The rain grew stronger. The sound of droplets and continuous violence had become normal. These four hours had felt like an eternity.
Rela had sacrificed herself for me. A person she barely knew. Just like Kora—strangers thrown together by circumstance, fighting for each other anyway.
She'd bought me time.
Now it was my turn to protect them.
"So you really had to resort to a two-on-one?" I looked him straight in the eye.
"What's your name, for a titan like her to fight for you?" His hands stayed in his pockets, Lumin radiating from his frame despite the rain.
"Zain. Zain, the Berserker of... well, somewhere far from here."
He smiled brightly, smoke still rising from his cigarette even in the downpour. "My name is Dominio. And the woman over there—" he gestured lazily, "—is Aurelia."
I remembered him now. The dock. The fish impaled mid-air with a wooden skewer. The aura that made my instincts scream. That was him. Dominio.
The woman—Aurelia—was unfamiliar. An ally, then. She held a wand, smaller than Kora's, more like a magician's prop. A blue cloak hung over black leather armor underneath. Her eyes were fixed on me, calculating.
"So it's a two-on-one." I rubbed the back of my head. "I'm at a disadvantage."
"You seem calm about this." Dominio tilted his head. "Your friend's bleeding out. I'd find bandages if I were you."
"That's the plan." I nodded at Rela's crumpled form. "That's why I'm at a disadvantage. Not because of the numbers."
Dominio's cigarette paused halfway to his lips. "What do you mean?"
"I've been through enough that this feels normal." I pulled my claymore, Lumin already pulsing along its edge. "The problem is protecting her while dealing with you two."
Aurelia didn't wait for more conversation. She thrust her wand forward—five spears of water materialized and shot toward me.
I raised my blade.
There were more moves. Draka taught me more.
Vrikni Barrage.
I slashed wildly, creating a barrier of steel around my body. The water spears shattered against it, spraying in all directions.
My muscles tensed. My senses sharpened. My body felt lighter. My vision shifted—everything turned white, with only silhouettes remaining. Dominio and Aurelia burned red. Rela glowed green.
I lunged at Dominio.
He dodged easily, sliding sideways like water around stone. Aurelia threw a fireball—stronger than Kora's, but slower. I stepped back, let it pass.
Unlike Kora's, her fire was powerful but slow.
I kept moving, using the railing for speed. I pointed my blade at Dominio, Lumin gathering, forming—
"SCREAMING BOAR!"
Wind erupted. The deck splintered behind my charge. Dominio leaped, twisting in mid-air, landing gracefully on the railing above.
His hands dropped toward his daggers.
I turned—
Too late.
Water spears slammed into my chest, throwing me backward. My armor absorbed some of the impact, but the force still rattled my bones.
My instincts screamed. I ducked.
Dominio's blade whistled past, close enough to feel.
"Unlike her, you actually think." He landed on the deck in front of me, grinning. "You'll be harder to kill."
I glanced around. Aurelia behind me. Dominio ahead. Rela beside me, on one knee, black blood weeping from countless cuts.
Surrounded. This was going to be difficult.
I couldn't use Shaman of War. Not yet. It would drain me completely.
I lunged at Aurelia.
She barely had time to react. I grabbed her wand—"W-wait!" she stammered—and yanked her close. Then I slammed her into the deck. Hard.
She gasped. Lost her grip.
I hurled her at Dominio.
Her wand followed a heartbeat later, flung far into the confused crowd of rookies still fighting nearby.
I tore off my ribbon and hoisted Rela onto my back. My legs screamed under the weight. She was heavy. I used the ribbon to tie us together, then ran for the interior.
I glanced back. Dominio stood where I'd left him. Watching. Waiting.
What's his play?
I didn't stop to find out.
I laid Rela on the bed. The same medical bay. The same white sheets. The same silence.
"Stay here." I was already backing away. "Someone will come. They have to."
Rela's hand grabbed mine.
I looked down. Her eyes—usually so fierce, so confident—were soft now. Trembling.
"Thank you." Her voice was slow. Shaking.
I squeezed her hand. "No problem. Just rest. Everything will be okay." I forced a smile. "Just stay strong."
She nodded. Let go.
I left.
Closed the door.
Walked back to the upper deck.
When I emerged, Dominio was waiting. Aurelia lay unconscious at his feet.
"So you do have a heart." I stepped closer.
He lit another cigarette. Flame danced at its tip, defiant against the rain. "She was a useful variable. Why discard a useful tool before it's spent?"
Purple Lumin bled from my claymore. "So you're really a bastard. Should've known."
"In this world, you have to be." He exhaled smoke. "Scavengers need to eat."
My heart raced. This man was dangerous—every inch of him. Presence. Capability. Intelligence. Brute strength wouldn't win this. I needed to think.
"Then what happens," I said slowly, "when a scavenger meets its predator?"
I leveled my blade at him.
His brow furrowed. "A predator?" Smoke curled from his lips. "Confident."
His hand tightened on his dagger. White Lumin pulsed along the blade.
"Your friend's out." I kept my face hard. "No more tricks."
He smiled. "Oh, I still have tricks to show. You just don't know what I'm capable of."
I jumped back, putting distance between us. We circled. I heard every step. Every breath.
Then—
Silence.
I looked down. Blood trickled from my shoulder.
When did—
I used Vrikni Barrage. Slashed at empty air. Nothing.
When I blinked, he was gone.
My senses screamed. I moved—
Just in time. Dominio materialized from nowhere, blade arcing where I'd stood.
"What was that?" I gasped. "Invisibility? Teleportation?"
He leveled his dagger at me, smirking. "I told you. More tricks."
We stood there. Rain falling. Ship creaking. Crowd roaring somewhere far away.
He pointed his blade at me.
"Let's see who has more tricks and techniques. A rogue or a berserker."