The assassins began their assault.
Tightly packed within their spearhead formation, the second foremost member, positioned at the front, switched his stance to a downward sword guard and initiated a fast sprint to close in the distance. He dashed forward like a smear of black paint, prominent winds forming behind him.
Moments later, Ferase saw the assassin’s body reappear in front of him, crouched down in a low leg lunge and close enough to where his blade would most certainly hit.
“HARGH!”
“...”
As he twisted his entire torso, bringing all the momentum onto an upward diagonal slash, Ferase instinctively skipped a flight of steps back, leaving the perfect shiny arch to slice apart where the old man previously stood. A visible afterimage was seen if you look hard enough.
But, that assassin was not done with one attack. Kicking forwards, the gap shortened yet again. With both hands gripping the sword above his hood, Ferase knew he was coming in for a finishing move. The downward vertical strike.
Taking precaution, Ferase swiftly summoned a wall of solid air, blocking that speeding sword and cutting the blade into two as the assassin helplessly drove it deep into that thin layer of a protective wall. There was no way the assassin could have halted its descent mid-swing and he never considered that the butler’s barrier would have such potency against the attacking party. It’s a dual purpose mechanism.
Taken aback from the sight of flying shards of metal, the assassin retreated with steady footwork, deciding it was better to resume the defensive.
“I’m not letting you off that easily.”
As Ferase said his piece, he swung his cane with a broad stroke, sending the wall of air zooming faster and faster towards the backed assassin. Unfortunately for him, the wall soon caught up.
That’s when the assassin, located at the very back of the formation, unleashed her stock of homing incendiary needles towards the charging block of air, having prepared to use these sparingly at the right time as this takes quite the time to chant. Emerging out of a floating ball of lava above her raised wand, they gleamed in the dark as the molten needles accelerated past the armed assassin and into the moving barrier, igniting hard on impact. In an explosive blend of transparent white and glowing scarlet, clouds of smoke surrounded the site of collision, blocking sight of either side of the docks and engulfed the armed assassin, faster than he could escape.
“...”
In anticipation, the other three got into supporting stances, but the vanguard never appeared out of the smoke. Their worries grew into fear and soon truth. Once the smoke dissipated, the trio were greeted by the limping body of the swordsman with his dominant arm and head sliced and separated.
Like the leader before, bleed spewed every way before the blood vessels cauterized rapidly. Just like that, another body was down and the tem dynamic was severely weakened. While all Kiefrurpez assassins are meant to be trained in all forms of combat, they still have specializations that they would regularly retain as a fighting unit. But, against this long serving member of the Kiefrurpez, even with the skills of being the jack-of-all-trades, it was a huge risk to continue fighting and they have to proceed regardless.
Gulping, the witch signaled for the one of two to replace the vanguard.
Retracting dual knives, that assassin made a similar sprint across the docks and towards Ferase, who held quite the distance between the both of them.
Supporting him, the witch unleashed another round of molten needles, hoping to distract the old butler. For that last member, she casted another enhancement spell on the charging knife wielder, fastening his approach.
Silently, she grimaced to the fact that she had to execute the buff five times consecutively. Once for each of the two beheaded swordsmen and thrice for the knife wielder for good measure.
“...”
Ferase blankly blinked in the face of the swarm of speeding projectiles. With another unnecessary swing of his cane in style, the pulsing heat waves changed its course, bombarding the projectiles with numerous layers of resistance. After the 11th pulse, the needles imploded prematurely. For the knife wielder, the robe ensured zero hindrance and he raced past new clouds of gray smoke before he finally entered his range of lethality.
His body then emitted a yellow hue and he surged forward with even greater speed. He was so fast that Ferase failed to react in time as he darted past him, and like a coiling snake entrapping its prey, the assassin reached for the neck, planning to slice his head clean with his reverse grip daggers. He grinned vengefully as his face was sliced in half instead. A sharp blade of wind slided across the meat and bone, leaving the upper part of his face airborne while the rest of his body slumped towards the side, incapacitated with chopped arms and legs.
Ferase sidestepped at the right time and released his retaliation.
After all, despite that assassin never feeling the blaze of the heat wave, that still slowed him down by microseconds. That was a plentiful time for a veteran with slowed senses to act accordingly, resulting in his downfall.
“Hmmm.”
Now that all the attackers were down, there remained only the two predominant witches. Hence, he confidently took a step forward, walking steadily towards them.
“Does the Bureau underestimate me?” he muttered to himself in a low grumble.
“S-shit” came the voice of a desperate woman, “Just die already!”
The assassin, who was visibly drained from providing enhancement spells, immediately pressed her palm onto the chest of the witch.
“Oh mercy befell on her, drain me in spite of denial. I plead to you all!!!”
Once she said that, her body began to drain and crumple. Shortly after, she knelt down beneath the witch’s feet in extreme fatigue.
“go…for it…” She said as blood slowly returned to her brain.
Gritting teeth and sweaty arms. The witch screamed in anger as she prepared her final attack. She was granted fifteen stacks of enhancements, which was the maximum the fallen assassin could muster up.
Ferase continued his walk unfazed.
The orb of lava shone brighter, as bright as the fiery furnace that seeped through the cracks of the engulfed steamship beside them. Needles the size of hairs continue to sprout out of the orb, which began to condense and shrink. They revolve the lava like electrons around a nucleus. Streams of light appeared in their orbit.
“Sir Edelane…I’ll kill you!” Her hooded face was full of grievance for her comrades.
And so, she stroked her wand down, unleashing the storm of accelerated needles. Following behind them was the core, shaped into an arrow that would penetrate the impregnable. This was the greatest the witch has ever done of that magnitude and scale of firepower so she hoped it would stand up against the old butler…
“That’s enough!”
But it never came close and she would never come to know of it.
With a stomp of his cane on the wooden platform below, the volatile projectiles, not once, reached a step of its target.
“w-what…”
In fascination and horror, the witch realized what they were up against.
The needles and dart of compressed lava appeared to have been halted in time, remaining stationary in everyone’s eyes. Observing closely, that was not the case. They had been frozen, more specially, encased within a block of solid air, comparable in size to a shipping container. Surrounding each attacking reed was a small vacuum and the witch also realized that they were all still in motion, possibly retaining all the energy when they were first trapped. The only reasoning she could come up with within that split second was the vacuum possessing a particular artificial dimensional property, to which she could never fathom of executing in all her lifetime.
Turning her attention to the old man, he now raised his finger with that dimensional ring and pulsed. That block of solid air was soon taken away by the space built into the ring.
In other words, she had just given him additional firepower to be summoned at any time without the expense of chant delays and his own mana store. Not that the former mattered to him as she witnessed him pulling out that complex spell with a tap of his cane.
Instinctively, she dropped her wand in surrender and accepted her quick death. Her eyes met the butler’s, dull and exhausted. She then felt high wind currents sawing through her neck as tears fell from her chin, and a burning sensation later, her blood eventually propelled forward with sheer force, launching her head high into the sky, just like those before her.
“...”
Paying attention to the final unit member, crawling down in awaited misery, Ferase deemed it proper to proceed the same way.
Ferase turned on his heel and walked to the front of the wrecked site. In the background, another flying head was seen airborne. There was no other information he lacked so he needed no prisoners. The butler now knew that the only way out of this was to fight and protect his family until the very end.
“Master Hamilton, I think this is another good way to end the tale.”
He sarcastically mocked himself.
The steamship was still going strong. The fire continued to ravage the splitting ship whole and not a single fire brigade was in sight to quench the flames. Fortunately, he was a wizard with general qualities.
“Hrmph!”
Tensing his concentration, Ferase raised his arms with force, metaphorically carrying along volumes of seawater beneath. The water rose in grandeur and it formed an enclosure around the sinking wreckage. The ship’s bow and waterline were visible and severely cracked and dented.
Now, with careful precision, he began to swirl the tip of his cane, forming long tendrils of water as they entered the aforementioned cracks in the hull plating. As he held on to the routine, vast amounts of steam bursted out of the superstructure. In other areas, the metal collapsed inwards in the face of the atmosphere, crippling sections of the already damaged vessels. Once all the flames were forcibly died down, the old man fell back on his side, drenched in sweat.
Loosening a part of his smoked cravat, Ferase got back up, reminded that the night was not over yet. His master and his wife and son were still stuck inside the ship.
Making himself a frozen ice bridge, he got on the blackened deck and balanced his body with caution. Rather than entering that stair room Hamilton took, Ferase walked further into the mid-section, where the path increased in elevation. With much effort, Ferase chanted light onto the nearby premises. His eyes met a random mess of flowing embers on metal slopes, leading down onto a submerged notch.
It looked eerily familiar to an earthen landslide.
“...”
Steeling himself, Ferase slowly descended down to the lower levels via air manipulation. Blowing past hindering debris, the old man began his search. With his cane extended forward and an illuminated crystal, Ferase stepped into the darkness with faint prayers.
---
Just moments after Hamilton broke his way into the stairway…
With his drenched coat and skin, the gentleman felt the need to be more reckless in his search. The flames barely burnt his outfit and only his eyes and hair were vulnerable as they lay bare.
Despite the added weight, Hamilton smoothly jumped over fallen debris, swung across large gaping holes in the floors and sprinted through walls of fire. He lost count over how many times he had passed by dead workers and sailors. Most of them were scattered randomly in a charcoal mess, unrecognizable once the flames burnt away the features that make them human. For the few that miraculously lived, they all met the same fate, holding onto their final breaths as the smog intoxicated their respiration. Asphyxiation was inevitable. With this large concentration of souls, Hamilton swore he could sense the rise of the paranormal, not that it was the first he witnessed such stuff here.
In the end, those bodies never mattered. Hamilton didn’t bother to stop and check for survivors. Although morally questionable, the only reason he got into the makeshift furnace was because his family’s stuck in there. Even so, he wasn’t sure if they made it out alive.
‘Please!’
Nonetheless, his legs kept moving.
He parkoured over piles of dead bodies.
‘Please, TianXing…Eddisson!’
The man busted open the rusted hatch, entering the third floor. The sound of running water roared louder and louder beneath him.
‘Don’t give up on Dad!’
Hamilton pushed through. Concentrated volumes of smog-filled corridors made his path into the abyss.
.
.
.
After what it felt like an eternity rushing towards the armored room, he stumbled upon a signboard, hung loosely from the ceiling. Removing the soot with his smoked gloves, he made out the words written in neon green.
‘They’re nearby!’
Dropping it aside, he followed a linear path of black, occasionally coming across patches of flames. That was when the wind began to pick up.
A howling gale and a dead end. He was confident it was here.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Feeling across the wall of the circular hall, pipe after pipe after flame, Hamilton finally made out a discerning bump. It was a door handle.
‘YES!’
Worried at the realization that no sound came from the other side, never considering that the armor muffled any sound, Hamilton began frantically knocking, slamming and pulling the door handle. In between, he screamed out for TianXing and even called for Eddisson several times.
“OPEN THE DAMN DOOR! TIANXING! ANYONE!”
‘Is this even the right one?! Am I mistaken?!’
Moments later, his throat gave out and his gut wrenched in reflex.
His mind began to muddle and his vision blurred.
He surely thought he would succumb to suffocation…before the door finally cranked open. Blinded by light, a hand reached out for his collar, shoving his heavy body in at the nick of time and landing flat on the floor with a loud thud. Unable to understand what the person was asking him, all he heard was the sure slam of the watertight hatch. It did not take long for the surplus oxygen to relieve his bewilderment, and for another splash of water to return him back to working condition.
“HAMILTON!!!” rang a familiar female voice in his ears. There were also the ear-piercing wails of a child in the background. Subconsciously, the gentleman blindly gave his wife an unknowing smile of rejoice. His derpy grin, on a flushed face drenched in grime and soot, stunned TianXing in front of him. Slowly and surely, she couldn't help but break down into laughter.
With the clear view of his beloved, Hamilton immediately reached out for her cheeks. Despite the worse condition of his gloved hands, TianXing surrendered to his grip. Her face quickly turned as black as his.
“It feels nice…”
“Thank you for coming back.”
“H-how did you…?”
Looking at the bloodied bodies she had moved to a corner, TianXing reassured him.
“All that matters is Eddisson’s safe and sound. We must hurry back up to the surface.”
“....Ergh…” Hamilton groaned as got up.
Scanning the area, he could deduce what actually happened here.
Only glowing stones illuminated the room to save up on oxygen. The fires outside never came in due to the watertight properties of this room. In regards to the earlier explosion, the thick reinforced armor, that he paid a fortune for, did its job excellently. Besides the mess caused by the initial shockwave, everything was intact.
In TianXing’s hands, she held a dagger and an early prototype of a concealed gun.
“How much’s left in the cartridge?”
“None.”
Her voice was unbelievably weak. This was the night whereupon the lady split blood for the first time and it was something never to be cherished about. She wanted to weep in grief, however the situation would not allow her too. Thanks to her efforts, these three were probably the only ones alive here.
“I’m sorry, TianXing.”
“...”
“Let’s get out of here.”
“...Yes.” Her brows furrowed.
She sccurried to the cradle with Hamilton.
“Eddisson!”
“Son!”
The boy continued to cry, even if his throat soared as he did so.
Lifting him into the arms of his mother, TianXing ensured he was secured to her chest using several fabrics. On the other hand, Hamilton unbuttoned the trenchcoat. Although the coat was no longer drenched, this was still meant to serve as a detergent to such situations without the need for added water. That’s when disaster struck.
“Alr-...”
The ship jerked.
“...W-”
BOOM!
It jerked yet again. And once more.
Multiple vibrations continued to stagger the both of them, who nearly lost balance, and each one grew more relentless and violent. TianXing grabbed hold of the door handle while Hamilton held dearly to the cradle for added weight.
The ship rocked to and fro, making the couple plant their feet for impact.
Though that would be the least of their worries…
The floors below the armored room soon collapsed, and the ‘box’, still holding strong to its armor, crashed from one floor to the next as it made its rough descent several floors deeper. The heat grew hotter and the impacts striked harder. Eventually, the flames would have melted the first layer of plating before proceeding with the second. The closer it fell towards the engine room, its integrity fell, and the room finally gave in to the pressure.
In the space furthest away from the door and the closest to the heat sources, the walls came pummeling down. The room unwillingly caved in upon itself.
As for Hamilton, who slid away from the door within that chaos in due course…
TianXing shrieked in agony.
“NOOOO!!!”
Her black onyx eyes widened in disbelief at what befell upon him.
The ceiling and structural beams, as thick and heavy as multiple bodies, rained down relentlessly on the doomed gentleman. In spite of his best efforts to dodge all the debris, he could not outrun all of them…And so, just as he sprinted upwards, edging closer to her hand, one metal beam successfully plunged down on him, hitting Hamilton squarely in the back. Helplessly sluggish from all that’s happened, he fell to the ground. Moments later, more debris caught up, pinning Hamilton under their immense weight and scorched surface.
“ARGHHHH!!!”
He was powerless.
He was relieved.
He was conflicted.
“ARRRRGRRRRHHAAAAA!!!”
His harrowing screams ran unheard for all, aside for one, in this fiery night.
.
.
.
The fallen ash and soot cleared away from the site of tragedy. Grasping dearly onto Eddisson, TianXing felt breathless. She gagged and threw up, spilling fluids over her son’s back. From the endless cries of her son, the sound of her irregular heart beat still rang clearly in her mind and she knelt down.
“H-Hamilton…HAMILTON!”
She slowly crawled towards him. Her legs should have given out a long time ago.
“Hamilton…”
Tonight, a lot had happened, and another platform came crashing down beside her.
Blazes covered her eyes and nostrils, and her throat soared and coughed.
“ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!”
Her bloodshot eyes were full of tears. They ran continuously until she swore they had a tint of scarlet within.
With the sensitivity of the heat, her fear of losing him, and the sadness of that realization, it had taken a toll on her mentally. TianXing felt weak. Extremely weak, like before. Recalling back a decade to that very same courtroom, where her beloved brother was pinned to the ground, harassed by large canes that could potentially render him disabled. She prayed this was minor. She wished for Hamilton, the great man that he was, to the point where he stood his ground against a martial genius like LuJi, to quickly get back up and escort her out of the hellish furnace.
“I’m sorry.”
But fate said otherwise.
“what…”
His face brightened in exasperation and mockery.
“I’m sorry, TianXing. They finally got me.”
“no…No, no, no! NO, HAMILTON! THIS CAN’T END HERE!”
“Please go, while there’s still a chance.”
“THIS IS PATHETIC!!!”
“...”
Hamilton continued to smile gently.
“I’m sorry. I don’t get it.”
“You…You idiot, a man of your stature? Dying in a place like this! All alone!?”
“...”
“Ridiculous!”
“...I guess you could say…I deserved this.”
“It’s not your decision to make!”
She cried out to him.
This time, Hamilton’s face darkened.
“Face the fact, my love. I can no longer feel my legs…and now my, argghh…lower torso…”
His voice ached.
At this sight, TianXing mindlessly declared.
“I’ll get help.”
“...”
“Yes, I’ll get help!”
Her expression was possessed. Desperate.
“ENOUGH!”
And as a result, Hamilton had a fit of rage.
“...w…”
She was stunned, in the wake of his sudden outburst. Weak and fragile, the lady sank further.
“...”
TianXing fell silent beside his laying half-corpse. She was sure it was the last time she would see him. Even his body may never be recovered and it pained her. Eddisson’s wails soon waned and the baby fell into deep slumber.
Around the corner, more framework collapsed and the embers spread. Flames tore away at the worn-down trench coat, searing his clothes and skin. But Hamilton hid the torment, braving a calm front for his downcasted wife. Her robes were ripped in several places. Beaten blue and black in an unknown struggle, dried and fresh blood dripped in numerous areas. Overall, this truly embarrassed him as a gentleman. At a time where he would no longer be around, Hamilton only hoped for the Kiefrurpez to cease their advances onto his ‘illegitimate’ wife.
He giggled.
“Why are you so cheerful?”
“I’m just…trying to make the best of it.”
With his unsteady left hand, he reached out for the slumbering Eddisson. Except, his hands never meet, admittingly hesitant that Eddisson may catch an infection from contact with his blackened, wrenched gloves.
“Haa…This is the end.”
“...”
“TianXing, listen to me.”
“I…I know.”
“I have never regretted my decision to marry you and it’s not your fault that all of this has happened.”
His icy blue eyes shone brightly.
“Throughout my life, the greatest joy is a day with you and Eddisson. I thought I would live to see our grandchildren but perhaps, God had other plans for me.”
“...”
TianXing bent lower for her last heartfelt kiss.
In an expression of surprise, Hamilton closely saw her blushing face.
Once their lips parted, she carefully scooped up Eddisson and began to back away. Tears still ran down her cheeks.
“Go back to your hometown, TianXing. Apologize to your brother no matter the costs! Without me or White Ink, ShanWei is no longer safe to raise our child.”
“Hamilton…”
“I’m sorry I had to put you up with this…But, I beg of you-”
“I will always remember you, Hamilton! And, as for Eddisson…fret not, Hamilton.”
“...”
“H-he will live to be a fine man. I promise you that…”
Her onyx irises shimmered amongst the embers. An empty smile plastered on her somber face.
Helplessly, all Hamilton could do was return with his very own.
“...Great.”
“...”
“TianXing, I too-”
CRASH!
Instantly, the roof above her cracked and crumbled, falling closely in front of her.
TianXing then ran for the door with haste and turned the handle. More debris fell behind her as she passed, and the platform shook violently. For one last glance as she looked back across the open hatch, Hamilton was finally nowhere to be seen. Crushed mercilessly by the final bits of ceiling that held, TianXing could not even make out the splashes of blood that seeped from his deceased corpse. What came to her was indistinguishable hills of splitting rock and metal.
She gritted her teeth, but soon gave up the effort as she turned around.
“goodbye…” muttered her ailing voice.
It was from then on she never looked back.
And as the ways of life would lead her astray, Hamilton’s last wishes would only be granted another decade later.
.
.
.
TianXing cautiously navigated her way through the blocked corridors and narrow slits, always ensuring Eddisson’s safety as her top priority. Her feet blistered and bled. Her vision blurred yet again. She tripped several times, shouldering most of the fall on her side while Eddisson remained in deep slumber.
Despite the struggle, TianXing remained steadfast, telling herself to strive on for their son, who she always and should feel responsible for. Eventually, her bare feet detected the low vibrations of something unknown. She immediately braced for impact, only for a water current to pass at relative pressure.
Black seawater towered over curtains of smoke and bubbles, surging through ferociously at ground level.
‘Help! Someone…!’ Her thoughts exclaimed as she grudgingly continued her journey upwards. Her legs barely gained any traction.
.
.
.
It only took several minutes later when Ferase heard a loud clang behind him. Luckily for the butler, that was the place TianXing had fallen for the seventh time.
With tenacity, she rose with fragile feet.
“Lady Xu!”
The elderly voice screamed for her.
“ferase…”
“...”
Never had she been so relieved to see him again. Turning around, she saw his outline flying towards her at very high speeds before he braked at an arm’s length away from her. His face brightened at the sight of her and Eddisson.
“How d-...!”
“I...”
Her first impressions were of thankfulness. The butler appeared alive and well. Certainly, he was in a much better physical condition than her.
On the other hand, Ferase’s joy grew smaller. A rush of guilt consumed his heart as he examined her condition. Tattered clothes and blackened ash-gray spots and blotches. The butler wondered how a girl of very weak stature survived this ordeal, that even the toughest of sailors succumbed too. More importantly…
“Lady Xu, have you come across Master Hamilton? He came earlier to rescue you.”
There was the absence of his master. Surely, with his trained body and excellent marksmanship, Hamilton’s survival was certain.
‘Yes, he must be somewhere…’
“...”
“W-what…”
But, all the wife could do was look away.
“n-no…”
His body slumped and his knees dropped.
“This can’t be…M-master…”
The corridor fell into silence.
When they want to hug, console and cry, the both of them couldn’t bring themselves to. Ferase made an expression of self-doubt in response to that. He wondered if this was just a major misunderstanding that his Lady was just misinterpreting. However, upon seeing TianXing’s mood and despairing aura, all he saw was affirmative and tragic confirmation. He would be immature if he took it in denial.
Hence, none of them spoke nor acted. They just averted their gazes, numbed at the circumstances that brought them here.
---
In due course, Ferase would ready themselves a small boat, crafted by the manipulation of wood and metal. They also got down from the wreckage using his air manipulation, to which TianXing gave no reaction despite her habit to overreact in sight of the supernatural. Planting his cane at the end of the six-men rowing boat, water currents pulsed from the tip of the stick, propelling the boat to a place farther along the shore, picking up speed in the darkness.
On their rocking dinghy boat, TianXing sat upon the center plank, nestling Eddison close to her. Draped over her shoulders, shielding the duo from the salty tidal wind, was Ferase’s coat and a spare black blanket. It was a chilly night tonight and a drastic contrast to the burning hellscape they were stuck in moments before.
‘How cruel.’ She cursed, blankly staring into the nothingness.
“...”
That’s when Ferase began to speak. Though, there was none of his usual enthusiasm…
“My condolences for your loss, Lady Xu.”
But she didn’t bother to look at him as she replied slowly.
“...Hamilton doesn’t regret how things turned out. He told me he was satisfied.”
She recited what was etched deep into her memory.
“I’m glad…”
And the butler could only faintly smile back.
“What about you, Ferase?”
Watching the back of her dry and singed black hair fluttering in the wind, he simply answered.
“No. No, I don’t”
He had already made his mind up once he rejected that assassin’s offer. His loyalty solely lies with Hamilton Claure von Kiefrurpez, and by extension, Lady Xu and her son. Not the head nor the matriarch. Thus, his job was not over.
“...How envious.”
She replied monotonously as she glanced at the face of the sleeping baby.
“Lady, once we make land, let us follow the protocol as discussed before.”
“...” She closed her eyes, trying her best to make peace of what was to ensue.
“Don’t worry. I will ensure you and your son will get to safety as per my Master’s best wishes. No matter the cost.”
…His determination never dwindled.