Ch. 12 Blind Rage
"So you do know how to fight!" Flint laughed as Adam was blade locked with the elder Silver. Flint broke the lock and let out another burst of dark energy. Lenora and Kyle fought off any clockworks and pirates that tried to make their way toward the two, but Kyle was struggling due to his leg injury.
"I'll die before I let a messed up leg keep me from fighting," was his response. Lenora activated her flame routers, incinerating a few dozen dark pirates that had gotten too close. This bought them a few minutes as Adam and Flint continued their duel.
"Lenora." The swashbuckler turned to see Wing Chun and Ratbeard running to her. "There's too many to deal with and those golden clockworks are tearing apart our forces." Wing was scared. "What do we do?" Lenora looked to Adam for an answer, but he was still fighting.
It's my call. "Tell everyone to get on a ship and leave. Head for Dragonspyre and lead them to El Dorado."
"Aye, Lenora." Ratbeard and the young crane ran back into the fray and gave the order to retreat. "Come on! We're leaving. Follow us and you'll live." Autumn heard the order, grabbed Peyton, and went to find Ryan. Peyton led her to the last place she'd seen him. They found Ryan fighting off a golden clockwork marine. His blades were barely holding out against its golden axe. He turned and saw his wife.
"Autumn." This distracted him long enough for the clockwork to spin his blade and slash at his eyes. "Argh!" The assassin held his right hand to his face in agony.
"Ryan!" Autumn threw a gravity bomb, lifting up the golden clockwork and unleashed a sonic pulse from her scream. Her rage had unlocked a new ability. The blast was so powerful, it sent the clockwork flying off of Skull Island. Exhausted, the privateer collapsed for a second before returning her attention to her husband. "Ryan, say something!"
"My eye!" Ryan blinked rapidly. "I can't see!" blood dripped from his wounds. I was already blind in one eye. Now the other?! "I can't fight if I can't see." Pedro and Brave rush up.
"Ryan!" He rushed over to his best friend. Autumn just stared at him. Pedro stared back. He turned back to the assassin. "You're not dying on me. Not now!" Pedro and Autumn each took one of Ryan's shoulders and carried him to the docks with Peyton and Brave following.
"Wait." Brave stopped as they reached the docks. "Where's Riley?" I didn't see her get on a ship. "I have to go back!" Brave started to leave the docks, but Pedro's free arm grabbed the sniper's remaining limb.
"There's no time." Brave struggled to break free, but Pedro's grip was strong. "Will gave me a message to give to you. He said, 'Don't give up.' You've got to have faith that she got out and keep going."
"Besides," a voice called out from behind the pirates, "There's no way you're getting back to the island." Hannah slammed her staff into the dock platform, severing it from the rest of Skull Island. The five pirates boarded the Bronze Pegasus while Hannah boarded her own ship, two squads of clockworks and dark pirates in her tow. Both ships took off away from the island. "You won't get away."
"Where are you going?" Jordan tried to make her way back to the island, but Morgan and Sirena were holding her back.
"Bonnie is still there. I have to find her."
"She'll be fine," Mary shouted to her, "But, right now, we have dozens of injured pirates that need to get out of here. I'm sorry, but we have to go. I can't heal them all on my own." Jordan gradually stopped struggling.
"We're leaving our daughter behind," Sirena consoled. "This is just as hard on us as it is on you." The buccaneer looked out to Skull Island's docks.
"I'm sorry."
"Impressive." Flint parried Adam's next attack and countered with a thrust that would have damaged the young musketeer's spine had he not dodged.
"I guess fighting runs in the family." Adam sent a signal to Sagittarius to activate his golden bow. As the bow formed, Flint attempted to strike down. Adam blocked with the length of the bow and loaded an arrow. He fired, sending Flint back a few feet. The dark pirate quickly recovered and formed a weapon of his own: a dark energy javelin. Why does that look so familiar? Adam shook away the question and redrew his sword, entering close quarter combat. "Funny that someone so tough is resorting to using a spear."
"It's gotten the job done in the past." Flint deflected Adam's oncoming attacks. "Its first kill is still my favorite."
"Let me guess, you killed someone because they had something you wanted."
"Basically," Flint chuckled, "They got in my way of absolute power." He twirled the lance and prepared to throw it. "Your mother." Adam's eyes went wide at the mention of his mother. Flint saw the opening and let loose the weapon, piercing Adam's upper right thigh. Adam screamed in agony. Flint walked ceremoniously up to Adam's body, lying on the ground. "To tell you the truth, I was aiming for you all those years ago."
"Stay away!" Lenora turned at these words and saw Riley run out between Adam and Flint, pistol in hand.
"Adam! Riley!" Lenora and her dad rushed to the two musketeers, Kyle limping as fast as he could.
"You know, I was going to kill you myself. Savor the moment," Flint stated, "But I've changed my mind. Tauros!"