Ahoy hearties! This writer here owes you a BIG apology. I had not anticipated that most of my thesis issues would come AFTER the actual thing. I had a lot of things to take care of as well as prepare myself to move to a new city, so I've been way more busy than I thought I'd be. I'm really sorry. In the hopes that you don't hate me too much, I've made this chapter extra long and extra spicy!
Enjoy!
"Where are your devil eyes now?"
The vicious words of the quartermaster slither into my ears, taunting me while my lungs burn and scream for air. No matter how much my nails claw at the skin of his arm, pain seems to be unknown to him. My legs keep on kicking but hit nothing but air. My strength is draining quickly and the lack of air is slowly killing my consciousness.
"…a…kura…sto…"
Only strangled gurgles escape me as I try to plea and reason with him. But even my voice has been taken away. My eyes and my thoughts blur. This can't be it. I can't— Not right now. Not like this.
"You know for a moment I almost believed you could pose a good challenge. Then you walk in here and free me like we're on the same side? Look at you, crying and begging like a trapped rat with no one to save you. Consider this your final lesson, Shayee girl."
My mistake was thinking this man cared more about the survival of his crew than his prey. Atem has warned me countless time and only now do I realize this. My body slowly stops fighting and everything begins to darken all around. The mad eyes and taunting voice are becoming distant as I sink and burn.
"I bet even the brat can put up a better fight than you. I guess I'll find out soon enough."
Now those words strike me like lightening and I'm suddenly very awake as a familiar sensation submerges all of me. My pain is instantly erased and my focus restored. As if knowing exactly what to do, my body moves on his own. My hands seize Bakura's wrist and squeeze it with a strength I didn't know I possessed. The quartermaster's eyes widen and his grip loosens almost instantly. Still acting without my conscious consent, my foot slams into his stomach a mere moment later. A clang resonates in the jail as his back hits the iron bars of the cell and a grunt escapes him.
My throat finally free, I gasp for the air that I've missed. My lungs and throat burn again and the Stream begins fading as uncontrollable coughing shakes me. I want to look for the knife and face my opponent but my spasm ridden body refuses to obey.
Why has the Stream left so quickly? I expect him to take advantage of my weakened state but no insult or hit follows. When my coughing finally settles, I push myself up with my elbows and scurry back to the other end of the cell. Bakura is already on his feet and clenches his teeth at me.
"I'll be damned," he says rubbing his wrist and with an air of disappointment on his face. "It really does only work when your brat's in danger. Talk about inconvenient."
I let a few moments go by before his words sink in. When I do find the strength to speak, my voice is choked. "You were…testing out the Stream?"
"Frankly, I'm not impressed. I rest my case; you're half baked."
With that he walks closer to pick up his weapons and attaches his belt around his waste as if nothing had transpired. Then his eyes land on the orichalcum knife and he grabs it as well. He suspiciously eyes me and a jolt of fright shakes me when a sudden smirk stretches out across the quartermaster's face. Playfully, he turns the knife in his hand and makes his way towards me. I sink deeper into the wall, searching for a way to summon back the Stream.
"While there's absolutely nothing I want more than to cut your pretty throat and make you squeal like the little piglet you are, I just had an idea."
He crouches before me and raises the knife above his head to plant it into the wooden wall right next to my head. I gasp but still can't move. All I do is stare back at the monster while pearls of sweat drip down my face.
"You said there were three ships," says Bakura, his eyes narrowing on me. "How many are on us?"
"B-By now, two probably," I answer compelled by my survival instinct.
"Then he'll have sent the mutt, to the second ship," he mutters to himself. "If the third one had reached us, they'd be down here by now."
As he makes his analysis, I realize something. Bakura isn't only terrifying because of his bloodlust and need to kill. He's also smart and sharp. In other words, he's far more dangerous than he seems. I hold my breath when his eyes refocus on me and his smirk widens.
"Listen up, devil girl," he says, his voice strangely slow. "If we go down here, the kid will either be killed or sold and you'll be a plaything for those scurvy dogs. After so long at sea, I can't imagine em being too picky."
Shivers shake me when his eyes look me up and down. I reflexively bring my arms around myself and close my legs. This detail hadn't escaped me but hearing him say it makes it even more eerie. My cheeks heat up in shame. Despite his grin, I can still feel his bloodlust for me.
"Personally, I could care less what happens to you or the brat. Lucky for you, I'm not willing to pay the price for that very tempting outcome. I don't intend to die unless it's with my sword in the throat of a Kaiba. So here's the deal, Yugi Muto; you can reach that blasted turner before it gets to us. So do it and find a way to make sure it never does."
"W-What?"
"You heard me. Find a way to sink it or blow it up to smithereens, I don't fucking care how. Just do it. You want to get out of this in one piece, don't you?"
"But how am I supposed to—"
"Figure it out," he snaps.
His smile fades and he straightens up, pulling the knife out of the wall and dropping it at my feet.
"Don't mistake my letting you go for mercy, wench," he states, unsheathing his cutlass. "You're still a thorn in my side and if there's anymore delay because of you, this conversation isn't over. At least try to make yourself useful and I might reconsider my agenda."
In a few quick strides he's gone. I stay on the floor still catching my breath and shaking with all my might. Swallowing my own spit hurts. My eyes refuse to blink as they stare at the door, expecting him to return any moment to finish what he's started. But he doesn't. His footsteps up the stairs drown in the distant noise of shouts, gunfires and trampling from the fight.
I force myself to my feet as best I can, considering the shaking. Moki has to be out of his mind waiting for me. I stay still for a moment, listening to the ruckus happening over my head. We're not in a good position. And the thought of just sitting and waiting for things to happen doesn't please me. Must we once more be cornered like rats?
I think of Atem's threat. It's the least of my worries for now. Bakura is right about one thing : I can fight so I should. Not for them but for us. For Seto. If there's one thing I must do despite everything it's reunite my family, no matter the cost. Even if it comes down to listening to the madman who wants my head. Coming here and walking through the flames made that abundantly clear.
My eyes fall on the immaculate knife and I pick it up. It's a lot more potent than I imagined. I didn't even have to force on it at all for Bakura's bonds to come undone, and it has sunk into the wall like it was paper. Answering a strange impulse, I approach the bars of the cell and run the long blade against one of them. It takes the pressure applied to a pen and mere seconds for Drainer to bite into half of the bar. Applying a second push, I slice through what is left of it and realize what a terrifying tool I have in my hands. Just like that, another terrible idea crosses my mind.
Atem's POV
The axe misses my face by an inch and I seize the opportunity to thrust my cutlass into the mercenary's stomach. With a twist of the wrist, I rip it out and the man crumbles on the floor, joining my seven previous opponents.
The cacophony playing around is very familiar. I've found myself plunged in this sea of deafening sounds multiple times. So much so that it no longer really distracts me. Screams of pain and war cries are punctuated by the incessant clicking of cutlasses colliding and out of rhythm gunshots. And from time to time, the muffled sound of a body hitting the floor reaches me. I never have the time to wonder if it's one of my men or not.
That coward Marik returned to the Osiris, hiding behind the swarm of mercenaries he's brought with him. No matter how many enemy I slay, I barely have the time to catch my breath before another foe jumps me. They're far more numerous than I initially thought.
I spare a glance at the second ship, the Horus. Joey's full form is rampaging on the deck, slashing through hoards of enemies but he's bleeding badly. If it weren't for him, they'd already have overpowered us. My crew is good but so are Marik's dogs. If only I could clear a path to him and send him to hell, the mercenaries would back off. Free labor is not their objective.
"CAP'N BEHIND YOU!" Shouts Jaden's voice from above.
I whip around and block the cutlass descending on my head. Simultaneously, a shadow envelops me from behind as a war cry reaches my ear. Another one is heading for me. I reach for my belt with my free hand but grab only air and remember I've given Drainer to Yugi.
'Curses!'
With all my strength, I push away the first mercenary who tumbles back. I then duck and whip around before the second one can decapitate me. And just as my sword penetrates his throat, the first regains balance and raises his blade again. I clench my teeth realizing I won't have time to block it.
POW!
The mercenary drops to the ground like a rag doll following the gunshot. In my newly found line of sight, I find Bakura. He's already drenched in blood and I can see the path of bodies he's dropped on his way to me. Even his hair is dipped in red and he looks a lot more stable than earlier in the day.
"Look alive, Captain," says my former quartermaster tossing aside his empty pistol. "Or do you want to become shark bait?"
Part of me is relieved to have him here. One of the rare advantages of his blood-craved periods is his immunity to pain and exhaustion. He makes for a devil on the battlefield and a necessary asset in our situation. On the other hand, the sight reminds me that the monster I picked up five years ago —a beast that craves blood and spreads death—is still here and alive. Its name is insanity. I know what'll happen if he comes across Yugi or Mokuba in this state.
After picking up a throwing axe from the man he's just killed, Bakura makes his way to me. He points the weapon menacingly at me with an air of irritation on his face. "For the record, if you'd listened to me, we wouldn't be neck deep in this shit. Duck."
I dodge the axe as he throws just in time and the blade plants itself in the back of a mercenary about to shoot Reed. Simultaneously, a new bunch of them begin to surround us barely giving us time to breathe. Exchanging a look with Bakura suffices to warn him and we get back to back.
"Who the hell let you out?" I ask him, pushing back a new assailant.
"Your pet," he replies, slashing another's throat. "Don't act like you can do this without me. Even Joey looks like he's about to croak."
An wave of irritation comes over me. That idiot! Can't she do anything she's told? The irritation gives me a newfound momentum with which I send two more mercenaries to the ground, stabbing one in the thigh and sending my elbow in the other's chin.
"Where is she now?" I ask.
"Well, if she didn't have a heart attack after I spooked her, she should be on her way to the third nuisance coming our way."
"What?!"
"I almost did wring her neck. But I gave her something to do instead. Who knows? If she actually manages to be useful, I might tolerate her a while longer. In the best case, she'll manage to take out the ship and die at the same time."
"I can and will end you where you stand," I growl throwing him a death glare in between two strikes.
"See, this is what I'm talking about," he goes on, twisting his cutlass in a foe's insides more than necessary. "I can't believe you've brought us all the way out here for her. You do realize we've wasted two days? Thanks to your whim, look where we are now!"
His words ringing with truth get under my skin. Had Yugi not been who she is, this detour never would've happened. Neither would this encounter. I know all of this. Yet I can't find regret anywhere within me. Bringing her here was necessary, so much so that it was compelling.
"I don't give pig shit about what your connection is to her or her devil race," goes on Bakura, whipping around and getting in my face after killing his last opponent. "The wench doesn't have a bone of interest as to who turned her kin to ashes. She's not one of us. All she is is a distraction and as far as I'm concerned, a nuisance. And you're a fool if you believe I'm the only who thinks so. The others are just too trusting to say anything. I don't know what's got you so fixated on her but you've put her above our mission. That, is betrayal in my book, Captain."
The way he spews my title makes it feel like an insult. Simultaneously, I realize something. Not for an instant have I forgotten the reason I've brought them all together and gave my life to this manhunt. But to them all, this detour was a synonym of doubt or wavering of my resolve for all they knew. And nothing, not even her, should have them think for a moment that I'm not keeping my word. I'm a fool for letting them. For all his complaining and rotten habit of taking the piss out of everyone around, Bakura had done nothing but warn me about that. If there's one thing I don't doubt him for,—besides his fighting prowess— it's his devotion to the hunt.
"This," he says pointing at everywhere around, "is your mess. Fix it!"
Hearing him voice out my thoughts irks me enough to get a move on again. I crouch down to grab a knife from the belt of a dead mercenary at my feet. It's no Drainer but it will do for now. My only objective now is to end this fight as soon as possible. For both the sake of my mission and Yugi's, I have to end this fight now. By cutting the head of the snake.
"Instead of trying to make me eviscerate you, help me find a way to Marik. The quicker he's dead, the faster we'll end this."
The monstrous grin from before stretching out across his face and his eyes lighting up in sick ecstasy, Bakura licks the blood on his blade.
"Now that sounds like a plan I can get behind. Find us a way on that blasted ship and I'll clear you a path to the bastard."
If anything, as long as he has a target, he's reliable. "Best not be scared of heights. Follow me."
Slicing through a couple of new enemies, I head for the nearest rope ladder. The youngest of my crew is agilely swinging from yard to yard, firing his special crossbow, strapped to his handless arm. John had really surpassed himself designing this weapon for him. If Jaden was hopeless at using a sword, he made for one hell of a marksman. Xao's training truly bore its fruits. I bring my fingers to my mouth and whistle to get his attention, as he reloads his weapon.
"COVER US!" I shout, as he looks up.
"Aye Aye, Sir!"
I put away my weapons and begin climbing, Bakura close behind me. The mercenaries who try to stop us by throwing knives or axes, are met with arrows in the skull. I hear Bakura curse behind me when an arrow grazes him and he fires the last of his pistols at the culprit. We quickly make it to the Main top and then higher to the cross tree where Jaden is.
"Fancy seein' ya up here, cap'n," greets the youngling, grinning from ear to hear and trying to hide his obvious apprehension. "They just keep on comin'. We're in a pinch, ain't we?"
"Then we're ending this now," I tell him. "We need loaded pistols and a rope that'll get us on the Osiris."
"Just the two o' ye?!" exclaims the dumbfounded boy. "Cap'n, that's insane!"
"So is our situation. Do what I say."
With that look of utter disbelief on his face, Jaden pulls up his shirt to reveal the thick belt and many weapons he keeps on himself. The arsenal in the crow's nest turns out to be a great idea after all. I take a pistol while Bakura takes two and a couple of knives. While we put them away, Jaden selects a couple of ropes for us and tests out their reliability. I can see the lad's paler than usual. He understands that this is a huge risk as well as our last resort.
I place a hand on his shaking shoulder. "Breathe, lad," I tell him. "You can't get anything done if you don't breathe. Then keep aiming and firing, like you always do."
"Aye, Sir," he replies, an air of uncertain determination about him. "Count on me."
I grab the rope he hands me and look down at my chosen landing spot. The main deck of the Osiris is filled with mercenaries waiting to embark on our turner. On the quarterdeck, some wearing red straps on their right arm are posted. Those are the guard dogs. They're also the ones that will attack us the moment we land. There's about a dozen of them. Marik is nowhere to be seen.
"Knowing the bilge-sucking son of a whore," says Bakura, also eying our enemies's turf, "he's waiting for the battle to die out on a golden pillow and eating diamonds in his quarters. That bastard is certain to obtain victory."
Indeed, there are more of them in front of the entrance to the high quarters. Marik enjoys his comfort and his wealth, that's certain. The Ishtars are the type to give orders and let things get done by the hand of their minions. I can imagine him in his quarters napping, not a care in the world for the people dying for his gold. I glance at the Horus further away. Joey is still fighting, slashing and biting through the enemies surrounding him but I also see a couple of arrows and other projectiles, imbedded in his flesh.
Uncomfortable tingling spreads from my hands all the way up to my jaw. Marik Ishtar is no different from the baron and his company. And so I'll bestow the same fate upon him. He wanted victory. He'd get a dog's death.
"I can see smoke comin' out of your ears, Captain" mocks Bakura. "You finally look like yourself."
"Can you handle it?" I reply, taunting him in return. "You're still in awful shape and Marik is bound to be hiding behind very skilled guard dogs."
"Ha! Just pray it's enough to get rid of the itch you've kept me from scratching. I'll need a minute head start."
With that Bakura turns to Jaden to grab the second rope. The lad's face draines when he lets go. "Cap'n, Mr Bakura. Watch yerselves, a'ight?"
"Save your concern for the rest of those idiots, monkey," says Bakura, ruffling the lad's hair. "You're the second pair of peepers of everyone down here. So watch their backs, understand?"
The rare praise surprises the boy at first before he inhales deeply as if to fill himself with confidence. Finally, his silly grin returns accompanied by a determined fire in his eyes.
"Aye!"
The albino begins stepping on the yard and stares down at the enemy ship. For a moment, time seems to slow down as he contemplates his next playing field. This aura he spreads always makes me wary of him, despite having always been on the same side of the battlefield.
"Dogs, huh?" Bakura mutters, unsheathing his cutlass. "I don't see dogs. I see pigs. Fat, greasy, squealing pigs who're waiting for their next feed. I wonder. How many of them will get to eat again… before their slaughter."
Leaving those ominous words behind, the madman lets himself fall off the yard without a sound. The rope breaks his fall and swing him across the air, above the swarm of enemies and he lets go, landing in the middle of the Osiris's quarterdeck. I take out my pocket watch as the bloody spectacle begins.
Fifty more seconds.
Before the guards even realize what has happened, the albino heads for the ones furthest from the doors leading to Marik's quarters. His cutlass enters one's guts and he slashes their throat with a knife. A spear grazes him but he doesn't seem to notice and empales the culprit. Soon, blood begins painting the clear wood of the deck.
'And you dare call Yugi a devil.' I shake my head at the carnage. 'You hypocrite.'
Thirty five seconds.
Every strike Bakura makes spills blood, every bullet he fires hits the mark. More blood drenches him and his hair slowly turns scarlet. All the while having an honest to God's smile on his face and I can hear the unbridled laughter erupting from his throat all the way up here. I recall when I first saw him like this and considered ending his life myself. Partly out of fear, no doubt, but mostly, I wanted to put him out of his misery. There's never anything amusing about his instincts taking over him like a swarm of demons.
Seventeen seconds.
With their comrades falling one after the other, the guards of the Osiris have all their attention on the monster rampaging. Even from here, I can tell they're all terrorized and have forgotten their duty to prioritize their survival. Only two are still guarding the door. That, is my opening. I put away my watch and adjust my hold on the rope.
Three, two, one. Now!
I jump. The wind blows in my face as I swing through the air, drying my eyes but I refuse to blink. I have to end this as fast as possible. Uncomfortable vibrations shoot up my legs when I land on the quarterdeck but I push on them nonetheless. One of the two guards left in front of the door separating me from the Ishtars, nearly jumps out of his skin and reaches for his sword. I'm faster and punch him in the throat. I feel his larynx shattering on impact and he drops to the ground.
"You bastard!" shouts the second one raising his spear.
A step to the side saves me from imminent impaling. I unsheathe the knife and sink it into his heart. A soundless scream escapes his mouth before his whole body relaxes like a rag dolls. I don't wait for him to fall and enter the high quarters. I have to end this quickly.
Memories from a few years back come to mind when I begin heading down a familiar wooden staircase. Our meeting with Marik took place on this very ship Good. Now I know where I'm headed. I begin my descent, slowly and quietly, fighting my instincts screaming at me to hurry.
'Marik may think he's won, but there is no chance that he missed the commotion up there.'
When I get near the bottom, I exchange the knife for my cutlass and pistol. At first, aside from the stairs slightly creaking under my weight, I hear nothing. Then, at the bottom, appears a large man, almost completely bald, aside from a long braid sticking out of his skull.
My guts tighten when he points a fist in my direction and tin spikes fly out of the golden gauntlet on his wrist. I throw myself against to the side, and the spikes sink into the wood behind me. I can't let him reload. Following a survival instinct I'd forgotten I had, I step onto the railing and finish my way down into the air, landing into the tall man who tumbles back and falls. I don't let him so much as grunt and my sword pierces through his eye and into his skull.
One more meal for the hounds of hell.
I've landed in a familiar room that could've belonged in the palace of a Persian sultan. It's where I met Marik when I bought the Millennium from him. There are large bright and colorful pillows with golden stitches, carpets with symmetrical patterns, the lingering smell of opium, gold and silver tableware on a glass tea table, even tapestries hanging from the walls. On a silk couch facing the stairs, to my surprise, I find Ishizu.
The witch is sitting with an impeccable posture and looks at me with that same dead look in her eyes as before. There's no reaction on her face. Not even consideration for the dead body in the room. She only stares at me as if patiently waiting for my move.
A realization hits me. She might've seen me coming since the beginning and I might be walking straight into an ambush. But nothing happens as we stare at one another without flinching. I see no weapons near her and she doesn't seem willing to move.
I make my way to her, glancing carefully at each corner of the room, assuring myself that no one else is here. When I'm close enough, I point my blade at her throat. I get not so much as a twitch from her. I've rarely seen someone with that much self-control. Or perhaps, she simply doesn't care.
"Where is your brother?" I ask.
She responds nothing and only stares. Then, her dead eyes shift to the side, ever so sightly. All the hair on the back of my neck stands at once, as a vision of my imminent death appears in my mind.
Move or you die, it warns.
I jump back but too late. Like a blade of fire, the bullet pierces into my shoulder as the a thunderous noise of the shot rings in my ears. I know this pain. I've stopped counting the times I've been shot prior to this. Even so, I despise this burning pain but if I give it my attention, I'm as good as dead.
I shun it as best I can, ignoring the blood staining my shirt. From behind one of the tapestries, emerges Marik. He's staring at me, a casual grin on his face and a gun in each hand. Just like Ishizu, he's anything but surprised to see me. Just how far ahead has the witch seen?
"I'm surprised you dodged that," says the Egyptian, tossing aside his empty pistol. "You really have the instincts of a beast. Or you are somehow in the good graces of the Goddess of Fortune."
He has no idea how much that sentence irks me. Marik raises his remaining firearm at me and I do the same. Damn it all. A stand off like this is the best way to lose time. Whoever shoots first is not guaranteed the win either. And with the bullet in my shoulder and the blood leaving me, my arm shakes like a leaf in the wind. Curses!
"You're wasting both of our times, Sennen," continues the merchant, clearly loving the sound of his own voice. "Did you already forget? Thanks to my dear Ishizu, I already know the outcome of this encounter. It doesn't end well for you."
Showing that filth weakness is certainly not in my plans. So I return his smile and snort. "Even if I did believe the future was set in stone, did you really expect me to run with my tail between my legs?"
"All of this for one little girl," he says giving me a pitiful look.
"Rich, coming from the man who crossed an ocean to get his hands on her. Sadly for you, my pride will only allow you to take her from my cold dead hands."
He lets out a long sigh and shakes his head at me. "And like any other gentleman of fortune, your pride will be the death of you. The key to survival is to know when to call it quits and back off, Yami."
He suddenly whips back around and disappears behind the tapestry. The tension in my arm forces me to reflexively to pull the trigger. My only shot lands in the wall.
"Shit!"
My arm won't stop shaking and the amount of blood leaking out of the single gun shot wound is unnatural. But I've no time to waste analyzing my injury. His head is the only thing I need now. Preferably while my own hasn't started spinning.
The sound of his running footsteps reach me and I go after him. Behind the tapestry, is another wooden staircase going up. Not hearing any suspicious sound, I hurry up the stairs, following after my prey. The bullet moving in my arm as I run feels like a needle, tearing my flesh from the inside but I once more shun the pain. At the top of the stairs is a door. It's already opened and I emerge outside, on a small foredeck. It's behind the high quarters therefore separates us from the rest of the ship. Marik is near the front, admiring the fighting happening on the Millennium and the Horus.
"Ishizu has seen it all, Sennen," he explains pointing at the carnage. "That you'd refuse my offer, that you wouldn't even try to negotiate, that you'd have a wolf-man on your side, and that you'd be too soft to take her hostage. Go ahead and look, I won't shoot you."
Joey is exhausted, I can tell even from here. His fur is tainted with blood and so many spears and arrows are sticking out of him that he looks like a bloody porcupine. Despite that, he keeps fighting. Only a single mast is left standing on the Horus and the upper deck is littered with body parts and painted in red. Without him, we'd have been overwhelmed almost instantly.
As for the Millennium, the swarm of mercenaries is nearly swallowing up the rest of my crew. It takes everything they have to keep the bastards from advancing and for now, they still seem to be on equal footing. But on the other side, I see the third ship not three hundred yards away. With the current wind, they'll reach us in no time.
"You know we could still resolve this peacefully," offers Marik. "The moment the Anubis reaches us, it's check mate for you and your measly crew. As I said, Ishizu has seen it all."
My hand clenches over my cutlass with almost enough strength to shatter my own bones. My blood doesn't boil out of anger alone anymore. I will not let my mission end here. I owe it to my men. I owe it to all of those who've died under the curse of the Kaiba. Seems I must bloody my hands once more to uphold my oath. So be it.
I bolt forward, letting my inner fire fuel my movements. It courses through me, numbing my arm to pain. For the first time, Marik seems surprised and shock shows on his face. He raises his pistol and I move to the side just as he fires. This bullet grazes my ear, whistling.
The missed shot doesn't distress him for long though. Quick as a snake, he unsheathes the long saber at his side and blocks my strike expertly. With strength I didn't suspect he had, he pushes me back and gets on guard.
"Well, this is disappointing. I always thought you were different, Yami. You seem smarter than the average sea rat, but it looks like you're just as greedy and ignorant as the others."
"Do you ever stop talking?" I retort, throwing myself on him again.
Comparing him to a snake might've been too accurate. No matter how many faints I do, he evades and strikes back with devilish accuracy. That and he keeps aiming for my wounded shoulder. Evading him makes the bullet inside move even more and my sore leg is this close to spraining.
We exchange blows for what feels like an eternity to me. Each time steel clashes against steel, the noise gets louder, covering even the gunshots from the melee. They strike and strike, until I misread a faint and the tip of the saber slashes my skin from my brow to my temple. Blood drips into my eye, effectively blinding it. I jump back to gain time and wipe it off but to my surprise, Marik doesn't come after me.
"Since you've chosen death," he says, shrugging,"how about I give you a parting gift by telling you something good? You're not aware of half the worth that creature on your ship has. Her hair is a sight to behold for sure, but her true worth is in her blood and her tears."
His words paralyze me. What does he know exactly?
"I met a man not so long ago. Like you, a gentleman of fortune. He had a fascinating story to tell. The massacre that took place on this very island over a decade ago, didn't only claim the lives of the Shayee. Those fools had no idea what they were getting themselves into when they decided to ambush the devil race."
"What are you on about?" I ask, wiping my eye for the tenth time.
At least, his rambling gave me time to think. But I can't help but want to hear what he knows.
"Whenever they sense death looming over their loved ones, the Shayee's eyes turn blue and their strength triples. They become oblivious to pain or any other distraction. Their speed enhances and becomes beast like. All for the sake of protecting their family."
How in the seven seas could he have known all of that? The pirates from that night had no idea what was happening when they attacked the Shayee. It must've been the witch again. Just how much is she capable of seeing? No wonder he was so motivated to cross the ocean.
"You know what market really pays these days?" goes on Marik, before opening his arms in a theatrical fashion. "Take a guess."
"Illegal inhuman trade?" I say.
"Close but no cigar," he croons. "It's science! Ever since the evolution of firearms, capturing inhumans has become child's play. They go for a fortune in Europe. Nobles and royalty are tearing themselves apart to get their hands on them and figure out how to use them to their advantage. I can already see people lining up to pay for a chance to cut her up and see what she's made of. Just samples of her hair, blood, nails and even tears will bring me diamonds."
Sick images of Yugi strapped to a table blindfolded while faceless people cut off bits of her swarm my mind. I only realize how hard my teeth are clenched when I taste blood. Giving up on getting the blood out of my eye, I rush forward again to empale the son of a whore. But having a single eye to see tricks my depth perception and Marik easily deviates my strike.
"Woo there, easy! If I didn't know better, I'd say you were getting angry with me on behalf of that girl."
"Run your mouth all you want." I straighten myself and adjust my stance to my new vision. "Your delusions will end once I have your head!"
"By all means, give it all you have, pirate," he challenges, pointing his blade towards me. "Like I said, I already know the outcome of this day. As long as I have Ishizu by my side, I'm invinci…"
POW
The sound of a thousand cannons firing at once interrupts him, moments before a hot and intense wind hits us, making us both look in the direction of the sound. The Anubis is on fire. Two of the masts have fallen. The upper decks seem to have crumbled on the lower ones and all the sails have caught fire. Debris of the explosion float around the quickly burning turner. Instantly, Bakura's words come to mind.
"Well, if she didn't have a heart attack after I spooked her, she should be on her way to the third nuisance coming our way."
I stare at the scene, unable to even blink. The explosion has decimated half of the ship and the rest was turning to ashes. Has Yugi truly done this? If yes, then she could've been caught in the crossfire. Despite all the things I've seen in my life, the thought of another Shayee burning so close to the waters of their home freezes my blood.
"No…"
Marik's voice brings me out of my trance. The Egyptian's eyes are wider than mine and his jaw quivers as he gawks in horror at the burning remains of the Anubis. Shock is so dominant that he lowers his weapon and walks to the edge of the ship as if to convince himself that this wasn't an illusion.
"No…. No, no, no! The vision didn't say anything about that. This wasn't supposed to happen!"
I look at him as his face seems to lose some of that tan. The boiling sensation in my veins morphs into something else. Something cooler but just as intense and perhaps even more noxious. The rage within has taken a strange form and is swallowing me up. I take a breath. My heartbeat gradually slows down. The noise around is drowned by the submerging sensation. The pain in my leg, of my wounds suddenly become nothing to me. The one thing I must do that will end all this carnage once and for all has my whole focus.
I clutch my sword and move to spill blood again.
Take cover, Atem's pissed! Only true badasses can hold a conversation while fighting! Now any guesses as to what the hell happened to the Anubis? Also, has anybody seen Yugi?
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