Cyll launched his axe through the air before he hit the ground. It spun once before slicing clean through one of Axel’s retainers and crunching into the wooden dock. Cyll landed seconds later, baring his teeth.

Maya joined him a moment after, arriving with a clean roll on the dock. She popped to her feet, sickle in hand and fury in her eyes.

“Maybe you’d prefer to engage someone who fights back,” Maya growled, spinning her sickle and throwing it at the Ashwind boy.

Axel shoved Patty’s bound form away from himself. Unable to balance, she flopped to the ground helplessly. Axel smirked as he drew a shimmering scimitar from its spot at his side.

“I just might,” Axel said, deflecting Maya’s strike.

The moment his sword touched the sickle, a current of electricity arced down it and burrowed into Maya’s arm. She cursed, yanking the weapon back with the chain and barely managing to keep ahold of it.

“Do you like my scimitar? My dad got it for me after you stole my last weapon. I have to thank you,” Axel said, lunging towards Maya.

The slash barely missed the pirate as she ducked out of the way. Axel recovered quickly, nearly cutting Maya’s leg off as she lunged out of the way.

Maya glanced towards Cyll, but the man was busy fighting off Axel’s retainers. Axel noticed her glance and let out a gleeful laugh.

“My father gave me some more competent retainers after your friend beat the last few. You’ve really done me quite a favor,” Axel said, his sword flicking out.

Maya was forced to block the strike with the sickle’s chain. The electricity bit at her again and she hissed, diving away and skipping back a step to put distance between her and Axel.

“Ah, don’t run to much,” Axel said, pointing his weapon at Patty. “I might get bored and stab the wrong person.”

Maya gritted her teeth. Axel’s sword grew closer to the puppet. She took a step forward and his hungry grin widened. He lifted his sword and waved for her to come closer.

“Scared?”

“Axel, our problems are between the two of us. Leave her out of it,” Maya said.

“She got involved when she became your friend,” Axel growled, his smile gone. “Weaklings don’t get to make demands. If you wanted to protect her, you should have been stronger.”

He thrust his sword down towards Patty. Maya threw the sickle in a wide loop and gritted her teeth to brace for the pain. The weapon wrapped around Axel’s sword, the chains tightening around it with a clank.

She yanked backwards, pulling Axel’s sword to the side and causing his strike to miss. At the same time, a torrent of electricity coursed up the chain and into her hands. Maya screamed in pain, but she didn’t release her weapon as Axel tugged on it.

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

“You’re going to kill yourself before I get to you!” Axel laughed. “You need to focus on keeping yourself alive.”

Maya pulled on the chain with all her strength. Axel kept his grip on the sword, but was forced to stumble forward. The pirate dropped her weapon and drove her fist into his face with all her strength.

Axel grunted. Then he punched Maya, sending her tumbling across the rough wooden docks. She forced herself up, but the world spun around her. Blood seeped from her nose in a steady stream.

“You want to fist fight? I can oblige that,” Axel said with a scoff.

He strode up to her, scimitar still held in one hand, and drove his knee into Maya’s stomach. She doubled over and Axel kicked her in the throat. The force of the blow drove the air out of her lungs and she collapsed, coughing and gasping for air.

“This is where you belong, weakling,” Axel spat. “You should have learned your place a long time ago. But don’t worry, I’ll put you out of your misery.”

A scream from off to their side interrupted Axel. He glanced over in time to see three of retainers drive their swords into Cyll at the same time. His grin froze as Cyll ignored the blades, wrapping his hands around one of the shocked retainer’s necks and snapping it with a swift movement.

Axel looked back to Maya, but she was already moving. The young woman drove her knee into his groin with what little strength she had left. Axel cursed and doubled over. Maya headbutted him and lunged for her sickle, which was still wrapped around the blade of his scimitar.

He kicked Maya in the stomach, but she managed to her rip her weapon free even as another spark of electricity arced into her. She landed on her side, rolling once before coming to a stop. Axel spat on the ground and walked towards her, his face twisted in anger and pain.

Axel adjusted his grip on the scimitar and prepared to plunge it into Maya’s chest. At the last second, he hurled himself out of the way as his old axe obliterated the wood where he’d been standing. Wood chips flew everywhere with enough speed to cut through flesh.

Patty lifted the axe again, her cold eyes latched onto Axel’s form. She brought the axe down again, forcing Axel to dodge again as another part of the dock was destroyed.

“You’re not a nice person,” Patty said calmly.

The axe whooshed through the air before Axel could dodge. He braced his scimitar to meet the blow. Metal rang on metal and he let out a grunt of pain as the blow forced him to his knees. Patty reared back and slammed the axe into his sword again. And again. And again. Each blow echoed like a church bell, bringing Axel lower to the ground.

“How are you not getting affected by the electricity?” Axel screamed.

His answer was Patty’s foot crashing against his face, picking the Ashwind boy up and throwing him across the dock like a ball. He crashed through a wooden wall and disappeared.

“Patty? How did you get out?” Maya asked, her words garbled from the blood in her nose.

The puppet hoisted maya over her tiny shoulder without showing an ounce of effort.

“The chains were very strong, but the man with the water sword damaged them with a slash of energy while he was fighting. It took me a little, but I broke them,” Patty said.

She casually tossed the axe towards Cyll. It buried itself in the man’s back, but it didn’t even faze him. He simply grabbed the hilt and swung the axe through himself, killing the retainer in front of him. He finished the last one off a moment later.

“Captain! Are you okay?” He asked, rushing to their side.

“I’m fine,” Maya groaned. “His sword is a real annoying piece of shit.”

“I escaped and saved her,” Patty explained.

“We need to get out of here before any reinforcements arrive,” Cyll said, giving Patty a brisk nod of appreciation. “You’re coming with us. Get on the ship!”

Patty didn’t argue. She dove into the water with Maya still on her shoulder and swam the short distance to the ladder at the ship’s side. She climbed it and placed Maya on the dock before helping Cyll aboard.

“Raise the anchor,” Cyll commanded. “I’ll get the sails.”

A few tense minutes later, the sails unfurled and caught the wind with a woosh. With the anchor drawn, the Charbrand lurched into motion. The water parted easily before the ship’s smooth bow. The shore shrank, leaving only the sounds of battle as the three left Hook bay behind them.