"This explains so much," Saiyun muttered to himself as he stared at the golden nameplate. The ships had been fully armed because they were in for repair, not unfinished. If Tsen had managed to make a summon that could drag their little ship to safety, it stood to reason that enough summons could even drag massive ships like this across the sea back to their home ports. "Do you think Azun is here too?"
"I doubt he'd go very far from his precious flagship," Bill said, grinding his teeth. "Just gives us even more of a reason to blow this thing up."
Saiyun glanced out of the corner of his eye. The flying summons were growing closer and closer. "Yazwa, Ji, do either of you remember seeing where the powder rooms were when we were aboard?" he asked. "I don't recall seeing any."
"Me either," Ji said, shaking her head. "The ship was so big, we barely saw any of it."
Yazwa crouched, tapping her staff against the scaffolding rapidly as bullets whizzed up from below. "I don't remember any powder rooms. I guess we're going to have to search room by room."
"Too long," Bill said, glancing out to sea. The Vathlanri fleet was still pushing forward, but their wake was littered with broken ships. "For a ship this size, there has to be more than one powder room. We're going to split into two groups, one takes port, the other starboard. If you find a powder room, rig it to blow and run for it."
Another volley of canonfire roared out as Saiyun sputtered. "We can't split up! One group is just going to wind up blowing up the other."
"Yeah, I'd prefer to not get blown up today," chuckled Yazwa.
Bill glared at Saiyun, pointing at the approaching summons in the air. "The chances of us getting out of this alive are almost nothing now. This ship needs to go."
"I'll send a Jado with each group," Saiyun said, matching Bill's glare. "I can watch the other group through Jado's eyes to see if they find anything. If the group I'm with finds a powder room, I'll have the other Jado clap its middle claws. If we're getting ready to blow it up, I'll have it clap its back claws. At least that way everyone has a chance to run for it."
"Fine by me," growled Bill, getting to his feet. "Saiyun and Aven, with me on the port side. Ji and Yazwa, take the starboard."
"Let's go!" Yazwa shouted, leaping to her feet before Ji grabbed her shoulder.
"Wait, how are we supposed to blow up the powder room?" Ji asked.
Bill was already climbing the ladder as he shouted his response. "Pile all the powder against one wall, light a trail of gunpowder, and run for it!" he said before he disappeared up the ladder.
As he waited for his turn to climb the ladder, Saiyun couldn't help but agree with Bill's choice of groups. Ji could carry Yazwa to safety in her arms if they had to jump off the ship. Aven and Saiyun could ride down on a Jado, and Bill could just jump.
As he climbed the ladder, Saiyun looked up in the sky. The flying summons were circling the ship and slowly descending. It was now or never.
The haze of gunsmoke covering the deck was thick, but Saiyun could see just enough to survey the battlefield. Everyone above deck was crowded around guns on the port side, frantically working to fire off as many shots as they could. Men ran back and forth between doors leading down into the depths of the ship, carrying cannonballs and casks of powder to the guns. No one seemed to have caught sight of them yet even as they clambered to the tip level of the scaffolding.
Saiyun threw two Jado dolls at the side of the ship, feeling the familiar rush as they formed in front of him. "When we make a run for it, leave the Jado behind to guard the powder. It'll at least keep someone from running up and snuffing the fuse."
"Good thinking," Bill said, leaping onto the deck. "See you all on the other side!"
"It's been an-" Saiyun began, but Yazwa and Ji had already taken off, sprinting for the other side of the ship. With a grimace, Saiyun sent one of the Jado to follow after them as he jumped onto the ship with Aven.
The chaos and clamor on the deck was so intense that none of the gun crews noticed their approach until Bill was almost on top of them. When they cried out in alarm and drew pistols, Bill had already turned to water and flowed down the stairs where the powder was coming from.
At Saiyun's command, Jado surged forward to capture the crew's attention. Their pistol shots zipped harmlessly out of the way as they scrambled to dodge Jado's charge. It was simple to slip through the door to follow Bill.
"Wait, bring it back," Aven said, waiting in the doorway with one hand on the door handle. A few moments later Jado raced in and Aven slammed the door, turning the lock shut. "That should keep anyone from following us."
A scream of pain echoed up from below, and they rushed downstairs as fast as they could. In the dim light, they saw four bodies laid out on the floor. A fifth man wildly slashed at Bill with a sword, but by the time Aven reached them, Bill had already slammed his head into the wall. "This might be easier than I thought," Bill grinned as the man slumped to the floor.
"Why?" asked Aven.
Bill pointed at the floor, and as Saiyun's eyes grew accustomed to the dim light, he saw a dark trail of scattered powder leading deeper into the ship. "That's...convenient," Saiyun stammered.
"Let's not let our host's hospitality go to waste," Bill cackled. "Send Jado first. If someone's lucky enough to get off a shot, I'd rather a summon take the bullet than me."
Most who saw them coming turned and ran at the sight of Jado. Those who didn't quickly fell either to the summon’s claws or Bill’s fists. After a few twists and turns they reached a strange wall. Three iron columns with square holes in the middle stood along the wall, next to a heavy iron door. "What is this?" Saiyun asked as the trail stopped at the columns.
"If I had to guess," Bill said, stepping forward and knocking on one of the pillars. A swish of movement followed and a cask of gunpowder appeared in the hole. "This is it! Aven, can you get the door open?"
Aven knelt in front of the door and dug out his lockpicks. "Easily."
Saiyun glanced up and down the hallway. Aside from his heavy breathing and the distant rumble of cannons through the hull, the hall was quiet. "Let me check in on the others," he said, sitting against the wall and closing his eyes.
After a moment of focus, he found himself staring at a wall much like the one they had just found, only he could see Yazwa pounding on the door with her fist. "They found one," Saiyun said, snapping his eyes open. "Should I signal them to run for it?"
"Not yet," said Bill, wiping the sweat off his brow. "We still have to deal with the crew in there. We only tell them to run after we light the fuse."
-
Yazwa paced back and forth in front of the iron door, carefully practicing her swing. They had found the powder room quickly and fought off anyone brave enough to try and defend it. Now the only thing standing in their way was the solid metal door. "You ready?"
"Wait," replied Ji, pointing at Jado. The summon was rapidly clapping its middle claws while it stood guard. "The others found a powder room too. Maybe we should get out now."
Shaking her head, Yazwa stood squarely in front of the door. "No. Saiyun said he'd clap the back claws if it was time to run. Besides," Yazwa said, a manic smile splitting her face. "We can't let them beat us. Ready?"
Ji took a deep breath, crouching and tensing behind Yazwa. "Ready."
Gripping her staff tight, Yazwa's eye flared gold as she reached for the pouch of obsidian blades at her belt. The door was a dull, dark gray in her eyes, barely even visible as she slammed the cold white light of sharp into her oar. Even with her skills, the iron door was too solid to cut. But the wood around it was not.
With one smooth motion, she swung the oar up from ground level, slicing neatly through the wall next to the door. Taking a few steps to the right, she repeated the motion, slicing through the wall on the opposite side of the door. Shifting her stance, she swung a horizontal slash above the door to connect the vertical cuts. Using the momentum she spun out of the way to make room for Ji's strike.
With silvery winds gathering around her, Ji darted forward and slammed her foot into the door so hard it rang like a bell. The sound of splintering wood crackled through the air as the door lurched backwards and fell to the ground with a thud. Without missing a beat, Ji leapt into the powder room before the deck even had a chance to stop shaking.
"Yes!" Yazwa cried, rushing after her.
"No!" called Ji over the sound of terrified screams. "It's lit with lanterns, don't come in!"
Yazwa stopped dead in her tracks, kicking the fallen door in frustration. There were oil lanterns set in the walls of the powder room, protected by a locked covering of iron bars. The walls of the powder room were covered in white tiles that reflected the flickering light of the lanterns well. Barrels of gunpowder were stacked in piles that reached the ceiling, looming over tables heavy with half-filled casks of powder. "Ji, where are you?" she called as the sound of a heavy door slamming rang out.
"There was a door on the other side, they all ran out that way," Ji said as she darted around a pile of barrels. "I wedged one of the tables in front of it, no one else is coming through there."
"Good, let's get started then!" said Yazwa, grabbing hold of a barrel and blinking away her sight. The powder room was big enough that her curse wouldn't snuff out the lanterns on the far wall, so Yazwa worked the near side while Ji worked the far side.
"Any clapping?" Ji called out as they rushed to pile all the barrels on one side of the room.
Pausing for a moment, Yazwa looked over her shoulder at Jado as it guarded the only way out. "None. I think we're going to beat them to it!"
"I'm almost done on my side!" replied Ji.
With a laugh, Yazwa lifted up another barrel and hauled it across the room. She would have the pleasure of blowing up the flagship of the new treasure fleet! After they made their escape and watched the Golden Colossus explode, they would rejoin the Vathlanri to hold the docks. Then they could sail away, watching the shipyard burn in their wake. All they needed to do now was-
A bright, searing light made Yazwa flinch and drop the barrel. Something light hit her head, and she reached for where she had left her staff leaning against the wall. A massive dark shape lunged at her, and she swung at it out of pure instinct. She connected with something heavy and knocked it away. Itdarted backwards with a screeching chitter.
Yazwa blinked, staggering into the wall as a cool ocean breeze wafted down from above.
The ceiling was gone.
Above her, flying summons and their Vao riders flew in circles through the clear blue sky. Around the edge of where the ceiling used to be were seven summons, bearing their claws, teeth and whatever other weapons they had.
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A hysterical laugh burst out of Yazwa as she realized what happened. The Vao must have realized their plan and dropped wood-medium summons to strip away the deck. Now they were surrounded.
Not that it mattered.
Ji was the first to move, leaping into the air and slamming her knee into a humanoid summon with an armored body and massive claws for hands. Jado was next, scrambling up the walls of the powder room to latch onto the face of a two-legged summon with one massive horn.
Not to be outdone, Yazwa climbed up the pile of barrels right behind Jado. A quick look around showed her Ji leaping higher and higher, chasing after the flying Vao. Their Jado wrestled with the horned summon, and across the ship, Bill and Saiyun's was fighting with something that looked like a giant scorpion. They'd be fine. Which meant all these summons belonged to her.
One of the clawed summons raced towards her as she blinked on her Sight and grabbed some white light from the pouch on her belt. The summon darted forward and tried to skewer her on its claw. She deftly stepped aside to avoid the blow, leaving the creature to stumble past her. Using the momentum from the dodge, she turned to meet a horned summon charging straight at her. With one swing, she cut through its horn and deep into its face, reducing it to a pile of wooden planks before it could take another step. The clawed summoned pushed the debris aside to close the distance as the other three ran around the side of the hole in the deck to surround her.
The first clawed summon closed the distance first, slashing at her as the others closed in. Yazwa stepped back, hearing the wind whistle as the claw barely missed her face. Before it could recover, she swung upward, opening up a deadly wound from it's hip to its shoulder. As it fell apart, she ran forward to put distance between herself and the summons coming after her. Counting out the paces until she reached twelve she skidded to a halt and turned to fight. The two-legged summon had caught up with her first and the others were nowhere near enough to help it. One swing was all it took to slice off its right leg. The two remaining clawed summons bore down on her and she sprinted forward to meet them.
A pink blur suddenly appeared, screaming towards her from above with an arc of cold white light.
Instinct took over, and Yazwa threw herself to the deck as a blade whistled through the air where her head had been a heartbeat ago. She bounced off the ground, twisting her body and swinging wildly at whatever had just tried to take her head off. Her staff connected with something, then a deafening crack and a blast of wind sent her tumbling across the deck until she hit the cabin wall.
As the ringing in her ears faded, Yazwa scrambled to her feet, Sight fading away as she tried to figure out what happened. The summons were gone, blown clear off the side of the ship, and her Jado was nowhere to be seen. A bulky man stood on the deck, screaming up at the Vao on their flying summons. For half a heartbeat, time slowed down as Yazwa recognized him and the halberd he picked up off the deck with a long, curved blade on one end and a spearpoint on the other.
The Grand Admiral of Tsilen.
The man who paid Ca Diro for his blood Achali.
The man who killed Batro in cold blood.
Azun.
When she blinked on her Sight, she saw a pink mist billowing down from his nose and pooling on the deck at his feet. He was hosting an Akshi.
Azun was already a skilled veteran of dozens of battles. The Akshi would make him stronger, faster and tougher. She would barely stand a chance.
Not that it mattered.
Yazwa charged forward, half screaming, half cackling as she closed the distance, her staff blazing with searing white light. When Azun raised his halberd to defend himself, she veered off, sending his first thrust wide. She slowly circled him, eyes darting back and forth between the curved blade pointing at her and the spearpoint at the other end.
A plan leapt into her mind as he charged forward, swinging his halberd at impossible speeds. The blade and spearpoint whipped through the air so quickly they were a blur. It took every ounce of skill she had to stay alive until the right opening finally appeared.
Azun pulled his halberd back, readying it for a lightning thrust with the blade. Yazwa shifted her grip, staggering back and preparing for an upward swing. With one explosive movement, he thrust the blade at her, giving her the opening she needed. She swung with every bit of strength she had, twisting her body and swinging up. Her oar cut cleanly through the deck, rising to meet the halberd in the middle of its thrust and cutting the entire blade off.
"Yes!" Yazwa gasped as the blade flew away, bouncing along until it tumbled off the deck. Without his weapon he would be-
Without missing a beat Azun shifted his grip and swung the now-blunt staff into Yazwas stomach.
The air was forced from her body, and she fought to stay on her feet, bringing her staff up to protect herself. Struggling to breathe, she looked for the tip of the spear only to find Azun had turned away from her. A bright blue splash of water flowed between his legs, and suddenly Bill was there beside her with his fists clenched.
Bill didn't waste any time, charging forward and liquifying again as Azun thrust the spearpoint into his chest.
One deep breath later, Yazwa was back in the fight.
-
Aven crouched low, hiding under a jumble of scattered gunpowder barrels and listening to the battle raging above him on deck. Peering up where the ceiling used to be, he could see one of Saiyun's Jados clinging to the scorpion summon’s tail, beak locked on its poisonous stinger. Another was perched on its back, biting at its armored hide before a claw hurled it off. Bill was nowhere to be seen, and that was probably for the best.
When the ceiling had disappeared, he only had time to give one order before the summons were upon them.
I'll draw them off, find another powder room.
Darting out from under cover, Aven raced through the door to follow the powder trail. It was easier going this time. Without Bill or Jado, none of the crew gave him a second look, far too concerned with their own duties.
As Aven reached the stairs, he followed a second powder trail leading down, deeper into the ship. Open portholes lit the way as he rushed forward.
Going alone was the only option they had left, but how was he supposed to subdue an entire powder room on his own? Jado had been enough to convince the others to flee, but Aven doubted him and his knife would have the same effect. Maybe if-
Something hit Aven's chest so hard that he lost his footing and fell flat on his face. Flipping over, he pulled his shirt open, frantically searching for the bullet wound. But he was fine. No bullet hole, no gash, not even a bruise. As Aven looked around for whatever hit him he glanced out the porthole and froze.
One of the anchored treasure ships was falling apart, collapsing into a pile of timbers that floated in a jumbled mess on the surface of the water. "How?" he said to himself. There weren't enough cannons in this entire shipyard to blast a ship that big into pieces so quickly. It hadn't been a magazine explosion, as there was no smoke, fire, or even sound.
Aven clutched his chest as he realized what happened. Yia. She must have sailed close enough to the anchored ships to get her hands on them. No wonder he felt it in his chest, the power needed to blow one of those ships apart was incredible. This was good. If the rest of the Hilt ships could focus their fire on the one ship that remained out at anchor, it meant the Vathlanri would only be facing fire from one direction. Once the anchored ships were taken care of, the Hilt
Fleet could focus their fire on...
The Golden Colossus.
Swallowing, Aven looked out the window. They still had time. Even with the whole fleet firing, it would take a while to destroy the treasure ship. Finding another powder room to blow was still the smart thing to do. After all-
Another thump hit Aven's chest, and he watched, slack-jawed as the second ship fell to pieces.
Leaping to his feet, he took off down the hallway, looking for the quickest way back to the upper deck. It would only take a few minutes for the gun crews to adjust their aim. After a few test shots, they'd have the range to the Golden Colossus and start raining down fire. They needed to be off the ship before that happened.
Climbing up the stairs two at a time, Aven ran out on deck. The guns on the front of the ship were thundering, crews still at their posts. The air was thick with flying summons, circling the mighty ship. There were still a few summons on deck, fighting savagely with both Jado. Aven gripped the handle of his knife when he saw the vicious brawl was raging on the far side of the ship. Azun moved so fast he was almost a blur, almost skewering Bill before he liquified. Yazwa came up behind him and tried to slice his head off, but Azun parried the blow, knocking her off balance and sending her sprawling with a hard kick. Before he could advance on her, Bill was back on him, making a grab for Azun's arm that he only barely slipped away from.
Aven drew his knife. Azun was distracted. If he waited for the right moment-
Shaking his head, Aven slammed his knife back into its sheathe. No. Not worth it. He ran over to the hole in the deck over the powder room and shouted down to Saiyun. "Are you still down there?"
"Yes!" he called back, still hidden. "Did you light the powder?!"
"No, but we still have to get out of here!" Aven called back. "I think Yia took out the two treasure ships at anchor. That means the Hilt fleet is going to start shooting at us now!"
Saiyun swore. "I'm using Jado to keep the other summons away from Yazwa and Bill! I can't pick her up until she's clear of that fight!"
Aven looked up and grimaced. He could tell Yazwa and Bill were doing everything they could to take down Azun. He couldn't shout and tell her to run; the distraction could get her killed. Him jumping in wouldn't do any good, and the two summons the Jados were fighting were too heavily armored for his knife to be of any use. That meant there was only one option left.
"Ji!" Aven shouted, scanning the sky for her. "JI!"
-
Ji held her breath and plummeted towards the ground, squinting as the wind burned her eyes. One of the Vao was swooping towards the Golden Colossus on the back of an emaciated bat, a fistful of summon dolls in his hand. Waiting until the last moment, Ji exhaled, letting the force of her breath send her careening towards the Vao.
The bat flared its wings and swerved away to avoid her. Ji heard the Vao swear as she rocketed by him, his attack run ruined.
Twisting around, Ji stretched out her leg and gathered air in the arch of her foot, slowing her down as she scanned the sky. The Vao and their flying summons were too quick for her. No matter how hard she tried, she had been unable to land a blow. But even though she couldn't hit them, they didn't dare get too close to her. She had spent the battle ricocheting back and forth, keeping the Vao away from the deck so they couldn't drop any more summon dolls. Luckily it looked like none of them were eager to try and fight her head on.
"Ji!" Aven shouted from below.
Below her, Ji could just barely make out Aven on the smoke-shrouded deck. She slipped off the gusting wind under her foot and dropped downwards, landing gently on the deck next to him. "Is it time to go?"
"Yes, but the powder isn't lit," Aven said, pointing out into the harbor. "Those ships are turning their guns on us now, and any second they're going to open up. I need you to help Yazwa break away from her fight so she can get on a Jado. Drive Azun as close to the edge of the deck as you can!"
"Done," Ji said, darting towards the melee.
Blood trickled down Bill’s arms as he threw himself at Azun, failing to land a punch. Yazwa kept up relentless pressure, parrying, dodging and slashing as she tried to land a killing blow. For a brief moment, Ji could not help but be impressed. Azun was holding them at bay with nothing but a broken weapon. The moment passed, and she leapt into battle, slipping under a wild swing and launching a kick at his side with all the strength she could muster.
Azun grunted at the impact but hardly flinched. With one smooth motion, he shifted his stance and aimed a vicious downward thrust at her. With the help of the wind, she managed to barely avoid the tip of the spear.
By the time she landed on deck, Azun was coming at her again. "Yazwa, go!" she shouted, backing away towards the edge of the deck.
"Not yet!" Yazwa cried, advancing alongside Bill.
A chorus of screeching whistles tore through the air above them. Azun bolted away, and Ji leaped over his head. The ship shook as a few stray cannonballs smashed into the deck, tearing even more holes in it. "There are more coming, go!"
"Are they shooting at us?!" Yazwa gasped.
"Yes, go to-No!" Ji cried as Bill rushed past them, chasing after Azun.
Bill leapt in front of Azun, blocking the path to the scaffolding that led off the ship. "No running away," Bill growled, a vicious smile on his face.
The canons of the Golden Colossus fell silent as the gun crews broke and ran, sprinting to get off the ship. Azun furiously attacked Bill, but the pirate refused to give ground, holding fast even as the spear ripped at his arms. In the distance, a rippling rumble meant more cannonballs were on the way.
"Go to Jado!" Ji shouted, pushing Yazwa away. "I'll help Bill get clear!"
Launching herself forward, Ji came at Azun from the back, gathering wind at her fists. After she landed three solid hits, Azun jabbed at her with the back end of his halberd, forcing her back. "Bill go!" she cried before she leapt back in the fight.
"No!" Bill growled, liquifying to save himself from a spear thrust through the head.
Azun ran straight through the puddle, sprinting for the scaffolding.
Bill reformed the moment Azun passed through him and lunged.
No!" Ji cried as Azun's spear burst out of Bill’s back just as the second valley came screaming in. It was more accurate, dozens of cannonballs hit their target, smashing through the hull and tearing through the sterncastle. The ship groaned like a wounded animal, wavering back and forth.
When Ji looked up, Bill had Azun in a tight grapple, even with the spear plunged right through him. Azun clawed at Bill’s face and hands, thrashing wildly as the ship slowly began to tip over.
Turning on her heel, Ji's eyes swept the deck. She caught sight of both Jados scrambling over the railing and down the side of the ship. Yazwa and Saiyun had made it out. But where was Aven? Crew members were clinging to the masts and anything else they could hold onto as the ship rolled onto its side. When their grips failed, they slid down the dock, screaming the whole way.
Through the chaos, Ji caught sight of Aven, clinging to the hole in the powder room ceiling.
Leaping past falling men, she gathered him up in her arms and leapt straight up. Masts whipped past them as the Golden Colossus collapsed on its side.