Battle on The Docks

Daylight was approaching. Renji had nodded off to sleep a few times, exhaustion winning over the stress of his kidnapping. Much the same was said for Mariel, who had fallen unconscious against him, finding a much deeper sleep to escape to as they awaited their fate. He could still smell the salt water of whatever beach was nearby, but if he focused, he could occasionally hear footsteps from outside. There was civilian foot traffic around, and he was sure of this because of the inane conversations he could hear on the other side of the door. His only clue that morning was coming was the bottom of the only door to this place; the single, wooden gate that denied their escape. The rest of the kidnappers had gone idle, but one of them had departed some time ago to inform whoever had hired them of their success. It wouldn’t be long, Renji assumed, before the window of opportunity he needed appeared before him. He’d only get one chance.

“Oy, we need to get moving.” One of them burst in through the front door, not panicked, but definitely agitated. “Their hounds are out and sniffing about. If we stick around any longer, they’ll have our scent soon.” Throwing what appeared to be burlap sacks at first glance at two of his men, they were instructed to put them on over the two captives. Once worn, they reminded Renji of monastic robes, though they concealed the bindings on his and Mariel’s hands. He hadn’t made a move yet. That there were guards looking for them was a good sign, all he’d need to do was make some noise at the right time, and they’d be saved, but if he wasn’t careful he feared that thugs like this might cut and run should he try anything.

This was the first time Renji had seen the streets of Aldelthorne City. The streets were well-kept, and there were flowers adorning the main roads and the surrounding buildings. The people seemed pleasant, happy, perhaps ignorant—though blissfully so. It was there that he finally saw the sheer variety of people that inhabited this area. It was rare for anyone to look alike; the sheer variety of beastmen, humans, and other humanoids had left him momentarily stunned. However, a rough push from his captor had torn him away from his fascinations. That was right, he wasn’t free, not yet at least. Though, as the two captives were escorted closer to the harbor, the Outworlder wondered if any of the people around them would help if they discovered the truth hidden just beneath his robes. Illya certainly didn’t seem to take kindly to his attempt to reach out when they first met, and with only one person as reference, it wasn’t clear enough whether this was the norm or not. No, he’d have to rely on himself.

Walking along the cliffside facing the harbor, Renji waited for his opportunity. They hadn’t gagged him—it’d be too obvious. Though, he recalled that they had discussed selling Mariel before. Was slavery illegal in this country, or perhaps he misjudged what they had intended for her? As much as it churned his stomach to have such thoughts, it was at least another tool he could use to try and escape. Seeing two guards up ahead, walking with halberds and speaking casually with one another, he couldn’t help but notice just how close to the right edge that some of his captors had gotten. Taking a deep breath, he decided it was now or never. Stepping beside the captor in front of him, he threw his weight hard into the thug’s left side, pushing him down the steep hill and away from them.

“What’re you—” All eyes were on him now. He drew a deep breath into his lungs as he got ready to shout, but he had to pick his words carefully. If he couldn’t spur the guards into action, then he and Mariel were doomed. His mind rushed to think of just what would get them the most help within this fraction of a second. “Help! They’re followers of The Dark Lo—” A sudden impact on the back of his head stopped him from speaking as he fell forward, barely catching himself. The big one from earlier was behind him, grabbing his right shoulder roughly. “Shut yer trap!!” Pushing back against the big man, it gave Mariel the window of opportunity to run to the two guards. The other two kidnappers chased behind her, but that was enough to alert the guards to what was going on. They readied their weapons, and the battle between the kidnappers and the two unprepared guards had begun. “That’s enough!”

A familiar voice, one that Renji was afraid to hear. Illyandaril Rose stood atop the hill, ready to fight. As he was grappling, and he felt the cold bite of steel on his neck, the trap that was set had begun to unfold before his eyes. He wasn’t the target; Illya was. By using him, they had planned to get to her. “Drop your weapon, lass, or I’ll cut this one open.” A simple threat, one that he had no doubt he intended to make good on. “Don’t do it,” he thought, unable to speak, “he’ll just kill me anyway.”

The war of emotions on Illya’s face was clear to see. Her eyes locked with Renji’s, and every part of him screamed at her not to listen to the lizardman holding him, but her hands were tied. Dropping her axe, Illya hesitantly lifted her hands into the air. “Now, release him.” Renji couldn’t believe it. The woman he thought hated him was exposing herself to harm for his sake. Never mind the fact that she was a princess, surely, he thought, she’d know her life was far more important than his? He could feel the blade tighten on his neck, but then it slackened. “I don’t believe you.” Renji’s eyes darted to the right, one of the kidnappers came back, cuffs at the ready. “Bind her.”

“Fight back!!” Renji shouted before pushing back against the lizardman with strength he didn’t know he had, pushing them both off the path and down a hill so steep it might as well have been a cliff. He could hear Illya shout his name just barely as he tumbled down the cliffside, the lizardman’s fury momentarily halted only by the collision on the rough stones. Their rolling only stopped when they were at the docks. People scattered as the lizardman readied his claws. Grabbing a nearby harpoon, Renji squared up against the lizardman, but he had a sudden, awful premonition. Moving to the right as fast as he could, he raised the harpoon to narrowly evade what may have been a lethal blow. He evaded the first blade, and the second stabbed clean into the harpoon. The smaller man with two daggers must have followed him down the hill.

His attacker pulled the dagger free from the wooden shaft of the harpoon with a powerful kick to Renji’s gut, and began to rush him with the lizardman. With speed and power, the two assailants played well off of one another, striking Renji where he was weakest, while the other either tried to create openings, or overwhelm him. Step after step, he was forced to retreat, barely able to keep up, but despite an intelligent defense, he was unharmed thus far, as if he knew exactly where to put the harpoon—even when he didn’t see where the attack was coming from.

However, a light from above distracted each combatant momentarily. A ball of flame had appeared above them, a single beam of heat erupting from it, aimed straight into the middle of where they were battling. Renji assumed it was another attacker and evaded as best as he could. Even as the docks became engulfed in flame, the lizardman didn’t give up. When the second beam struck down, the beast of a man charged forward, grabbing Renji by the shoulders and plunging them both into the waters below. He could have thrust the harpoon into the lizardman’s chest if he wanted, but something stopped him. He may not be human, but if he did this, he’d still be taking a life. Even though his own was in danger, the most human side of Renji stayed his hand, not wanting to take his first life, but as the life was being choked out of him, the Outworlder faced little choice.

The lizardman seemed comfortable enough under the water. Uninhibited by the deep blue brine, his hands clasped around Renji’s neck, slamming him down on the rocky bottom repeatedly. If he didn’t act, he was going to die. Closing his eyes, Renji pushed his arms forward as hard as he could, driving the harpoon into the gut of his attacker, but it did little to stop him. “I will not allow it,” a voice in the back of his mind called. Tiamat. “Renji, it is too early for you, but you must try. The aether you absorbed earlier is still within you. Find it, and release it in front of you, if you don’t…” She didn’t finish. He didn’t know if her voice was a hallucination or real, but the fact remained that he was about to die if things kept on like this.

Keeping his eyes closed, he searched for that feeling he felt earlier; the absolute power that shrouded his body for that brief moment when aether first entered it. Consciousness began to fade, time was up. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he finally found it. Mustering up all he could, he focused his mind and pushed forward. A multicolored eruption thrust from Renji’s chest, throwing the lizardman off of him, but the lizardman’s clawed grip ripped into his neck as he was blasted far away from him.

Thrown out of the water, those above the docks saw a sudden gush of water throw the lizardman far away, nearly out of sight. Renji, however, couldn’t move. His strength was spent, and he could feel water begin to fill his lungs. Well, he did it, but despite having lost one life already, it looked like he was about to face real death. At least his death wouldn’t inconvenience anyone, he thought. As his eyes closed one last time, he could feel his body moving. He wondered if perhaps it was the feeling of passing on, but thought ceased as all went dark.