Threat By Sea and Air

The steady trot of horses echoed through the sloping alleyways of Luminas, while the declining sun cast golden shadows over the white domes. Rei's ceremonial robes fluttered in the wind, uncomfortable, as he clumsily gripped Ettor's horse's saddle. Beside him, Nessus and Leonoris rode, the boy with the ease of someone born for the saddle.

"We're heading to the port area," Ettor spoke. "It seems the pirates are raiding our merchandise again."

"They landed here?" Rei asked.

"They usually do," Nessus added. "The truth is... we keep the city standing, but not much more than that. We have trained men and faith in the light, but they have explosives, hooks, aerial weaponry, and above all, their twisted smiles. Ugh, that toxic breath makes me want to vomit."

"Toxic breath? Like..." Rei felt like he was floating and could already imagine anything. "Like a dragon?"

"Hey, don't be rude! If you say that to a Drakhanian, they'll take your head off!"

"...What did he just say?"

"What's important is," Ettor interrupted before he could think any further, "you should speak with General Maedros about this. He's the captain of Kounaria's guard, and one of the King's right-hand men. You'll work side by side with him. And with me."

"Maedros..."

"The one who was very serious," Leonoris finally spoke.

"Which one?"

"The one who looked at you very threateningly," Nessus added.

"Which one?"

"The one who could kill you in a second if you raise your voice at him."

"...Which one?"

Despite his 'friendly' encounter with King Conferius, Rei genuinely thought all four were equally terrifying. And now that Ettor had spoken, he visualized four people who could kill him in a second if he raised his voice.

He couldn't think about it much, anyway. When he managed to get a bit more accustomed to the horses' movement, Rei lifted his head toward the blue sky, barely clouded. He was struck by the sight of a large bird that seemed to be the size of a small factory crossing the sky.

They got closer and closer, with Rei not taking his eyes off it. Finally, he noticed that bird had three masts, two propellers, and many deployed sails.

"...Huh?"

The bird was actually a ship. That flew. Rei's mind exploded.

"The pirates fly?!" Rei shouted, between amazed and offended. The horse and Ettor groaned at the sudden movement.

"Uh... yes?" Nessus said, blinking. "What, don't they in your world?"

"What do you mean they don't in my world?!" Rei's eyes bulged out of their sockets. "That's a damn flying ship!"

The horse beside him became agitated, moving restlessly while Nessus and Leonoris looked at him as if he had just said the most absurd thing in the world.

"Ships... fly," Leonoris stated, seemingly not understanding.

"I think you hit yourself pretty hard when you arrived here," Nessus added.

Rei was speechless. The certainty with which they said it threw him off. "What the hell is going on in this place?"

"Nessus, Leonoris, focus," Ettor ordered. "There'll be time to discuss ships later."

"Yes!" they responded in unison. Rei noticed the total respect they held for him.

The city began to change around them. The cobblestone streets gave way to drier terrain, while Luminas's sweet aromas mixed with the salty sea air.

"Hero!" Ettor shouted, playing the role of guide for Rei. "That's the Eastern Wall. On the other side is the port district, and that's where the pirates operate. Everyone stay alert!"

A big wall of light stone rose in front of them. Covered with bright moss. Above, archers watched ready to shoot if needed. At the gate, guards in white tunics and light armor blocked the way. They recognized Ettor and his companions. Let them pass without a word. Opened the doors with respect.

On the other side, the port spread out showing the damage. Looted markets. Broken barrels. Fish trampled in the mud. Same thing every block. Children crying in the distance calling for their mothers. Adults watching the destruction quietly. The houses and shops that used to be colorful and lively were torn down, burned, or cracked. Like nobody had the strength to fix them anymore.

"Shit..." Rei whispered.

As they advanced, he noticed people watching them. Pale faces, worn by worry, looked at him with a mixture of anguish and expectation. Some barely saw him, as if they had lost all faith. Others followed him with their gaze, like someone watching a candle that could go out at any moment.

"Enlightened!" a woman with gray hair tied with a scarf ran toward them, her clothes tattered and hands trembling. "They're at the port! Please, they're taking everything from us!"

"Let's go!" Ettor ordered without hesitation.

The others followed him galloping through alleys full of rubble and leftover goods. They dodged overturned carts, fallen posts, and puddles of murky water. Finally they reached the edge of the docks. The scene was brutal.

Several ships were anchored, some still smoking from recent gunfire. The pirates, dark figures in outlandish clothing, looted the surrounding shops without haste. But what left Rei speechless was finally seeing one of their galleons up close.

It looked like a wooden ship from another era, like those he knew from ancient books in his world, but with long tubes protruding from the rear, and a violet trail at the bottom of the hull that seemed to contaminate the water.

"Ah, of course!" Rei exclaimed with a dry tone, between sarcasm and bewilderment. "Of course this is very normal."

"Please, no! It's all I have!"

A scream tore through the atmosphere.

From his mount, Rei saw a hunched old woman in front of one of the looters. She extended a small velvet-lined box to him with trembling hands. The pirate, with theatrical gesture, slowly opened it, extracted a worn jewel and, without looking at it, threw a stone from the ground in exchange.

The woman caught it by reflex. Silent, she lowered her head, hugging the rock against her chest with pain.

"Ah, that's Drey Malbrine, vice-captain," Nessus pointed with a bitter gesture, clicking his tongue with rage. "He likes spectacle, drama, and humiliation. He's content with humiliating. But we can't do anything. If we're lucky, maybe tomorrow they'll go further north and won't come."

Leonoris, tense as a loaded bow, didn't say a word. Her eyes were fixed on Malbrine, full of contained fury that seemed about to overflow, while Ettor's remained firm, emotionless, as if accustomed.

Rei could barely breathe. He felt helpless. For the first time in that world, fear turned to hate.

"This... is controlled extinction," he told them in a low voice. "They take what they want, play with your people, and leave. And when they get bored... they're going to crush them. There's no point in continuing like this!"

Rei, without realizing it, turned violently toward Nessus and Leonoris.

"We know," Ettor nodded, looking at him subtly over his shoulder. "That's why you're here."

However, Rei couldn't even breathe before seeing another event. A child, no older than six, was trying to lift a fallen box, half-broken, full of bruised fruit. He carried it with effort, twisting his body with all his strength.

A pirate saw him. He walked slowly up to him and, without even looking at him, kicked the box. The wood exploded. The fruit scattered across the ground, and the child fell backward in the mud.

Pirate laughter echoed throughout the port, laughing at the poor boy.

No one moved.

Something exploded inside Rei when he saw that. He saw his siblings in that child, mistreated by adult scum, and couldn't control the fire igniting within him.

"Hold this."

In an instant, Rei had removed his pistol and extended it toward Leonoris by the handle.

Leonoris took it, bewildered.

"This... Why...?"

"Because I don't need it to teach him a lesson," he said, with a determination he had never had before.

He jumped off the horse, causing his companions' bewilderment.

"Rei! Don't move!" Ettor turned instantly.

But Rei was no longer listening. He adjusted his ceremonial cape with Kounaria's colors, which fluttered slightly in the sea breeze. He took a few steps forward, without looking back, completely blinded and unable to reason. After a terrible day, the least he could do was reason. That pirate...

That pirate wasn't going to get away with it.

"Help my people, young man. And you'll be able to return to the one you love most," King Conferius had said.

"Do we need to get these guys out of the way? Then so be it."

It was time for Kashiwa Rei to take on the role of hero.