Battle at the Docks

It was all I could do to keep up with the kraken’s assault of bladed talons flashing darkly through the air around me, attacking from all sides and angles. It had been in a state of blind rage when I had fought it before, and unlike then, its attacks were now varied, including slight feints and unpredictable flourishes, forcing me to rely more upon my reflexes to parry each attack, rather than my intuition. Thankfully, Jensen was also able to keep up with the onslaught, each of us doing our best to hold the creature at bay without harming or killing it. Not that either of us had any opportunity to do anything but guard ourselves anyway. But as the fight wore on, I began to wonder just how long we could prolong it.

I was once again frustrated at my inability to revert back to my dragon form, for fear of the repercussions. I would of course not hesitate if it seemed like I was actually overwhelmed, and as things were, I was able to keep up, if only just barely. The question was, at what point did we decide to forgo our plan for a peaceful resolution? The kraken seemed to have nearly infinite stamina, and the longer we allowed the fight to drag on, the weaker we became. Eventually we would have to make the choice to focus on fighting back instead, and when that time came…we might actually have to kill it.

In the few brief openings I had, I glimpsed Rill and Reigen’s progress out of the corner of my eye. It seemed that some other of the Halcyon’s crew had joined in, and a massive brawl had broken out across the docks as more bandits and crewmembers appeared, adding to the chaos.

Rill flowed through the ranks with ease, deftly knocking aside the enemy's uncoordinated attacks and cracking open skulls, breaking ribs and arms alike with quick counters, her sword barely visible as it flashed from one stance to the next. Reigen followed in her wake, having secured a heavy wooden club which he used to guard her back.

Seeing her nearly effortless handling of the crowd, I felt some of the tension drain from my shoulders. I knew she was unbelievably skilled, but I still worried. All it would take was one mistake…

I gasped as a talon nicked my cheek, having been too distracted in my thoughts to see it in time. I need to focus. She has her battle…and I have mine, I reminded myself, and returned my attention to the monster in front of me.

***

Rill’s mind was devoid of thought as she allowed her body to move on instinct, dancing across the battlefield amidst the dozens of foes that stood in her way. One and all, they fell to her wooden blade as it arced through the air to strike the tiniest of openings, each unrestrained attack crippling whatever it hit. Behind her, there was the occasional wet thump as Reigen’s club slammed into someone’s head.

Eventually, she broke through the defensive perimeter the bandits had formed in front of their leader, Nervin, and emerged into the open space they had left around him. His eyes went wide as he spotted her, and he turned, holding up the defenseless girl in his grasp as if using her bound form as a sort of charm against Rill’s attack.

“Stay back!” he warned, gesturing with the knife he held against Tera’s neck. “I’ll do it, I swear!”

Rill tossed her sword into the dirt in front of her, point-down. As it stuck, she shrugged her bow from her shoulder and levelled an arrow at the man in one, smooth movement. “Put her down and step away!” Rill ordered, holding the fletching to her cheek, “We can still end this without anyone else getting hurt.”

The man jostled the girl, who was bawling through her gag, barely discernable over the surrounding din of battle, but visible in the tears that rolled down her cheeks. Sneering at Rill, he snapped, “It’s too late for that now, and you know it! Besides, you wouldn’t risk hitting her by accident, I’m sure. Now back off! I-I won’t warn you again!”

Rill stared him down, bowstring held taut. Just like her grandmother had taught her many years ago, she slowed her breathing and emptied her mind, honing in upon a single point just beside the man’s shoulder. The frenzied sounds of Reigen fighting off the remaining bandits behind her faded into oblivion, along with everything else in her surroundings. If a week of training with a sword had put her at a level on par with experienced soldiers, then a lifetime of hunting for her meals in the wilderness had honed her skills with the bow to a nearly superhuman level. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind that she would not miss. The question was, should she take the shot?

She considered the bandit leader for a moment. His eyes were wild and bloodshot, a look that reminded Rill of a cornered dog. He needs her to control the monster. I doubt there’s any way he’d actually kill her, but…no, I can’t take any chances here. He knows he doesn’t have a way out of this. If I let things go on for much longer, he might actually do it.

There was no more time for thought. Now was the time for action, and Rill released her arrow along with her next breath, the white feathers brushing against her cheek before streaking through the air to strike true into the man’s right clavicle. He cursed and stumbled backwards, tossing the girl aside and clutching the arrow that now jutted from his chest. But Rill did not hesitate, already having discarded her bow and retrieved her sword from where it stood, rushing forward to launch a follow-up against the stunned bandit leader.

He had been shaken for a few seconds, but came back to his senses just in time, snapping off the wooden shaft and drawing his second dagger, barely managing to parry her blow. He growled as he circled her, looking for an opening, while Rill watched him with interest, sword held in a low guard. He might be an arrogant fool, but he’s no pushover. I guess there’s a reason he’s their leader here in Lakeside.

He picked up on her hesitation, his step gaining a certain swagger to it as he raked a hand through his hair and taunted, “Looks like I underestimated you, especially! I never thought you’d be a threat, let alone the most skilled among your group. But let’s see if you can keep up with me!”

He struck without warning, dropping low and lurching towards her, striking in quick succession with his long, curved daggers. Rill managed to defend herself, but there was no doubt that he was much stronger than her, physically. Each blow rattled her skull and staggered her out of her stance, very nearly sending her sprawling to the ground. What was more, the man did not let up, pressing his assault as she vainly brought up her blade, only to be driven back down once more.

Rill gritted her teeth as she tried to focus on parrying the attacks instead of blocking them head-on, but the force of every hit was strong enough to almost break through her gradually weakening attempts and ruin any opportunities she might have had to follow up. Her arms already ached as each impact reverberated through the solid grip of her improvised blade, which provided little in the way of padding . He’s not inhumanly strong like Leo and Jensen, but he’s definitely a threat! I can’t…I can’t keep taking hits like this! A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead as she realized that she was outmatched, and she could already feel herself growing weaker, less able to recover after each successive strike.

Then, he surprised her by throwing all of his might behind both of his blades at once, a full-bodied attack that caught her just as she had been knocked off-balance. Rill brought her sword up into a hasty side guard, but it was not enough, and she grunted as the force of the attack drove her own blade into her flank. She flopped onto the dirt, stunned and unable to defend as the man grinned triumphantly and raised his daggers for a lethal downward stab; a killing blow.

Just in time, Reigen appeared behind him, driving his wooden club directly into the side of the man’s face with a blow strong enough to shatter the bat with a loud CRACK! Nervin went limp and instantly crumpled, and Reigen regarded his broken bludgeon for a moment before tossing it aside and spitting on the man’s body, muttering breathlessly, “Been itching to do that for months. Bastard.”

He held out a hand to help Rill to her feet, and she took a moment to gather herself before accepting his offer. “Thanks,” she breathed, regarding the motionless form of Nervin for a moment, “if you hadn’t showed up when you did…”

He grunted, shrugging off her gratitude as he scanned the battlefield. Rill followed his gaze, to see that most of the bandits had been dealt with, and now only a few were left vainly struggling against the overwhelming force of the Halcyon’s crew. Off to the side, the commotion of Leo and Jensen’s battle continued, jolting Rill back into action.

She turned to where the girl had fallen, grabbing one of Nervin’s discarded daggers and hurriedly cutting through the rope bonds, pulling the crude gag out of her mouth only for the girl to start wailing loudly, jumping upon Rill and hugging her tightly. She exchanged a look with Reigen, unsure of how to respond to the interaction.

Ugh, I’m really not good with this sort of thing! She thought as she awkwardly patted the girl’s back, muttering some half-hearted reassurances that she was safe now. But, there’s no time to waste! It’s already impressive that those two have held out for as long as they have. There’s no telling how much longer they can last.

Rill gently grabbed Tera by the shoulders and held her at arms’ length, looking her in the eyes before saying, “I know a lot has happened, but I need you to focus, okay?” Gesturing to where Leo and Jensen still fought, she continued, “Those two are doing their best to keep anyone else from getting hurt, but you’re the only one who can put a stop to this. We need you to calm it down. Can you do that?”

The girl sniffled, searching Rill’s face unsurely before mumbling, “I-I’ll try.”

Rill nodded, rising and leading the girl closer to where the three were waging their secluded war. There, she said, “Go ahead, you don’t need to be scared anymore. I’m right here.”

The girl’s hand tightened around Rill’s as she screamed, as loudly as her young voice could manage, “Stop!”

Instantly, the flashing talons paused in midair, inches away from Leo and Jensen, whom both held their blades at the ready, warily eyeing up the trembling scythes. The girl took a half-step forward and added shakily, “That’s enough. Please stop fighting! The bad people are all gone, now.”

The kraken let out a shuddering rumble and slowly lowered its tentacles, and to Rill’s shock, shuffled straight towards where she stood with Tera! It stopped just in front of them and made a cooing noise at the girl, all four of its beady eyes focusing on her. Tera let go of Rill’s hand and jumped forward to nestle up against the creature’s thick, coarse fur, whispering, “It’s okay. No one’s going to hurt us anymore.”

Rill could not help but smile at the scene, as Leo and Jensen hobbled over to join. Both of them were covered in fresh wounds, but thankfully it appeared none were serious. She grinned as Leo shot her a weary smirk, and Jensen knelt down beside the girl, his eyes remaining untrustingly upon the kraken as he handed her a small glass bottle.

As she took it, he explained, “Tera, this is an extremely rare artifact called a fishbowl. I’ve modified it to contain a perfect habitat for your friend, here. With this, you can carry him around at all times, and only let him out when you decide to do so. It will be better for him, and will finally resolve the issues with the lake.”

We watched as Jensen showed her how to use the strange device to contain the kraken, its form glowing and twisting, shrinking as it was sucked into the tiny vessel.

With that, a weary silence descended over the battlefield. All that was left to do now was to decide what would happen next.