Surprise

~~~⚔️~~~

Rei had no chance to enjoy the grand view he’d had for just a moment, while falling from the fishing boat onto the pirate brig. His ears went deaf with a thousand loud sounds, his eyes clenched shut from the fierce wind and panic. He felt as though he no longer existed, just like that time when the balance had fallen on his head.

The crash against the pirate brig’s deck jolted Rei back to his senses—and nearly out of them again. The impact left him gasping, arms sprawled across the damp wood. Damp?

He blinked, trying to focus. The deck was wet, as if a downpour had struck the ship. But they were far too high, too far from the clouds. How…

“Now!” Leonoris had shouted as they fell. Now what?

"Are you alright?"

The sharp voice forced Rei to sit up on the floor. He noticed Ettor already standing, as though he had never fallen, while Leonoris tried to push herself up beside him. Their gazes met for an instant—Rei’s wide-eyed and wild.

"No way…"

"Leonoris… you…"

He never finished the thought. A roar dragged him back to reality.

"Kill them!" a pirate bellowed, sword in hand.

Three men, scruffy and scarred, charged at them.

"Rei!" Leonoris’s voice called just as a blade came down on him.

He rolled across the deck, the edge barely grazing his back. Stumbling to his feet, he activated his latest invention: the ratchet grappler.

"Take this!"

The hook shot out, catching on the mast. He yanked the rope and locked it. When one pirate lunged at him, Rei twisted, wrapping the line around his arm. One hard pull, and the man was slammed against the railing, growling in rage.

"One down!" Rei gasped.

The second pirate rushed him immediately. Rei released the ratchet and dropped the rope. The hook snapped back and struck the attacker square in the stomach. The man doubled over, spitting saliva.

"Curse y—"

Ettor, ever composed, stepped forward and finished the job with another blow, then moved on to the third. With his katana still sheathed, he struck the man’s wrist, disarming him, then toppled him with a quick twist of the hilt.

"Secure the helm!" the elder brother commanded.

"On it!"

Rei bolted toward the helm at the stern. A figure wrapped in a heavy coat was trying to speed the brig toward the exclusion zone. If they didn’t stop him, they were dead.

"Turn the ship around, now!"

The helmsman growled, a guttural, animalistic sound that froze Rei’s blood. Rei lunged for the wheel, trying to wrench it away. They wrestled, shoulder to shoulder, until the coat slipped, revealing the creature’s flesh. Their eyes locked.

"...Huh?"

Rei froze. It wasn’t a man. At least, not entirely. Gray fur covered his torso, muscles taut as cables, yellowed fangs flashing when he roared. His amber eyes gleamed with an unnatural light.

"A… werewolf?" Rei stammered, unable to process the sight.

The helmsman seized the moment, swinging a curved cutlass with his free hand. The ship tilted dangerously as he released the wheel, and Rei leapt back.

"Ah!" Leonoris cried, nearly thrown, but Ettor caught her in time. Even the bound pirates looked uneasy at the maneuver.

Rei barely had time to lift his pistol. He didn’t fire—he used it like a hammer, smashing it into the beast’s jaw. The blow staggered him, but didn’t stop him.

"Move!" Ettor flashed in, blade drawn. But the werewolf caught the katana by its edge, bleeding yet unfazed.

The beast pushed back with terrifying strength, muscles straining as though to tear the very deck apart. Ettor held firm, though his feet sank into the wood under the pressure.

Rei knew he had to act.

"Leonoris! Cover me!"

The princess, trembling, conjured a glowing sphere. The orb floated forward and burst into blinding light. The helmsman howled, reeling, his eyes scorched. That instant was enough—Rei fired his grappler, snaring the creature’s leg, and yanked with all his strength. The cable snapped taut, dragging him to the floor.

"Now, Ettor!"

Ettor didn’t hesitate. A sharp strike with the hilt knocked the beast unconscious. The helm wobbled, still tangled in Rei’s grappler, but the ship began to steady.

Rei gasped for air. Arms shaking, chest burning. The adrenaline drained away, leaving only the weight of fear. He had seen the thing up close. Felt its power. A monster that shouldn't exist. And yet he had fought it. His eyes stayed locked on the fallen creature. Shaken to the core.

"What the hell is that thing?!" he yelled to Ettor. His voice broke between rage and disbelief.

Ettor kept his gaze on the helm. Tension carved in his brow. His discipline didn't waver, but a flicker of unease shone in his eyes. He knew, or at least suspected. And didn't want to say.

"We'll talk later!" he snapped. "Turn the ship around, now!"

Rei swallowed hard. Spun back to the helm still bound by his grappler. His fingers ached, but he didn't falter. Released the ratchet. Threw the wheel right. The ship groaned like it might split apart. Rei thought he saw dark shapes moving in the distant sky. Maybe more pirate ships. Maybe just paranoia whispering in his ear. But he had done it, they turned in time, veering clear of the exclusion corridor.

"Good!" Rei shouted, though his voice cracked, hollow of joy. Without pause, he sprinted toward the bow, urgency pushing him.

There, tied to the mast, lay the hostage. Her dark hair clung wet to her face. Leonoris knelt, trembling hands cutting the ropes. When the knots came free, the girl collapsed into her arms like an empty sack.

"She’s alive…" Leonoris whispered thinly, "but…"

Rei knelt beside her. The girl barely breathed, chest rising faintly, eyes shut as if in deep sleep. Not the reaction of someone newly saved.

"Sylve! You’re safe now," Leonoris murmured with a gentleness meant to soothe.

Her eyelids fluttered. Then, suddenly, they flew open, wild panic flooding her gaze.

"W-what? W-where are we? How…?!"

Her voice trembled like a trapped animal. She thrashed, kicking, until Leonoris held her gently, whispering calming words.

"Easy… easy. You’re safe now. We’ll explain everything later."

The princess’s compassion disarmed even Rei, yet his nerves only grew. The water soaking the deck, Leonoris’s impossible magic, the beast he had just fought, and now this girl, terrified even of her rescuers…

"What just happened? We won, but…"

From the fishing boat trailing them, Nessus howled with joy, pulling Rei back from his thoughts.

"You did it!" he roared, voice booming over the wind. "Let’s get this wreck to port!"

Rei raised a thumb in answer, though the gesture was weak—more an act of will than conviction. He forced himself to stand tall at the helm, even as the beast’s memory still roared in his mind. Yes, they had won, but the cost was a soul torn open by unanswerable questions.

"Where the hell am I, really?"

~~~🏴‍☠️~~~

Ettor took the helm with steady hands, checking everything in order. They had bound the four pirates, now awake but disarmed and tied, kept under watch within Rei’s sight. The elder brother stood solemn, though his furrowed brow betrayed the strain. With calculated movements, he began descending the brig toward the harbor.

Rei, still unable to rest, stooped to pick up the weapon he had taken from one of the pirates. A short musket, crude and heavy, but effective. Its barrel rusted at the edges, stock scarred from battles past, yet the inner mechanism intact. He turned it over in his hands, inventor’s eyes studying every part.

"It could be replicated… not so different from a blunderbuss, but the ignition system… yes, if I adapt the powder and auricite…"

He pictured, for an instant, Kounaria’s fishermen wielding such weapons, defending the port with more than nets and hooks. A dangerous idea—but also a spark of hope.

As they neared, they saw the coast crowded with people. Dozens, maybe hundreds, waiting at the pier. But the strange thing wasn’t cheers or applause. It was silence. No one celebrated. No one shouted. They only watched, faces rigid, fearful, as if holding their breath.

"What’s going on?" Leonoris asked, her voice barely audible with unease.

Rei frowned. Something didn’t fit.

Then they saw.

Anchored in the bay, three pirate galleons, black and towering like walls, awaited them. Their banners snapped in the wind, skulls painted red, sails torn like beast’s wings. On their decks, armed silhouettes aimed bows, muskets, and cannons straight at them.

A roar of voices burst from the ships, shattering the silence like thunder.

"Kounarian fools! Return what is ours, or you’ll regret it!" a corsair thundered, his voice amplified by a war horn.

Leonoris went pale, clutching Sylve protectively to her chest, as if she were fragile glass.

"Solaria… help us through this," she whispered, lips moving in a barely audible prayer.

"Damn… they’re pissed," Nessus muttered, his mouth twisting in resignation though his eyes still burned with resolve.

Ettor’s face hardened, brow carved like stone. His hand tightened on his katana. He knew the weight of the decision fell on him, and one wrong step could doom them all.

Well, them in truth.

"Hero," he asked solemnly, "what do we do?"

Rei swallowed hard, clutching the pirate musket with sweaty hands. A shiver ran down his spine, but his mind whirled. Fear was there, yes—but so was fire.

"We won’t hand over the girl, and we won’t let them hurt anyone. Bring the ship down and follow my lead."

Ettor nodded and slowly lowered the ship toward the water. They curved left, aligning themselves into a straight path toward the port.

The hull touched the sea. The real battle was only about to begin.