Alexander did his best to regulate his breathing. Every punch and kick he threw out was a strain of the highest order on his complaining muscles. It reminded him of the time spent training with Director Li. A simpler time it was back then. Right now, however, he found himself neck deep in a swarm of pirates with only Pengu holding down the fort beside him. The occasional flash of blue lightning and blast of snow were the only reminders he did indeed have allies in this fight.
Pengu’s timely squawk warned him of an incoming arrow coated in lighting. Leaning back, he dodged the shot but fell to the ground clumsily. Pengu masterfully swung her flippers, creating a ring of fire that allowed Alexander to get back on his feet. Taking advantage of the momentary lapse in action, he rushed to heal Pengu and his own wounds. Fighting away from Nidra’s lands, Alexander realized he had been blessed with some sort of mana recovery formation during his trainings. Right now, the best he could manage was brief releases of the white flames.
It was impossible for the current him to maintain the indigo flame connection fueling Pengu and the white flames simultaneously if he expected to fight in this rainforest for more than a few minutes. It was odd, though. Why could Pengu use the red flames to fight normally while he couldn’t?
Feeling his mind wandering, he forced himself to focus on his healing. He prioritized Pengu as she was their main fighting force at the moment. His own wounds were only healed until they scabbed slightly. Scabs and hastily cauterized wounds covered most of his legs and arms, his agility leaving much to be desired. Regardless, it was enough.
The flaming circle began to wane, and Alexander prepared to dive into the wave of enemies once more. His rejuvenated muscles muted their complaints as he began his dance with Pengu. Lunged at by enemies from all sides, the two stumbled to the ground, but Pengu quickly knocked their opponent out. Continuing forward, Pengu’s webbed feet sprung on the very air as she gathered bouts of wind mana to serve as platforms. Flaming whips extended from both her flippers, setting fire to anyone who dared come close.
Dashing behind Pengu, Alexander braved the flames and punched at the pirates. Each swing of his fists knocked out another enemy. When his arms screamed for a break, he resorted to kicking at the pirates, and when those too failed him, Pengu again summoned a flaming circle to give Alexander a respite.
Very quickly, Alexander had been able to ascertain where his strengths lay. He didn’t have Kai’s speed nor was he gifted with Thomas’ skill with the spear, and he most certainly did not have Pengu’s knack for the flame. Instead, he could function as the heart of their duo- a mobile hospital meant to maintain Pengu at optimal condition. In fact, Alexander felt if he managed his mana adequately, he could be of service to Kai and Thomas as well.
Forgoing his still aching muscles, Alexander channeled his white flames entirely into his left hand. He analyzed Pengu’s body and healed every wound no matter how small. Once she was at full health, he swapped his healing to mana regeneration to top up Pengu. With his right hand, he furiously swallowed whatever food he could get his hand on as he blindly searched his backpack.
If all it took to finish this battle more quickly was neglecting his body’s pain and fatigue, Alexander was entirely willing to endure. The agony of the Puma and Eagle tribe’s warriors fueled him. If he was only a second faster, that could potentially be one more life saved.
With a clenched jaw, Alexander moved with the cold efficacy of a machine, and Pengu reacted instinctively. Commanding the fires surrounding the two, she morphed the ring into a bullet as the two began advancing deeper into the enemy’s army. Whips struck out from the flaming bullet like tentacles on a raging sea monster as they flung the pirates in a chaotic frenzy. Each enemy grasped by the whips incinerated and became the kindling for a forming wildfire.
The two quickly accelerated as the bullet parted the sea that was the army of the Green Mamba. Empowered by Alexander’s white flames, Pengu began rotating the flames, such that they gained an element of sharpness. Despite the obvious gap in strength between them and Thomas or Kai, the torrential inferno spreading across the rainforest was slowly becoming the pirate’s main obstacle for advancement. The unbridled fury of the fire was reaping fear into the Green Mamba’s retinue- the weakest of which had already began retreating.
Suddenly, Alexander felt a spasm in his heart that quickly became an unignorable pain as his body’s protests reached a new spectrum. No matter how much mana recovery food he ingested, it was no longer enough to keep up with the output necessary for the inferno. Nevertheless, he persevered. The unexpected conflux of traffic from the advancing stronger pirates looking to put out the flames and the retreating weaker pirates fleeing in terror was ultimately leaning in favor of those running away. As long as Alexander could hold on for just a few minutes more, the pirates seemed as if they would retreat entirely.
Looking to push another burst of mana into Pengu, Alexander’s body could hold on no longer, and he collapsed as the recoil from the overexertion reached him all at once. Pengu did her best to keep the blaze alive, but without the support of Alexander’s mana, she, too, soon collapsed.
Like the finale of a concert, a sudden quietness filled the forest. The flames that had once rampaged through the surrounding foliage and the weakest pirates diminished until the only evidence of the firestorm was the blackened ash, calmly wading through the air. A cacophony of roars soon permeated the air as the pirates were revitalized by the sudden disappearance of the flames, but just before they could once more continue their march, the ground came to life.
A soft tremble disturbed the rainforest, accompanied by an unsettling gale. A few pirates aimed their crystallized weapons to the ground, preparing themselves to commence another round of battling nature itself. Another group of pirates cried out for mercy. Hail, lightning, and fire had already accosted them; the appearance of an earthquake along with the shaking winds convinced them this was an omen from the gods.
Regardless of their cries, the quaking only increased in severity, and the winds were beginning to rip off branches of the surviving trees. Not much longer, the culprits of the weather anomalies presented themselves. A larger army formed of the eagle and puma tribe appeared over the horizon. The battered pirates were frozen in place as the unexpected enemy reinforcements surrounded them.
The flapping of the eagle wings and the thumping of the puma paws shook the rainforest thoroughly, but two voices sliced through the noise.
“SOLDIERS, REMOVE THESE VERMIN FROM OUR LANDS!”
“LET THE FOREST FEAST ON THE BLOOD OF THE SNAKES!”
Those were the final words heard before the hunter’s army swarmed the Green Mamba pirates.
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Alexander awoke to the sound of conversation. Well, at least what he figured was conversation. There was a coordinated back and forth of sounds, but he couldn’t quite make out any of the words. His ears were ringing, and his body was sore all over, for that matter. He recalled the earlier heart spasm he had felt and realized he was suffering from a bad case of mana withdrawal.
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Ughhh, that really stings. I guess large scale attacks aren’t something feasible at my stage. With a groan, Alexander sat up as he analyzed the chamber he laid in.
A tough leather formed the walls of what appeared to be a cabin tent. A few feet away, a silver curtain dangled slightly with the breeze. It was from behind this makeshift door that Alexander could hear voices.
Noticing a couple of moving silhouettes, he decided it was time to check out what was happening out there. The warm fur that made up his pillow threatened to ensnare him into a prolonged sleep, but his curiosity over the current situation eventually won out. Drawing in a sharp breath, Alexander flexed his muscles as he sought to stand in one fell swoop.
As expected, sitting up was a painful ordeal. Thankfully, his body appeared to be injury free- nothing time couldn’t make better. While he stretched his tired muscles, Alexander finally noticed the comfortable pillow he’d been laying on until this moment had been Pengu all along.
The little penguin seemed exhausted, but the gentle, even breaths suggested she, too, had been spared of any severe injuries. Placing a hand over her head, Alexander instinctively tried to activate his white flames to help Pengu’s healing along. Rather than the cozy feeling the white flames brought him, Alexander instead felt the painful, crackling of lightning within his veins.
Digging his nails into his palms, he quickly stopped the flow of mana within his body. By Ra’s fangs, that hurts. No mana, you idiot!
It took another few seconds before Alexander felt the pain begin to dissipate, and by that point, he had already chastised himself plenty. Looking to focus on something other than his aches, Alexander stood up and pulled open the curtain.
Once the curtain was drawn open, a sensory overload attacked his ears. It would seem the thin fabric had held a sound formation as a torrent of voices registered immediately now that he had broken the seal. Momentarily stunned, Alexander strained his ears before he was able to ignore the noise and realize someone was calling him.
“Mr. Alexander… Sir…. Mr. Alexander!”
“Oh, yes. That’s me.” Alexander swallowed a good bit of saliva in an attempt to ease his sore throat. Rubbing it softly, he marveled at the fact even his throat muscles were exhausted.
Taking in the sights around him, Alexander saw the cabin tent was much larger than he had anticipated. This new room was palatial and filled to the brim with activity. A constant stream of people uniformed in loose gowns moved busily throughout, carrying documents, weaponry, and food. Each bore either the insignia of a puma or an eagle on their gown. It appeared Alexander was housed in the main hall of the Everland and Eagle Eye pirate’s base.
“This way, please, Mr. Alexander. I have been tasked with guiding you to the war chamber, and it would be most disgraceful for us to tarry.”
Alexander lowered his head in apology as he noticed his mind had wandered mid-conversation, and he had unwittingly ignored the man. Following closely behind his guide, Alexander paid him more attention.
The man was a couple inches shorter than Alexander and much tanner. His hair was a sandy brown, slicked back with some sort of gel. Despite his clear attempts at politeness, Alexander could still see hints of a permanent scowl on his face, and even with a loose gown, he could clearly tell the man was hunch-backed. Nevertheless, Alexander’s first impression of the man was he was dangerous.
The man wasn’t just walking. No, he prowled through the tent, every step of his calculated, emanating a commanding presence over the room. His shoulders sagged rhythmically with his legs, and when they did, Alexander noticed they were packed tight with rippling muscles. The man’s hands were in a half-clenched position, and they looked much larger than normal. His entire demeanor reminded Alexander of a predator stalking its prey.
As a matter of fact, most of the people in the tent moved in a similar manner. Everyone sped in and out of the tent, but there was no chaos in the cabin. The implicit litheness in the people caused everything to seem orderly. Suddenly very aware of how awkward he walked, Alexander stuck close to his guide in an attempt to maintain the delicate balance in the native’s day.
The man stopped in front of a black curtain. This one appeared much thicker than the gray curtain Alexander had previously interacted with. He couldn’t see or hear anything behind it. Lifting his hand to grasp the curtain, the guide made a curtsy.
“I will not go with you further, Mr. Alexander. Please, enter through here.” The man pulled open the curtain slightly, and Alexander took the hint he should go inside quickly.
Upon entering the new room, a booming voice welcomed Alexander in. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the blubbering idiot who burned the snakes until he collapsed. I love idiots like you! Hahaha!!”
“Forgive Joaquin, he is not usually this loud, but our victory over the Green Mamba has even me overflowing with triumph.” A tall man with black and white hair approached Alexander and patted him firmly in the back. His smile was wide as he, too, welcomed him into the room. “Sit where you like. We have been discussing with your two brothers our plans to reap the most rewards from our victory.”
Walking forward, Alexander moved towards an empty cushion beside Thomas. This room, like each of the prior ones, was sparsely decorated. There were eight cushions on the ground arranged in a semi-circle facing two cushions in a slightly raised platform. Joaquin walked back to the only empty cushion in the raised platform, while a broad-shouldered man with similar factions to the guide sat at the other one. “Brothers?” He asked quizzically.
Kai looked back and signaled Alexander to hurry up. “It’s just their term for allies. Doesn’t matter, though. C’mon, you really should be spearheading this discussion. This is your mission, after all.”
Alexander cracked his back before lowering to the cushion. He grit his teeth as his body once more reminded him of their soreness, but Kai was right. There was much to do. “Okay, what did I miss?”
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Celia stared at her communicator as it rang. Each of the device’s pulses irked her, and she considered just destroying it. She had been awaiting a call from Damond; hopefully, with news of their successful capture of the Venus. It was Bison, however, who was calling her now.
Sitting in her gazebo, the Pirate Empress clenched her jaw as the communicator rang again. She raised it to eye-level and ran her thumb across the copper. It was a fragile little thing. Her lightning could melt it in seconds. Maybe it would be a good stress relief, but no, her Executives were her most valuable tools. The only valuable tools she had. Managing to restrain herself, she poured a sliver of mana into the artifact to answer the call.
“This better be good, Bison. You know I don’t like my time being wasted.”
A deep, gruff voice responded. “Weird shit in the North, madam. Large squad of pirates were sent out to fight with the native trash, and they disappeared. Big fucking squad, too.”
“That’s it? You called me just to say some of our trash died?” Celia’s voice cracked as it grew louder- a little unhinged. “Why don’t you just tell me every time a fly dies on this island, Bison? Because clearly, you’re not problem solving like a leader does!” Celia took a large gulp from the drink her server held for her before smashing the glass on the ground. “There is bigger fish to fry, right now. If you met some sort of obstacle in the North, just annihilate everything. I don’t care how many pirates survive, and I, frankly, don’t give a shit about the native’s treasures anymore. I already said I wanted the North conquered so we can control all exits to Kedra. Do your fucking job.” Celia enunciated every syllable of her last sentence slowly, making sure Bison knew just how angry she was.
Bison answered calmly, ignoring Celia’s sudden outburst. “Absolutely, madam. We’ll finish off the Puma and the Eagle tribes.”
Celia ended the call and placed the artifact into one of her pockets, simultaneously drawing her favorite knife from its sheath. She moved her gaze through her yard until she locked unto one of her servants. The servant was holding up a platter of food, but her hands were shaking, causing the utensils to clink against the plates.
With a grin, Celia pointed her knife at the young servant and spoke. “You, it’s your lucky day. You get to be promoted to practice dummy. Come with me, I need to exercise a little.”
The woman shivered as Celia pranced away, but she dared not disobey. She knew servants only suffered more if they hesitated.