Fuck, she’s unstoppable.
Then there’s Fabien, slicing through bodies like he’s born for it. I might despise half the things about the man, but his skill with a blade? That I can’t deny. Just like he was back on thatshipwreck—unforgiving, relentless. He’s not just ruthless; he’s a monster. A goddamn monster.
“We heard your scream!” Gypsy yells, her voice carrying over the clash of steel as she fends off another attacker. Can’t even tell which crew these bastards belong to—no familiar marks, no telling loyalties.
“The bard’s jumpy,” Fabien growls, still focused as he runs his sword through another man.
“Jumpy?“ Vini’s voice cracks, trembling. “I had a body fall on me! Let’s see you keep your nerve with someone’s guts in your lap!”
Fabien grunts, too busy disarming his latest victim to bother with a reply.
“This tells us nothing,” I snap, glancing around, eyes sharp. Trouble’s brewing from all angles. There has to be at least a dozen of men here.
“When I made the first move, there were less of them, alright?” Fabien snaps, irritation clear. “They must’ve called reinforcements. Didn’t expect to see this lot!”
“Maybe because you killed their leader, genius!” Vini squawks, diving out of the way of another wild swing. His face is practically scarlet with fear, but he’s sharper, quicker—he’s got a survival instinct like a bloody alley cat.
If Gypsy or I had instincts like that, we’d be untouchable. I mean, imagine either of us with double the speed and strength, tearing through our enemies. Hell, Gypsy would be a menace, alright.
Vinicola has never trained the art of battle before.
“We’ve gotta break their line!” I shout to Gypsy, catching her eye through the fray. “Get to the harbor, set sail before they’re all on us!”
“No!” Fabien roars, his voice grating. “I need my ecosystem!”
…His what?
I don’t even have time to blink at him. Ecosystem? We’re in a bloodbath, and he’s talking about some absurdity.
“What are you on about, Fabien?” I bark, slicing through a pirate who’s getting a little too close for comfort.
He doesn’t answer. He just keeps fighting with that anger of his so palpable it makes my tongue tart.
“Too much to explain,” he grunts finally, slashing his sword into a particularly scrawny pirate that looks like he doesn’t stand a chance against him but presses on regardless.
I watch, waiting for Fabien to take his head clean off, but at the last second, the pirate jerks sideways, just enough to save his skin. Mostly.
Fabien’s blade slices his ear clean off, sending the little scrap tumbling into the dirt alongside all the other mess of blood and guts littering the ground.
“Nice aim,” I call to him with a smirk, stepping over the severed ear like it’s no more than a rock in the road. But then man shrieks so loud it feels like he’s scraping my eardrums with a broken bottle, and my smile falls away.
Gods above.
Fabien chuckles, dark and low, while the pirate stumbles around clutching what’s left of his ear. He’s putting on quite a show, practically holding the line by himself, and from the looks on the other pirates’ faces, they’re about ready to piss themselves.
Next to me, Vini’s wheezing, hands on his knees, eyes glued to Fabien like he’s watching some sort of myth come to life.
“He’s got a few screws loose, alright,” he mutters, somewhere between awe and disgust. Not sure which one wins out.
It doesn’t last, though. Fabien finishes the job with a clean thrust through the chest, and the poor bastard’s blood sprays like a ripe melon, half of it splattering all over Vini, of course. Fabien doesn’t even blink.
Vini’s face twists, horror plain as day. “Oh, for fuck’s sake!” he whines, jerking back just as another pirate takes a wild swing that misses him by inches. “Why me?”
I sidestep, catching his attacker’s eye and drawing him toward me.
“Focus, bard!” I snap, deflecting a wild blow aimed square at my head. The pirate snarls, sensing an opening, but I sidestep his next lunge and drive my dagger into his side. He drops, and I yank my blade free, feeling my pulse drum in my ears.
Third down.
