Lark Against All Odds

“Yaharhar~ Now that’s the fighting spirit I was waiting for. Show me what you’ve got, Otherworlder.”

I managed to take a single step forward before he lifted his ringed hand. A spell sigil appeared in front of him as he spoke.

“Arise.”

The ship screeched with rattling as bones began to form from below the wooden gratings. The bones twisted and assembled into further skeletons bearing an array of swords, spears and bows. Unlike the captain, these skeletons adorned no fancy clothing or jewels.

“Kill the crew,” the Administrator X instructed.

The skeletons advanced silently toward me and my crew.

“So you call out your spell names. That’s a surprise.” I replied, blocking a strike from one of the sword-wielding undead. Pippa went zig-zagging between the legs of the skeletons. At least that was one less person I had to worry about. I glanced over to my crew. They were being left alone by the skeletons for now, so I continued to focus my attention on the ones in front of me.

“Is that uncommon in this era? They must be fools.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because names hold power. That’s why it’s important to invoke a spell name. It gives it far more power.”

I cast a sideways glance toward my crew and saw one of the skeleton spearmen moving towards Elora. I tried to head them off, but at the last minute, it lunged forward towards her. The spear pierced my stomach, narrowly missing the wound inflicted by Ivan.

I turned and used my cutlass-wielding hand to punch the skeleton. I could feel the crunch under my fist as its head shattered into bone fragments. The remaining bones of the creature collapsed unmoving.

“You’re foolish trying to protect them. You can’t even protect yourself.”

“Maybe so.” I pulled the spear from my body. “But I won’t let you land even one attack against them. Even if I die, I’ll take you down with me.” I threw the blood-covered spear to the ground.

“Yarharhar~ Then prove it. Stand down, crew,” he instructed, and the skeletons stepped backwards and positioned themselves around the gunwale. As they fell into formation, I felt the weight of our hopeless odds. There had to be around a hundred of them.

I watched him as he stood still, weaponless. He didn’t show even the slightest bit of resistance. I knew this might be the only shot I had to take him down. As cowardly as it was, I knew I couldn’t let this opportunity pass. I charged him, blade in hand.

If there was a vulnerable point, it had to be his hand. If his treasure were so powerful, then going straight for that arm would be my best bet. I expected him to block or something, but he remained perfectly still.

He didn’t even flinch as I brought my blade down on his arm at full strength. In fact, it was I who flinched. I had expected to meet some resistance, but it felt more like hitting a brick wall. Pain shot through my arm as the blade bounced off him.

I staggered back a few steps as he let out a sigh.

“Lad, do you really think you’d be able to slice through my arm with a measly attack like that?”

“It’s worked against all my enemies so far.”

“Are you suggesting that you believe a pathetic attack like that would have defeated me? How miserable. I had hoped more from you.”

He took one slow step forward and then vanished. The next thing I knew, his bony hand had gripped my face. It felt as if my skull would be crushed under his grasp.

“I’m not some low-level adventurer. My stats alone mean you can’t hope to penetrate my defence. I’m the former Administrator, the Accursed pirate X.”

He flicked his wrist, and I went flying backwards into the wooden barrels along the deck. The impact was followed by a series of sharp cracks. However, I couldn’t tell if the sound came from the barrels splintering or my own bones breaking.

The sharp pain and my ragged wheezing as I tried to breathe suggested it was, unfortunately, likely the latter.

“I have to say I am disappointed in you. You spoke a big game, but at the end of the day, you are nothing.”

Before I could offer a reply or even regain my breath, he vanished once more and reappeared next to me. His leg whipped through the air, slamming into my already broken ribs, sending me tumbling across the deck, only stopping once I hit the mast.

“You said you would kill me, yet you haven’t even inflicted a wound on me. You said you would defend your crew, but how can you when you are this weak?”

He walked over slowly, allowing me just enough time to catch my breath. Somehow, I had managed to hold onto my blade. Exhausted, I felt the wounds Pippa had patched begin to bleed again.

I stabbed the deck and used my blade to prop myself up. As he walked forward, I swung my blade, missing him. I followed with a backslash aimed at his ribs. If he was going to break mine, I at least had to break his back. Unfortunately, much like with his arm, the blade once again bounced off his tough frame.

He reached forward, grasping my neck. I could feel the pressure of his hand as he squeezed it tightly. I flung my blade at him, trying to break free, but he swatted it with his other hand, sending it rattling across the deck.

“You fought hard, as frivolous as it was, but now you are unarmed. What are you going to do now?”

I began to laugh. Perhaps I’d finally tipped into madness, or maybe I was just too stubborn to refuse defeat.

“I may not have a blade, but you shouldn’t underestimate me.”

I lunged with my left arm, driving the hook toward his neck. Unlike my attacks with my sword, I had more control over the hook.

His mouth wavered for only a moment in surprise as the hook struck at a joint in his neck.

The head lifted slightly as my hook continued through the joint, and then it lifted slightly more before severing completely. The head of the Accursed pirate, the Administrator, known as X, flew off and landed with a thud on the deck of the Ravager.

▪──── X ────▪

End of chapter 25