back, using all of it to propel his gleaming fist forward like a blur he couldn't even see himself.
His enemy's eyes widened in shock, and his own arms blurred up faster than Irwin could register. Then, there was a dull boom as his fist connected with one of them.
--
Vibru felt a bone in his left arm shatter as he was knocked off his feet by a force he couldn't believe. He felt like he was back at home, and his old teacher had struck him for something he'd done.
That guy doesn't have only one soulcard, he thought as he slammed into the cabin of the stupid bird's ship. The rune-enhanced wall meant to withstand the Guard's concussion blasts cracked but held as his back cracked and his head snapped back.
Vibru growled as he shoved himself back up, his enhanced regeneration already at work, knitting his bones and torn muscles and the tiny tear in the back of his head. He glared at the fight happening, trying to plan ahead.
Across the ships, he saw the smith, if he even was one, punch one of Pieplionyr's men, knocking him to the side.
What the-? That wasn't a tenth as strong as what he hit me with! Vibru thought.
The smith moved slowly, and he knew that although he had some combat training, it was barely enough not to look like a first-year gladiator trainee.
Can he use some active skills? he thought, cursing the stupid bird as he quickly scanned the other fights,
The others were fighting with the tall and hairy shadowwalker and the massive hound. He didn't understand how that was even still out, as it should count as an active ability. Both, however, were moving with power and agility, and although they were getting cornered, they weren't making it easy. A bigger surprise was the Yuurindi, who was moving with a grace almost like the Liquid Dansers of his homeworld, easily dodging any blow while striking back with surprising viciousness. She obviously didn't have much strength, but he knew that hitting someone in the eyes always hurt.
The heavy set Onyxian was blocking the door, and seemed barely able to hold his own against Pieplionyr. His face was bleeding from where the dumb bird's claws had scratched him, but he seemed unwilling to make it easy.
Damn, Terlo! This is not a proper reading, Vibru thought.
Surrendering his instinct to move slowly and seemingly casually, he rushed forward, his feet ripping narrow holes in the hull as he went from standing still to blurringly fast in an instant. He knew the stupid bird would complain about it, but he didn't care. He left his sword on his hip, not yet willing to use it. Besides it potentially dulling or breaking on that stupid metal head, the smith wasn't worthy of that.
Not yet.
"Leave him to me, "he roared as he reached the Loydin-like man's back and kicked him as hard as he could.
Although it felt like kicking a thousand pound boulder, the smith was shoved forward, colliding with one of Pieplionyr's men. Vibru was surprised when he didn't shout in surprise or flail about, but grabbed the pirate, managed to keep his footing, then turned and flung the man towards him.
Good instincts, he thought, begrudgingly as he swatted the insect out of his path. The soft plop of the man's head and the blood that sprayed across him reduced his annoyance slightly, as did the surprised and horrified look in the smith's eyes.
Let's see you do that again, he thought, zipping forward, dodging a slow haymaker, and ramming his fist in the other's side. Again, it felt like hitting the side of a mountain, and the smith only took a slight step sideways. Vibru was about to hit him again when there was another dull boom together with the smith's other hand almost seeming to teleport in front of his face. He barely managed to sidestep, but the grazing knuckle dug a bleeding gouge into his cheek, and the accompanying force spun him around.
What the..!
Vibru's training took over as he sidestepped another punch, drew his sword, and slashed down on the arm. The Paldyrin steel blade hit the flesh with a dull thud, knocking it down, almost towards the deck, but as he raised it, there was only a thin layer of blood on it.
Fine! You definitely haven't gotten only one card, Vibru thought as he shoved all his preconceptions away and readied himself to unleash the full power of his cards.
--
Irwin hissed as he pulled back his arm. There was a burning pain where the blade had hit him, but his kinetic energy was almost full again. Each hit of the fast and deceptively powerful man seemed to carry enough to almost top it off each time.
Still, that had to be one hell of a metal if it could puncture his skin like this! He struck out, using the built-up kinetic energy, but this time, his enemy dodged it, striking at his face.
Irwin closed his eyes and raised his hand, but the blade struck across his eyes, clinking as it hit his nose bone and only pushed against his eyelids. He jumped back with kinetic energy, opened his eyes, and scanned around for the swordsman. There was no sight of him, then something jabbed into his back, and an inch of the sword pierced his lower back.
Growling in pain, Irwin swung without looking, feeling something brush against his knuckles, followed by a snapping sound. Turning around, he saw his enemy stare in disbelief at his sword, now ten inches shorter, the tip nowhere to be seen.
'We can't nullify this barrier! You have to find the one holding it up,' Ambraz shouted.
Irwin hissed as he looked around, then jumped back, using more of his kinetic energy and barely dodging a stab at his eyes.
"Nasty piece of," he hissed, glaring at the scarred swordsman.
There was only a smirk in response as the man moved forward like a blur, leaving shallow holes in the deck behind him.
Back again, Irwin thought as he jumped forward, spun around, and struck out. There was nobody there, but the remains of the sword appeared before his eyes. He snapped his head sideways, the kinetic energy helping him to move fast enough for the jab to strike his cheek. Irwin reached out, grabbing for the sword and missing as the swordsmen jumped back.
"Greldo, find the one who is keeping this bloody nullifying field up!" he shouted.
"Don't bother, you lumbering fool," the swordsman snapped. "Even if you find him, you can't do anything!"
Irwin didn't bother responding.
'Just keep dodging him and kill the other ones,' Ambraz shouted in his mind.
Irwin grunted as he jumped back and looked for the nearest fighting. He was happy to see that of the pirates, four were already lying motionless on the deck, two near Rindari, one near Greldo, and the other near Coal. What wasn't as good was that Greldo was sporting multiple bleeding wounds, as was Coal, who was now struggling with the Kraniox, dodging the spikes of mace while biting back. Boohm stood near the cabin, being pounded and sliced at by the bird-like pirate. Each part of his exposed skin was covered with shallow cuts, but he was still resisting.
As short as his glance had been, he barely raised his arms up to block a fist strike to his arms. Before he could retaliate, the shattered blade point slammed into his stomach, piercing an inch inside and creating another spot of burning pain.
He jumped forward, both arms spread to try and grab the frustrating swordsman.
The swordsman dashed back so fast it almost looked like a teleport, and Irwin turned and ran for the Kraniox. If he could hurl it from the ship, Coal would be freed to help Greldo, and then the tides could turn.
"Now where are you going?" the swordsman shouted, appearing in his path, sword jabbing forward.
Seeing the sword move for his chest, time seemed to slow down as an idea flashed through Irwin's mind. Instead of dodging, he used the remaining kinetic energy to explode forward, slamming into the sword. The point jabbed into his chest, sinking further than the previous attacks, but Irwin didn't care as he grabbed the blade, squeezing close. At the last moment, just before he would slam bodily into the swordsman, his opponent let go of the blade and blurred out of the way.
Irwin clenched his teeth as he ripped the blade out, then hurled it away as high and far as he could, the sword turning to a tiny spec as it was flung towards the barrier. There was a soft crackling as it hit it, then it was gone.
The swordsman was gaping at where his blade had been destroyed, but Irwin ignored him, closing the final gap between him and the Kraniox. With the final hit having nearly refilled his kinetic energy, he exploded forward, not caring about the destruction to The Sonata's deck. The Kraniox managed to only turn halfway when he reached it, and Irwin's fist exploded on his mask. The towering, bare-chested man was hurled sideways off the deck, and Irwin only caught a fleeting glimpse of the bleeding face: mouth a lipless slit, four snake-like eyes glaring at him before the Kraniox was gone.
"Sloudiner, now!"
Irwin spun around to see the swordless swordsman had backed up to the other deck.
"Sorry, Pieplionyr," he shouted as the odd rune on his head glowed bright, and a crystal cocoon wrapped around him. "I told you that Terlo was a foo-"
His last word was cut off as he vanished from the deck, and a quick look around showed that one of the fighters around Greldo had vanished. The remaining three pirates were slowly pulling back towards the cabin, where the bird-like man had Boohm in a chokehold, looking around with eyes filled with hate.
"If you want your friend to remain alive, stay back," he screeched, his voice rising painfully.
Boohm's eyes were bulging out, his mouth opening and closing, as the Onyxian fought for air.
Irwin growled as he stalked forward, the others following his lead and a moment later they were standing in front of each other.
"Let go of him, or you'll be dead," Irwin snapped.