So. Chapter 3. I feel like I should explain something here, since I've never explicitly clarified- Isaac, Silque, and Kamui are all going to be switching off for the role of PoV character. Isaac is still the main point of view, but Silque and Kamui will get their own times to shine as well. Occasionally I'll throw in somebody different to see what's happening outside the trio, but that's the general rule. Anyways, I don't want to keep you any longer- I'll see you at the end of the chapter!

[Kamui]

Kamui didn't quite know why he was so attached to them. But by the time the storm had settled and morning came, he realized he had already formed bonds with the two. Isaac and Catria were just like him, he reflected- both of them were lost, not sure what their lot in life was. Just like he used to be… oh, who was he kidding, he was still like that.

It was interesting to see how similar and yet how different they were, though.

"Look, all I'm saying is that the rain is very enjoyable when you're not standing in it," Isaac put in. Silque tilted a hand from side to side and hummed noncommittally, but Kamui just stared in confusion.

"What do you mean? The rain's terrible. Either you're caught in it and get soaked, or you're stuck inside until it stops and have to work in the mud! Clear skies is always what you want," he shot back. "Good visibility, no worrying about terrain, the only time you want rain is when you need cover for a sneak attack."

"I mean, if you have a good book or some- oh, right…" Isaac cut himself off, turning from Kamui to the middle distance, "forgot not everybody can do that here…" He seemed lost in thought for a while. That was at least the third time he had done that since the conversation started. What, was he a philosopher back where he came from or something? Why is he always thinking so much? It'll get him killed in battle if he doesn't get that under control, Kamui thought, but didn't verbalize.

"Er, if I may…" Silque spoke up softly, filling the gap of conversation Isaac had left. "I never really minded the rain. We did have to worry about the pools in the Temple being flooded, though…" She seemed to grow more somber at the mention of the Temple.

"Wait, isn't the Temple the location of the eastern sluice gate? Wouldn't being flooded ruin the mechanisms?" Kamui asked. He didn't remember much about the sluice gates and their functionality, but he did know that their being ruined was categorized as a Very Bad Thing. Silque, though, shook her head.

"I'm not sure of all the details, but I do know that the Temple pools don't drain directly onto the sluice gate," she explained. "There's a separate area where the water goes to. From there, it's either held to be used to water the flowers, or drained down into the channel for the sluice gate." Huh. Who knew?

They had been travelling for a few days now, and by this point they were trudging through the northeastern Zofian badlands. The sand was harsh, but they were making good time towards the port as the sun began to sink towards the horizon. Strange that we haven't encountered any pirates… Kamui thought to himself.

"Hey, what's going on over there?" Isaac asked, pointing to a nearby dune. The question was immediately punctuated by the sounds of steel clashing against steel and yelling, and Kamui dragged his hand down his face. Just had to jinx it…

"Pirates, if I had to guess. Just our luck…" Kamui ground out. Isaac's expression darkened, while Silque was immediately terrified.

"P-pirates?! Oh, no! We have to get out of here!" Silque cried.

"If we lose sight of the markers along the path to the port, we may as well kiss life goodbye," Isaac reminded her. "Not to mention, they'll be after us anyways if they see us. Our only real options are to either double back and lose progress, or try and get past them while they're attacking whoever it is." He made good points. It seemed like there was a lot of action- it was possible they could slip through in the confusion.

"That's our plan, then," Kamui ordered.

"Wait, what?!" Silque was flabbergasted.

"I don't see any other options. I've dealt with pirates before- they talk big, but they'll run if they face any real resistance." Kamui drew his sword from its sheath, the weight comforting him and assuring him that he was making the right choice. "How much do either of you know about combat?"

"I've done a few unarmed practice fights back home, but that was a while ago. I can probably hold my own against one for a minute or so, assuming I get my hands on a weapon," Isaac put in. So he wasn't completely green. Good, even if it was limited by his lack of a weapon.

"I-I know how to use healing magic and Nosferatu, but…" I've never actually used them in a combat situation, went unsaid but heard by all three. Kamui sighed.

"That'll have to do. Get ready. Stay close to me, both of you; Isaac, grab a weapon if you get the chance. Alright?" Both of his companions nodded, though Silque hesitated for a moment. Kamui returned the nod, and then looked back towards where the sounds were coming from. "Then let's go."

(line break)

Kamui spied four pirates and a man with purple hair and an eyepatch dressed like a Myrmidon as the trio reached the top of a dune. They were obviously attacking a few merchants- there was an overturned wagon behind two or three people trying (badly) to fight off the pirates. Wait, was that an iron halberd sticking up out of the sand a short distance down the hill?

Isaac grinned upon seeing the halberd. "Jackpot. Let me grab that halberd." Kamui nodded, and they quickly skidded down the dune, Silque close behind. Kamui saw Isaac grab the halberd as he passed by out of the corner of his eye, but he was more focused on the myrmidon. Who was holding a Brave sword. Crud.

The man had already turned to face them, and was pointing the Brave sword directly at Kamui, challenging him. It wasn't a challenge he could refuse. Two of the pirates broke off their attack on the merchants to face them as well. Nothing for it, then… Kamui thought to himself, and then the fight began.

Kamui could hear Isaac's halberd meet a pirate's axe with a loud clang on his right, and on his left Silque's spell made contact to devastating effect. Good, they hadn't died yet- but he was much more focused on making sure he didn't die to the myrmidon, who was currently slashing towards his right shoulder. He parried it out and down, then quickly flicked his own blade upwards towards the man's hip. This was met with a step back, and followed up with a stab aimed straight at his heart. Kamui took a step to the right and angled his body away from the blow, but he was only barely able to raise his blade in time to block when the thrust was changed into a slice across his chest.

No words were exchanged between the two. None were necessary. Their blades spoke for them. Kamui's trusty iron sword shouted that it would not let the other stop him, while its Brave counterpart chastised it for getting involved in what wasn't its business.

At length, both men heard a cry of "Rake, no!" which was quickly followed by "Forget this! I'm outta here!" Disengaging from the latest blade lock, the myrmidon looked up to see two of his pirates running away and a third lying on the ground, eyes rolled back in his head. The moment cost him, though, and Kamui took the opportunity as soon as he saw it. He swept his blade low, and it finally met flesh, rewarded with a grunt of pain from the other man. Blood leaked down from the back of his left knee as he looked at Kamui with both frustration and a strange respect. Before he could say anything, though, the final pirate threw down his axe, ran over, slung the myrmidon's left arm over his shoulders, and hobbled away as fast as he could.

Kamui closed his eyes (not that anyone could really tell) for a moment and let out a long breath as he dropped to his knees, spent from fighting so hard for so long. A cooling sensation covered him as the many scratches and cuts he had received closed, and he opened his eyes to smile at Silque. She merely smiled back, stating, "It actually worked. Consider me a skeptic no longer." Kamui's grin grew a little wider as she expressed her newfound trust in him, and then both of them paused as they heard a retching noise.

Isaac was hunched over and kneeling in the sand, the contents of his stomach in front of him. The halberd he had grabbed laid next to him, blade covered in blood, and it was then that Kamui realized he must have been the one to kill the bandit that hadn't gotten away. He sighed, walking over to the boy and pulling him to his shaking feet. "I won't say it gets easier," he began, "but the way I see it: it's better that you're alive with blood on your hands, instead of being dead with none." Isaac nodded, still trembling, and Kamui sighed. "C'mon. Let's see if the merchants will take us to the port."

And there's Chapter 3. Hopefully I did well for my first fight scene. I'm sorry about how long this took to get out, the beginning of the chapter was fighting against being written. But, as usual, the inspiration randomly struck, and here we are. I'm hoping to start posting chapters more regularly, since I didn't impose deadlines on myself for the first three chapters and look where that's gotten me. Anyways! We got a good look at the Isaac-Silque-Kamui trio just interacting, and an encounter with Deen (if you couldn't tell, yes, that was Deen) that somehow didn't end with somebody dying. Well, except for the bandit. Speaking of which, Isaac has now killed for the first time. Pretty sure three chapters is the longest amount of chapters between the beginning of an SI and said SI's first kill, but who knows. And now, an out of context quote from the Fictendo Treehouse server, from Howling Armadillo: "Fuse them all together into a super redneck. The Y'allfather." (Psst, come join us for more stupid/funny stuff like that: discord. gg/ 9XG3U7a ) Leave a review if you'd like, they give me unparalleled levels of serotonin.

Until next time, stay safe. -Ace Star-Chaser