ã€ŠStranded In Drowned World [Dark Fantasy]ã€‹


 1.1 The Fall

    The sound of tower bells echoed through the city as more of them began banging to warn the citizens. People were running toward the mountain, away from the city¡¯s port. From the sea to the mountain there were four walls and the guards slowly closed the gates after people entered the next ring of the city.

    The city guards moved through the streets, seeking any lost people who would be directed toward the mountain where the shelter lay. To the confused people, they shouted, ¡°Tide! The tides are coming!¡±

    A man in dark blue robes stood up on the box so everyone would see him. ¡°Gods are punishing us!¡± He shouted as he took off the cloak, revealing a bald head with eyes painted with white dye on his tanned head. ¡°Do not fear as this is judgment from the seas! Those who accept the punishment will be welcomed in heaven as they understand their sins!¡±

    People were in a rush and panic but a few people stopped for a moment or took a look at the man. There was no time for them to listen to the talk of a madman while their lives were at stake.

    The guard in a red uniform and blue coat grabbed the man and forcefully brought him down to the ground. ¡°The world was drowned for a reason!¡± Shouted the madman as he was pressed to the ground by the guard.

    ¡°Shut it!¡± Shouted the guard as he used the butt of his musket to knock out the man. Once the man was unconscious he grabbed his black tricorn hat that fell to the ground when he subdued the madman

    The guard dragged the man to the side and continued controlling the rushed and confused crowd. On the side of the mountain, there were five gates. Guards moved the citizens into the shelters inside. One of the gates was being closed as the shelter was full. On the outside, they looked the same but inside each one was different. The shelter that was closed was reserved for the richest as they paid quite a sum to build those shelters and they paid for a spot inside.

    Even though the cataclysm was coming their shelter was built like it was a royal banquet and they met there to feast while people in other shelters were trembling in fear, hoping that the tide wouldn¡¯t reach them.

    Soldiers in dark and gold uniforms lined up on the walls with their muskets aimed at the shore. Dark metal helmets on their heads reflected the last red light from the distant sun.

    The more to the side of the walls between the soldiers stood people in leather armor with metal plates. Each one of them had a musket but of a different build. The only thing they shared with each other was a mark painted on part of their armor. Crossed muskets painted with orange paint.

    Under the wall behind the gates other soldiers and hired guns stood there, waiting for the possible breach. Between them stood people with silver armor and teal cloaks. They on the other hand didn¡¯t have guns like the soldiers or hired guns. Each one of them had a different melee weapon like swords, spears, and axes. On their teal capes was a symbol of the orange sun rising from the horizon.

    Before the sun could even set a fog rose from the water and a cold breeze brushed their face with the salty smell of the sea. The officers signaled the soldiers and all of them aimed their muskets at the water. Once it got darker the foam by the shore glowed in blue light and a strong stench of dead fish was moved by the wind. The water began to boil and the first creature appeared from it.

    It looked like a human covered in barnacles but its body was partially rotten with visible bones, the clothes were torn or the barnacles grew over them. As its head stuck out of the water the first bullet was fired. A man with a musket that had an optical attached to it announced to his fellow hired guns ¡°That¡¯s one credit for me.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    The water began to boil in more places and more of the creatures covered in barnacles appeared. Some of them had a swordfish skull instead of their hands.

    At first, only the hired guns set fire to the sea creatures but when more of them appeared the officers gave the command ¡°Fire!¡± and rows of soldiers pulled the triggers killing hundred monsters with a salvo of missiles the stench of smoke from the muskets moved toward the city, carried by the wind from the sea mixing two horrible stenches into one.

    By the officer stood a young man also wearing a soldier¡¯s uniform but he didn¡¯t wear a helmet and had a flintlock by his belt. His duty was to deliver messages from the officers if necessary.

    ¡°Seems like a usual tide. Barnacles and that¡¯s all. Getting mercenaries and Order Of Tomorrow seems like a stretch.¡± Stated a young man.

    ¡°It may seem like that but there was an omen. Ten times more foam than usual was gathered within a week. This is just the first wave. Something big is coming¡­¡± Answered the officer as he searched for unusual creatures.

    Between the barnacles appeared a new creature¡ªa massive dark blue turtle with empty eyes. It was as tall as three men and the muskets had no effect on it.

    ¡°Prepare the cannons!¡± Ordered an officer and to his side of the wall appeared four cannons. ¡°Fire!¡± On his signal, all four cannons shot at the turtle leaving a dead shell with holes inside, splattering blue liquid around the stone ground of the port.

    More turtles appeared forcing the cannoneers to reload the cannons constantly. Many dead shells were left on the ground, making the barnacles walk over them.

    Suddenly the water erupted near the port like a geyser and a loud roar accompanied it. The fifteen-foot-tall creature emerged from the sea, looking like a shark with a bit of a humanoid shape and a turtle shell on its back like armor. A few ribs stuck out from the front of the shell. In its hand, it held an anchor that had a chain attached to it.

    The creature let out another roar that showed his teeth which were more of them compared to a normal shark, as if it had three lines of them one in front of another.

    ¡°Anchor has emerged!¡± Shouted one soldier as he observed the monster with terror in his eyes.

    Before the officer could even give a command one cannon shot at the monster with an anchor. The steel ball hit it in the chest only forcing it to take one step back. The beast got angered and began running.

    The officer grabbed the soldier who fired at the monster by the collar and screamed at him ¡°You fool! Aim for its head!¡±

    As the monster was running it picked up an empty shell and threw it at the wall, destroying the cannon that shot it. The young man helped the officer stand back up after falling to the ground.

    Once the officer looked up and saw another flying shell but this time it wasn¡¯t empty. Barnacles were inside them and two of them fell out, hitting the tower and dying.

    ¡°Watch out!¡± Shouted one of the soldiers who was standing behind the wall, warning everyone about the falling shell.

    The people scattered around to avoid the falling shells. The barnacles began walking out of the shell, forcing the soldiers and hired guns to set first fire in the city.

    ¡°Looks like they are slowly breaching through the wall.¡± A young woman in silver armor stated. Her blond braid fell against the teal cape. To her belt, she had attached one short sword and a dagger both of them with teal wrappings on their handles.

    She was grabbed gently by the shoulder, forcing her silver eyes to turn toward the person. It was a man in silver armor and a teal cape like hers. He was a head taller than her with wide shoulders making him look even bigger than he already is. His hair was slightly darker than his tanned skin with a beard stretching from one side to another. His hair was cut short, barely stretching half his forehead.

    ¡°Let us see tomorrow¡¯s sun.¡± Said the man as he got closer to the woman.

    The woman pressed her forehead against his and both of them closed their eyes. ¡°Let us see tomorrow¡¯s sun. My love¡­¡± She whispered back and grabbed the man¡¯s cheek for a second before letting him go.

 1.2 The Fall

    The young woman took out her weapons once she heard the falling rubble, looking back she saw part of the wall slowly collapsing, soldiers falling and getting crushed by the stone bricks.

    The tanned man stepped forward from the group of silver-armored warriors. ¡°Order Of Tomorrow! When the sun isn¡¯t in the sky to protect the people of this world it is our duty to protect the people from the Tides! Let us see tomorrow¡¯s sun!¡± The man spoke as the leader of their group and took out his long sword which slowly got enveloped in flames and the warriors stomped one foot against the ground and pressed their hands against their chest.

    All of them took out their weapons and awaited the monsters that were behind the unstable wall. The cannons were still firing but there were only a few of them. Some of the monsters were able to climb up the wall and slow down the firing.

    An anchor fell to the other side of the wall, something was pulling the chain attached to it and with one sharp move the wall had been breached and the barnacles began pouring into the city. The muskets weren¡¯t able to keep up with the numbers and some of the soldiers were forced to take out their sabers.

    At that moment the Order Of Tomorrow began its charge, swords, spears, and hammers alike were swung to kill those monsters. The barnacles weren¡¯t strong but they were many. A single soldier was able to fend off two barnacles but with so many of them, they were outnumbered and brutally killed. Those who ended up facing the ones with swordfish¡¯s skull instead of their hands met the swiftest end. While the ones with normal hands scratched and tore the flesh, leaving the soldiers in agony.

    ¡°Help! Help me!¡± Shouted the soldier as he was pinned against the wall with eight barnacles reaching for his flesh.

    With a whistle of the wind, all of their heads were cut off, blue blood squirted out of their bodies as they fell prone to the ground. Once the soldier opened his eyes he saw a young woman in silver armor, hand extended to help him stand back up.

    ¡°Tha- Thank you¡­¡± Said the soldier as she helped him stand up, his whole body was shaking and cold sweat was shining on his neck.

    ¡°Fall back to the second wall. We¡¯re going to slow down. Go!¡± Said the woman as she rushed the man.

    The soldier took his musket and ran away toward the group of musketeers. The woman looked around for other soldiers in need as it was her biggest priority, to save people. The gust of wind picked up the speed around her feet and she dashed forward with unbelievable speed, cutting down more of those monsters on her path.

    A massive hand with claws went through the gap in the wall and pulled, making the gap wider and revealing the shark¡¯s head hidden behind the wall. It disappeared for a moment only to destroy the bricks and send them flying into the city. Many didn¡¯t expect an attack like that and got killed by the flying rubble.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it!¡± Shouted the man with a flaming longsword as he ran toward the gap in the wall, swiftly cutting down or burning the barnacles on his path.

    The monster grabbed the anchor by the chain and spun it above its head, preparing an attack that would destroy buildings on its path and kill many soldiers.

    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t!¡± The leader of the group grabbed rubble from the ground and threw it at the creature while whispering ¡°Gate, open.¡± The rocks flew like they were thrown with a catapult and once they hit the shark-like creature they exploded. The anchor fell down but the creature looked unscathed.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be your opponent!¡± The man shouted as he pointed the flaming sword upward and with both hands on the handle he placed it near his chest.

    The monster hit the ground with both of its hands, making the barnacles around it stumble and fall to the ground. Then he let out a roar that shook the bones of the soldiers but the leader of Order Of Tomorrow held strong and didn¡¯t budge.

    The man only watched as the monster rose an anchor and let it fall at him, he only spread his legs wider and prepared for a block. As the anchor hit the sword the ground cracked but he held strong.

    ¡°Gate, open. Eruption!¡± As the man shouted that the flames from his sword exploded and repelled the anchor upward. The monster was holding the weapon as it flew above its head and behind it, making the creature fall to the ground.

    As it tried to stand back up the man jumped on its chest and plunged his sword into the monster¡¯s throat. The massive hand was moving to grab him but he was the first to make a move and shouted ¡°Erupt!¡± the flames that were inside the monster exploded and destroyed its whole head.

    At the last wall stood a general with a black and gold uniform and coat in the same colors. On his chest, he had three medals that were given to him after his successful defenses of other strong tides. He observed the battle through a telescope and saw the Anchor¡¯s defeat.

    ¡°It was a good call to pay for the service of Order Of Tomorrow. The squad captain easily defeated an anchor. Even if more of them arrive I know he can handle them.¡± Said the general out loud.

    He stood near the tower where other officers did their work and documented what they saw on the battlefield. One of the officers stood in the doorway to the tower and heard the general.

    He was an older man who had a few grey hairs on his head. ¡°That man can handle strong opponents but there is another outstanding member.¡± The officer approached the general and lifted his telescope so he could look through it and directed his view toward the main street. ¡°The squad vice-captain is butchering the barnacles. She has already killed more than a hundred of them.¡± The officer explained as the general observed the woman with a sword and a dagger dash through a group of monsters and cutting them all up with swift and fast moves of the blades.

    ¡°Brilliant. But they won¡¯t be able to fight forever.¡± Said the general as he stopped looking through the telescope, a bit of worry slipping onto his face.

    A messenger ran up to the general, he was breathing heavily as he had to sprint but he had enough strength to salute to the general. ¡°Sir. The first wall has fallen. All the survivors retreated to the second wall.¡± Reported the young messenger with a bit of blood on his arm.

    The general thought for a moment about his next moves. ¡°Go see a medic.¡± He patted the messenger on the shoulder and moved to the outskirts of the wall. ¡°Prepare the catapults! Aim behind the first wall! Signal for retreat to the second wall!¡± The general shouted and the soldiers placed rocks on the catapults and poured dark oil on them.

    The bell began to ring with a repeated rhythm of two fast rings and one after a short delay. The soldiers heard the signal and fell back to the second wall. ¡°To the second wall! The catapults are being fired! Fall back!¡± The soldiers informed the rest of the people as they ran.

    The man in silver armor with a flaming sword was fighting near the war, the woman with a sword and a dagger heard the soldier¡¯s orders but before obeying them she looked out for him. She ran up straight to him in the blink of an eye, this time not wasting time to attack the monsters.

    ¡°Taizen! We have to fall back! Orders from the top.¡± She said as she stood behind the man, all the monsters were focused on him but he managed them without any problem.

    ¡°Got it. See you by the wall, Navia.¡± Taizen said as his sword went through barnacle¡¯s chest and set it on fire.

    She only nodded at his answer but there were worries on her face. Navia knew very well that Taizen could take care of himself on the battlefield but the warning from Beronian¡¯s general about the strength of this Tide made her anxious. She took one last look at Taizen who was slowly backing as he killed the upcoming barnacles and in a blink, she disappeared.

 1.3 The Fall

    The last ring of the bell was much longer and that was the last signal. ¡°Fire!¡± Shouted the general. Before catapulting the rocks they lit the oil on fire and then the levers were pulled. The fire rocks flew above the city, many of them flew behind the wall, crushing the emerging monsters and setting the ground on fire to slow them down. One projectile hit the remaining tower of the first wall making it collapse toward the city.

    Navia saw as the tower began to fall and she could see where it was about to land, right in the place where Taizen was standing. ¡°Taizen! Look out!¡± She shouted as she ran toward him but the tower fell faster than she ran. Navia froze in place once the tower hit the ground, a cloud of dust was pushed toward the second wall, partially obscuring the vision.

    She saw a shadow running toward her. ¡°Taizen¡­ Are you okay?¡± Navia asked, looking at her comrade slowly moving toward her. Once they got close she saw something off about the silhouette. It wasn¡¯t Taizen, it was a barnacle with a swordfish¡¯s skull. It raised its arm and swung it at Navia who had her guard down, thinking it was someone else.

    As she was about to raise her weapons to try and block the attack the barnacle stopped moving as its head was cut off. ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± Answered Taizen, standing behind the monster¡¯s corpse, he pushed it to the side and turned Navia around. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving before they fire another round.¡±

    They were walking away toward the wall that was only visible above the cloud of dust. They knew they were close to the wall and could slowly see other soldiers by the wall. Taizen noticed that the soldiers raised their muskets and aimed them toward them.

    ¡°Don¡¯t shoot!¡± He shouted and waved his arm so they would know that he was not a monster.

    Even though he warned the soldiers they fired toward them but the bullets flew above them. He heard that they hit something close but before he could even turn around he was pushed away and he heard a blade cutting through armor and flesh.

    He could only see the silhouette of a seven-foot creature made of a human skeleton with a piranha¡¯s head and some source of light in front of its face. It held something like a spear with a very long blade that had gashes. He could hear a liquid dripping down to the ground and see a body on the spear above the monster¡¯s head. He didn¡¯t have to see the face of that person to know who it was.

    ¡°Navia!!!¡± He shouted out with all the air he had in his lungs, tears slowly appearing in his eyes. As if on command the creature swung its weapon to the side and threw the dead body into the wall of a nearby building. With that swing, it pushed the cloud away and revealed itself.

    It was mainly built out of bones with few muscle fibers left, visible between the bones. Algae hung from its body and the sea water was still dripping from it. It was a tall creature with thin limbs except for the head which was almost wider than its body, the skull of an anglerfish with the bulb of light left, hanging from the muscle fibers attached to the skull. Its weapon was a long harpoon with gashes in the blade to tear the flesh of its opponent. The way it stood it looked like it was going to collapse at any second, with two legs barely standing straight and the rest of the body kept straight only because they were attached to the hips.

    The soldiers froze in place at the sight of this horrifying creature and how effortlessly it killed the woman from Order Of Tomorrow which was known for having strong warriors. They all saw how strong she was but the image of strength was burned and replaced by this monster.

    The smell of iron in the air brought Taizen back, he stood back up but his legs were shaking, and the tears fell down to the stone path. His legs were shaking because of guilt, not fear. He tightened the grip on his sword and raised it to his chest.

    ¡°You¡¯ll pay for this!¡± He shouted as his sword was once again enveloped in flames. He ran to the monster that was much taller than him. Taizen swung his sword before he could even reach the creature but he wasn¡¯t aiming for it but the ground under it. ¡°Gate, OPEN!¡± The rubble flew at the monster and exploded on the impact with its body.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    The smoke from the explosion obscured the vision but Taizen knew that the creature survived this attack. He took a wide swing with his longsword in the direction where the monster previously stood. His blade stopped as it hit something with a loud clunk but once the smoke fell down he saw that his attack was stopped. The monster tilted its body to the other side and blocked the sword with its harpoon.

    ¡°Gate, open. Erupt!¡± Shouted Taizen and the flames on his sword exploded pushing his sword back. He used that momentum for the swing from the other side but his sword was blocked once again, the creature didn¡¯t budge from the explosion its head only turned a bit as it watched Taizen¡¯s movement.

    The warrior wanted to try another approach of attack but as he raised his sword to strike he saw the blade of a harpoon close to his face. In a second he flew between the soldiers and hit the wall, making a crack in the place he hit.

    The soldiers watched as Taizen hit the ground and then a scream cut the silence, turning around they saw the creature dashing from one soldier to another cutting them down. The first man lost his head, the second both of his arms, and then his head was bitten off.

    ¡°Fire! Fire at it!¡± The soldier desperately shouted before his scream was cut short by a harpoon. Two halves of his body slammed to the ground and the rest began to panic. Some soldiers shot at the monster while others ran away in fear.

    The officer on the second wall had light blue skin and his pupils were of a red color. He noticed that the creature was much stronger than anything he had seen. ¡°Cannons! Fire the cannons!¡± The officer shouted in panic as he feared that after those soldiers he would be next. Once they brought the cannons he moved closer to a tower where he could run and escape to the third wall.

    The soldiers rushed to load the cannons and two of them fired without waiting for the rest. With the explosive sound, the monster stopped chasing the soldiers and looked toward the source of the sound. With one swift move, it cut one steel ball into two pieces that hit the ground behind it and it grabbed the second ball. Hearing more shouts from the wall ¡°Faster! Faster!¡±, ¡°Where¡¯s the fire!¡± the creature turned its head toward those screams and threw the ball with a creaking sound of its bones.

    The cannon that was hit flew off the wall, destroying merlons and the side of the wall as it fell. The soldiers that operated the cannons were lucky enough to only get hit by the small bits of stones. At least they thought before the creature jumped onto the wall, squatting on the edge of the wall. It watched how the soldiers reacted to his appearance. Most of them, in fear, began running away except for one man who aimed his musket at the creature.

    That was the moment when the monster jumped toward him and cut him from his shoulder to the hip on the opposite side. It then butchered the rest of the soldiers that were on this part of the wall making the blood of the humans flow down the walls to both sides.

    The blue-skinned officer ran out of the tower into the city. Huffing as he ran down the stairs but once he saw blood on the ground it was as if he had even more energy to run. He could see the straight line toward the third wall where he could hide among soldiers as they shot down that monstrous skeleton. For a second he saw in the middle of the path and then his vision went dark.

    The monster stood behind him with its harpoon to the ground and the officer''s body fell to both sides as he was cut in half. Behind it, pools of blood were gathering under the walls. The wind spread the smell of iron toward the other walls mixing it with two other smells of smoke and dead fish.

    The officer on the third wall wore a bone mask over his face that was painted with red dye that made a pattern of lines with two visibly painted eyes. He observed the monster from afar and held his hand up, the soldiers on the wall waiting for his order to fire.

    The monster turned around toward the gate of the second wall and swung its harpoon three times, cutting down the gate and making a path for the other monsters. As it was about to move toward the third wall it stopped, someone shouted from behind ¡°I¡¯m not done yet!¡±

    Standing on the broken gate was Taizen, his whole armor and face covered in blood that flowed down the walls. There was a cut in the stomach of his armor but he wasn¡¯t injured. His long sword had a dent near the guard.

    ¡°I am the guard of the people, I am the one who will defend them so they will see tomorrow¡¯s sun. I¡¯ll be the sun for the people when the night comes¡­ Because I¡¯m the warrior of THE ORDER OF TOMORROW!¡± Chanted Taizen as small cracks appeared on his body, between them a red light came out, and the blood on his body began to boil and vapor.

    ¡°So that is the Lava Blooded Taizen.¡± The masked officer whispered as he saw the warrior¡¯s change, but his tone carried no impression, it was simply a statement.

 1.4 The Fall

    ¡°Gate, open¡­¡± The longsword got enveloped in flames once again but this time their color was more red than last time, more intense. ¡°Gate, open. Flaming armor.¡± Intense red flames appeared on parts of his armor and made him brighter, a light that was visible from behind the third and fourth walls. Some soldiers even thought that the sun was rising and the night was coming to an end.

    The monster simply observed as more and more fire appeared on Taizen¡¯s body and armor. It tilted its upper body to the side with a cracking sound of the bones scratching against each other.

    ¡°Erupt!¡± Shouted Taizen and the flames on his legs exploded, pushing him forward as if he was shot from the cannon. When he was in the air he swung his longsword and aimed it at the monster¡¯s neck.

    Even at that speed, the creature stopped the attack by its face with a harpoon but this time without any command the flames on Taizen¡¯s longsword exploded in the creature¡¯s face. It didn¡¯t damage it but the arm with a harpoon was pushed down. As he was falling he made a shorter swing from the top that scratched the monster¡¯s chest and as it touched the ribcage another explosion occurred. Its upper body moved backward and the legs needed to follow so it wouldn¡¯t fall. The algae on its body burned to the crisp.

    After a few steps, it touched the wall of the nearby building and stabilized itself. At the same time, Taizen shouted ¡°Gate, OPEN!¡± and he threw chunks of the pavement at the creature. It couldn¡¯t react in time and the rubble exploded as it hit the monster and the building, making the wall collapse and the rest of the house fell on the creature, burying it under the rubble.

    Taizen jumped forward onto the remaining of the house and shouted ¡°ERUPT-¡± as he fell with his sword ready to thrust the ground where the monster was buried. He didn¡¯t finish his chant and didn¡¯t bury his longsword in the rubble because a hand made of bones grabbed him by the throat. The monster climbed up from the ruins and held Taizen high above the ground. He waved his legs and used both of his hands to free himself from the creature¡¯s grasp.

    The monster moved Taizen behind it and with a full swing of its arm it threw the man into the building on the other side of the street. Taizen flew and destroyed the walls of the buildings, going through two houses and landing on the street behind them.

    Hearing the crackling sound of bones he quickly stood up to see the monster running through the buildings, through the holes he made when he was thrown by it.

    The creature moved with inhumane speed and had its harpoon ready for a thrust that would go through Taizen¡¯s chest. He looked around for his sword to defend himself but it was nowhere near him. With a quick decision, he shouted: ¡°Erupt!¡± The flames on his legs exploded and pushed him toward the running creature.

    The monster pushed the harpoon forward to impale the flying man on it but in the air Taizen once again shouted ¡°Erupt¡± and the flames on his chest exploded lightly, pushing him a bit down toward the ground. Flying he was able to take a close look at the rusted harpoon.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    He fell to the ground on the street he used to be before and recovered quickly to continue his run for his longsword. The skeleton creature didn¡¯t run through the buildings but jumped on them from the street and threw the harpoon at the running man.

    Taizen jumped forward for his longsword to get it into his possession as fast as he could to continue the fight with the monster. The harpoon hit the ground with a whistling sound that was much louder than the sound of cutting flesh.

    The warrior was able to reach his longsword but lost his foot which was left behind the harpoon. He didn¡¯t feel much pain because of the adrenaline but he saw how much he was bleeding. He ignited his sword and clenched his teeth as he placed the hot sword on his wound. Burning his own flesh to seal it.

    The creature jumped off the roof to take its weapon back but it didn¡¯t attack. It rapidly tilted its head to the sides as Taizen screamed as he was sealing his wound. The monster answered with its own high-pitched scream that made everyone¡¯s ears tremble. It was as if a woman had her skin torn off with the shrieking sound added to it.

    ¡°Are you mocking me?¡± Whispered Taizen with slight annoyance as he stood back up, using his sword as a walking stick so as not to fall.

    To his question, the monster only tilted his head to the side. Taizen let out a snort of disgust but hidden underneath it was a command ¡°Erupt.¡± The explosion shot him toward the monster and he thrust the tip of his sword toward its head. The bone-made creature raised its harpoon to block the attack but it was too late. The sword went into the eye hole in the skull and once it touched the skull inside he shouted ¡°ERUPT!¡±

    The monster tried to grab him but before it could even lay a finger on him the flames inside its head exploded. Taizen wasn¡¯t concerned about his safety, he aimed to kill. The explosion was so strong that it repelled him toward the remains of the buildings.

    The bone-made creature stood in place as cracks spread around its eye hole and part of it began falling down, leaving an uneven hole in its head. His whole body was screaming in pain but he did his job, it was worth it. At least he thought.

    The monster¡¯s head moved down and took a look at bits of its own body, this time it screamed even louder, the windows of the buildings began to break, people felt as if something was unpleasantly scratching their brains and their ears were about to pop.

    ¡°Not enough for you¡­¡± Said Taizen as he barely stood, placing his weight on his sword that was cracked in many places and could break at any moment but he wasn¡¯t done yet, for the people he was ready to continue the fight.

    After the monster stopped screaming he heard something else. The barnacles and turtles were coming through the gap in the second wall and there were thousands of them coming. The bells began ringing to signal another bombardment.

    ¡°Let those people see tomorrow¡¯s sun¡­¡± Taizen whispered and he stuck his sword into the rubble. ¡°Erupt!¡± He shouted and as the flames began exploding he quickly said ¡°Gate, open.¡±

    All the rubble under him was pushed by the explosion and flew in every direction, once it hit the ground the remains of the house began exploding, destroying part of the city as well as killing the incoming monsters.

    He forfeited his life but took many enemies with him. Taizen would be remembered in the whole world if anyone would survive this Tide.

 2.1 Resurrection

    Thick fog enveloped the city, obscuring the vision and hiding most of the buildings behind it, leaving only the tips of the towers and higher buildings visible from afar. The wind was light and gentle but it wasn¡¯t strong enough to push the fog away or even remove the stench of rotten flesh.

    A loud footsteps broke the silence as two people entered the city through a fallen gate. A young woman in a dark dress and dark veil over her face, her blond hair fell on her back reaching shoulder-blade.

    In front of her stood an old man, smaller than her. He looked even smaller because of his hump which made him curl forward like a shrimp. Long beard spread from his chin that almost touched the ground. Grey hair came out of his nose and ears, barely any on his head. He had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. All he had was a faded yellow robe and a grey rope around his neck which the woman behind him held like he was on a leash.

    They were unbothered by the smell of death and many greenish skeletons all around the gate and the path forward, all that was left from the monsters named barnacles.

    The woman took a good look around, spotting a few rotting corpses of the fallen soldiers. Holes in their chests or missing arms, marks left by the monsters. Some of them had their uniform ripped to shreds and had scratches so deep that their bones and organs were visible. Only her mouth was visible under the veil but she didn¡¯t seem bothered by the gore all around her.

    She began walking forward, walking over the skeletons and crushing the frail bones of the monsters as she stepped on them, not minding what was in front of her. Her focus was elsewhere, looking around, especially at the corpses with metal armor on them. The old man quickly followed her so as to not get choked by the rope by falling behind. He also seemed calm and unbothered by the corpses.

    All the buildings near the wall were destroyed or heavily damaged with roofs collapsed or the walls with holes in them. Closer to the second wall only the windows were broken and a few doors were busted. She took a look inside one of the buildings. Near the entrance, there was the corpse of a rotting man, a citizen judging by his simple clothing. Grey shirt and sweatpants. A few feet behind him were three corpses, one of a woman in a light dress and two children under her arms.

    ¡°Poor souls. Didn¡¯t react in time and had to stay here, in a frail fortress they called home.¡± Stated the woman with no sympathy in her tone. She simply observed and stated the facts.

    She then stopped walking and took a look at the wall of a building that had dry blood over it, tracking it down there was a corpse, a woman with a gaping hole in her chest. The woman pointed the finger at her and the old man quickly turned his head toward her, surprised by her choice.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t there a man that stood his ground against Drowned? Wouldn¡¯t he be a better choice?¡± The old man asked as he looked with his empty eyes behind the second wall where all that remained was rubble.

    Without an answer she pulled the rope and brought the old man closer, she then grabbed his head and brought it closer to the corpse of the woman.

    ¡°I choose her.¡± She answered with a slight anger in her tone, pressing her fingers a bit harder against the man¡¯s head.

    The old man let out a sigh, showing his few remaining yellow teeth. He raised his thin arm with skin barely hanging onto it and many dark spots on his pale white skin and placed his hand on the corpse¡¯s head. He then closed his eyes and chanted something silently. The woman observed him as he did that, tightening the grip on the rope and ready to punish him if his answer didn¡¯t please her.

    ¡°I will be able to finish the job¡­¡± The man opened his eyes for a moment and looked at the woman¡¯s face, waiting to see her expression.

    ¡°Good¡­¡± The woman smiled lightly for the first time.

    ¡°But it will take some time before she reaches her strength because I don¡¯t have enough energy-¡± The old man slowly answered and suddenly the woman pulled the rope, choking him a bit before letting him go. The man fell to his knees and rubbed his throat.

    ¡°You need to have enough energy to strand them in the world.¡± The woman whispered threateningly to his ear.

    ¡°You better pray they don¡¯t find the truth about¡­¡± The old man whispered hoarsely, with hostility in his words but the woman ignored his threat and waited for him to continue his job.

    The old man grunted but did as was told. He placed one hand on the head and the other on the stomach, slightly beneath the hole in her chest. As he began to chant the wound slowly sealed itself, her skin began to turn normal and her flesh rebuilt. The empty and dead eyes had glow in them once again and her chest began to move up and down.

    He then suddenly fell prone to the ground, the woman let go of the rope for a moment and walked toward the center of the road. She picked up the sword and a dagger that lay there. While the dagger looked well enough to be used the sword was in a much worse state. With dents and cracks all around it that could break it after one hit.

    ¡°How poetic. You¡¯ll wake up as frail as this sword¡­¡± The woman whispered as she placed the sword in front of the woman. ¡°And will start from zero with a simple dagger.¡± She then placed the dagger next to the frail sword.

    The woman walked up to unconscious but breathing Navia and whispered to her ear in an unknown language that almost sounded impossible for a human to say as if she was saying that while being under the water.

    ¡°Don¡¯t disappoint me¡­ Navia.¡± She whispered before walking away, dragging the old man by the rope and disappearing in the thick fog that enveloped the fallen city.

 2.2 Resurrection

    Her breaths were heavy but she felt as if not much air was taken with each inhale. Trying to lift her eyelids felt as if they were frozen together by ice. She didn¡¯t feel any pain but her hand instinctively went toward her chest, looking for a hole in her body. There was one in the armor but no wound on her skin.

    Once she opened her eyes it felt as if it was just a second between her getting stabbed in the chest and laying on the ground. There was nothing in between. Looking around she came to the conclusion that a lot happened between those two moments.

    The last time she saw this street and wall they were intact but now the gates of the wall were cut down into pieces. The street was empty with soldiers standing by the wall but now she saw corpses and limbs rotting around her. The fog didn¡¯t let her see what was behind the fallen gates.

    Her mind was hazy and she slowly recollected her memory. ¡°My name is Navia Silckthron¡­¡± She whispered, using her hands to lift herself from the ground, barely feeling her legs. Unable to fully raise her leg she dragged it along the ground. She heard the sound of metal scratching the stone and felt something touch her leg. Looking down she saw a sword in a bad state that could break at any moment.

    Picking up the sword she remembered another thing ¡°I am a warrior¡­¡± As she looked at the dagger a brighter color flickered behind it. The corpse of a warrior lay with his back toward her, a teal cape with a sun on it was somehow visible between the dirt stains. ¡°I am a warrior¡­ of The Order Of Tomorrow. And I''m the vice-captain of a squad¡­¡±

    With another step forward she turned her gaze toward the sea. ¡°We came here to help the people¡­ To fight the Tide¡­ We¡­¡± Looking toward the fallen gate and the mountains that were hidden behind the fog there was something, a feeling she needed to remember. Walking toward it she suddenly stopped and looked at the ground beneath her. A dried bloodstain ¡°My blood¡­ I was walking behind someone¡­ Taizen! My husband! I tried to save him! Where is he?¡± With a realization came desperation, she looked in each direction stopping to look at the people with armor and teal capes. With each look, she remembered their names ¡°Albert, Leopold, Rosa, Connor¡­¡± Not seeing Taizen¡¯s face brought a bit of calm to her mind but she knew there were more of them, more fallen brothers and sisters from the order.

    A rubble fell off the roof making Navia flinch and take out her weapons and point them toward the direction of the sound. She forgot that she was on the place of the battlefield, even if the fight was over there might be monsters left or looters that came here for the spoils of the fallen people. ¡°Need to stay vigilant¡­ And¡­ I need to look for the survivors¡­ If there are any¡­¡± She whispered with resolution but it faded as she looked around, seeing the corpses and dark bones left by the monsters.

    She moved forward, her sword in front and knife near her chest, ready for any surprise attack that may fall at her. Once she got through the wall the fog was much clearer and only stuck near the ground making the whole area between the second and third walls visible. What used to be a living city was now rubble, not a single home or building left standing.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    Near the walls, there were many skeletons but nothing in between except for rubble. From all the walls she had seen the third had the biggest gap but it looked more like it was cut than smashed.

    ¡°There are no survivors in the city¡­ Certainly, no one survived. Maybe the shelters were untouched.¡± She whispered with a bit of hope, looking at the mountain peaks that were visible behind the walls.

    Even though the space was much clearer her eyes rapidly moved around looking for any sign of danger. Navia¡¯s eyes never looked down under her feet which made her almost fall. Looking down for the object that made her stumble her eyes began to water, and disbelief appeared on her face. Losing all her strength she dropped to her knees along with her weapons she hit the hard surface of the pavement.

    Right in front of her was a corpse that she recognized, even by a few remaining bits of skin left on his face. The tears ran down her face like a waterfall, her jaw was shaking as she tried to say something, barely coming out of her mouth. ¡°Taizen¡­ Taizen¡­¡± He grabbed him behind the neck with her trembling hands and lifted his head and upper body, or at least what was left of it.

    His face was missing much of his skin and hair, his whole body was covered in dirt and burns. He had sharp stones and splinters sticking out all over him. There was nothing left below his ribcage and a few ribs were sticking out from his rotten flesh. His right arm was blown off leaving only a cracked bone sticking out of his shoulder and the left arm was in shambles.

    ¡°Taizen!¡± She screamed with pain and sorrow, she hugged the remains of her beloved disregarding a terrible stench of rot. That wasn¡¯t on her mind right now, there was no room for disgust. It was the last time she would ever hug her husband. She mourned over Taizen even when her eyes went dry.

    ¡°I have a mission to fulfill¡­ You¡¯d want that too¡­ There might be survivors who need my help right now¡­ Right, Taizen?¡± Said Navia as she slowly placed her husband¡¯s remains on the ground but she wasn¡¯t done yet, she couldn¡¯t leave him like that.

    She gathered all the bits of stones she could find and covered Tazien with them. She took two planks that were somehow intact and using her hilt of the sword like a hammer she stuck them together with a rusted nail.

    Crossing her hands and lifting her head to the sky she whispered ¡°May we watch the same sunrise each morning¡­ At least that way I¡¯ll feel like you¡¯re still next to me¡­¡±

    She finished her prayers and laid down her hands but she wasn¡¯t able to leave, she had to look for the survivors, even if the chances were low. That is her duty as a member of the Order Of Tomorrow but right now she is a wife left alone in this world.

    ¡°What if¡­¡± An idea of suicide crossed her mind but she stopped that thought. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not just a wife¡­ I am a mother and my child is waiting for me¡­¡± She picked up her weapons and moved forward, trying her best not to look back, not to bring that pain again. She took a deep breath and hid that feeling deep inside for the time being. Right now she needs to be calm and vigilant.

 2.3 Resurrection

    Her sharp eyes moved toward the third wall and the fog that mysteriously remained there. When she was about to move past the wall she heard a creak. ¡°Barnacle¡­¡± Whispered Navia as she hid behind the wall, she peeked out to look for the monster but the fog was too dense to spot it.

    ¡°I can¡¯t see anything¡­ Except for¡­ Roofs.¡± Once she looked up she could see the higher parts of the buildings. ¡°I can avoid the monsters by sneaking on the roofs. It should be easy with Wind Step¡­¡± Navia looked for the power inside her, the same power that let her move fast and swiftly on the battlefield but she couldn¡¯t find that power inside her, like it was gone or rather it wasn¡¯t part of her. Worries slid to her face and she began to stress. ¡°I can¡¯t open any of my gates. Like they are hidden somewhere in the fog and I can¡¯t find them¡­ I can¡¯t fight without them. Better to avoid any unwanted encounters.¡±

    Navia took a deep breath and dashed forward toward the building. She heard a creak near her, and turning toward it she saw a silhouette of a monster right beside her. Her body burned like a furnace as she saw the monster but she moved forward, stepping away from it she felt a cold of uncertainty. She had to move forward without looking back but she had to check if the monster saw her, if it was chasing after her.

    The monster stopped in place and didn¡¯t move. Navia stopped moving forward, not understanding why the monster stopped, she didn¡¯t want to risk making herself more visible to the barnacle or risking being chased by the remaining monster that lurked in the city.

    Sudden movement of the barnacle made her flinch and reach for her blade, it only twitched at first. Its head began to turn toward her, making her heart race, her ears were pounding as blood ran through them.

    ¡°Shit.¡± She cursed in her mind but didn¡¯t move, she waited for the monster to move first and respond accordingly but she never fought them without her powers, her gates. That was the other reason for her hesitation ¡°Will I survive?¡±

    While she was lost in thoughts the barnacle took a step forward with its head still turned toward her direction. It moved without purpose, away from her, and without turning its head around.

    Once the tension fell she felt light, almost as if her Wind Step came back. Taking one last look she moved forward and a building appeared in front of her. The entrance door was slightly jutting out from the building and was surrounded by a stone frame that Navia could easily grab and rest her foot on. Lifting herself up she saw another part of the building to use for climbing. Metal cylinder embodied in the wall to stick the flag in it. With each step higher she was able to spot another object behind the fog that she could use to climb up.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The rooftops of the buildings looked like a small archipelago with a mist above the water. At the other side of the district, she saw a last wall that defended the city. Seeing it intact gave her hope that there are survivors and her companions'' deaths weren¡¯t in vain.

    Navia thought that moving on the rooftops would be safer and easier than moving through the thick fog but once she was on top she saw how wide the distances between some buildings were. Standing on the edge the gap seemed even bigger, especially without her power that would let her move faster and be pushed by the gust of wind.

    ¡°You can do this¡­ You can do this.¡± She encouraged herself by repeating those words but she moved once she imagined Taizen saying that to her, his trust in the voice that she still remembered.

    She stood on the other side of the roof to have a greater run-up. While she was running her focus was on the roof tiles to not break them and make her fall to the ground where the monsters lurk. Once she saw the edge she panicked as she thought ¡°I won¡¯t make it¡­¡± Her heart began to race but it was too late to stop, she had to jump. Using all her force from her legs she jumped and flew above the river of fog. She had her eyes closed, thinking she would fall down to the street but she felt the air from above, she was still moving upward. Navia landed on the roof on the other side of the street and stopped two feet away from the edge.

    ¡°Was I that strong? I could easily jump further with Wind Step but I did that with my own legs¡­¡± She thought as she tried to figure out what had happened to her, it hadn¡¯t crossed her mind earlier as she had vertigo and tried to remember what had happened. Then her focus was on finding the survivors but ¡°How did I survive? Did I even survive¡­¡±

    Navia had many questions but no one to answer them for her. She had to look for them later as they could wait compared to the survivors on the other side of the wall.

    She jumped from one roof to another roof but each time she landed she felt weird, like that strength isn¡¯t hers or at least her body wasn¡¯t used to it. As if she used a hundred percent of her strength without exhausting herself in the process.

    Once she landed on the wall she ran up to the other side to check how many survivors were there or if they evacuated the citizens. Approaching the edge of the wall she looked down expecting people or no one but her hopes were far from the truth. The whole ground from the walls to the mountains was covered by barnacles. A whole army of monsters was standing still, awaiting the command of those cursed gods. Looking down she noticed that the walls were untouched as well as the gates that were simply wide open.

    ¡°Those damn cultists¡­ They must have opened the gates for those monsters.¡± She whispered, gritting her teeth in anger as those people did the opposite of what her order was doing.

    Counting how many of them there were she saw a last glimpse of hope. The gate to one of the shelters wasn¡¯t broken. If there are any survivors that would be the only place. The last gate on the right side of the mountain.

    ¡°How do I get to the shelter¡­ Without those monsters entering it with me¡­¡± Navia tried to think of a plan and fate brought her an idea. To her side were cannons that were still intact with ammunition right beside them. ¡°Navia¡­ You¡¯re one crazy lady.¡± She whispered with a smirk of pride on her face.

 3.1 Those Who Remain

    The army of barnacles was spread through the whole district almost to the mountain except for the stairs leading up to the vaults and the platform by the shelters. They stood there without moving an inch as if they were dead but Navia knew that even one sound could trigger the whole army to move.

    She slowly pushed the cannons to the other side of the wall and aimed them each in a different direction, one for each corner of the district and one for the center. The remaining cannons were aimed in random directions where larger groups of monsters were close to each other.

    Even though the buildings were intact she wasn¡¯t going to avoid any destruction, one cannonball would even hit the tower of a building to collapse on the rest of the monsters.

    ¡°Not like they will live in those houses anymore.¡± Thought Navia as she looked toward the breached shelter for the rich citizens who paid their way into the luxurious vault while others had to wait for the Tide to be wiped in a cramped dark room.

    From one tower of the wall to another there were eight cannons, each one loaded and ready to fire. Navia leaned her back against the tower¡¯s wall and took a deep breath, concentrating and thinking of her next moves. Once she opened her eyes she lit the torch by sliding it against the wall. As she ran to the other side she lit the matches of the cannons, once she got to the other side the first cannonball flew to the corner of the district, killing dozens of barnacles and attracting their attention toward the wall. Second, after a second more cannons shot toward the district killing more than fifty monsters. Many of those creatures began to move toward the wall and they cramped up into groups barely leaving any space in between them.

    A cannonball ran through the center of the group, parts of their bodies flying into the air, blue liquid splattering around the street. But that didn¡¯t stop them, those monsters were incapable of fear. Another ball of steel flew through the wall that was a base for the tower, and the bits of the ruble fell on the creatures but they ignored the threat and moved forward, not noticing the tower that was about to crush them. Even though around two hundred of them were killed it was merely one-eighth of the whole army.

    ¡°I¡¯m here you sons of a bitches!¡± Shouted Navia as she hit the wall with the side of his dagger to attract the monster¡¯s attention toward her. She then jumped onto the roof of the building, which had a thick fog covering the streets. They couldn¡¯t see her as well she couldn¡¯t see them but they all could hear each other. She continued striking her dagger against a solid surface and shouted so the monsters would move toward her. Once she heard a large amount of them around the building she moved on to another one, further away from the mountain.

    ¡°That¡¯s right! Come here my flock of sheep!¡± Shouted Navia, almost laughing at what she was saying and glad that her plan works. She thought of coming back to the fourth wall to attract those monsters who were in the back of the crowd so none of them would back away toward the mountain.

    She jumped onto the second building away from the fourth wall and struck the dagger against the roof tiles. One of them slid off the building and fell into the street without Navia noticing. She heard more creaking from barnacles around her and they became louder.

    ¡°Time to move you a bit closer to the center.¡± Whispered Navia as she jumped onto another building away from the wall and repeated making loud sounds to attract the monsters.

    A sudden noise of creaking wood made her turn toward the sound, she looked down but she couldn¡¯t see anything through the fog. ¡°They must have broken a barrel or something.¡± She thought, unaware of what was broken by the monsters.

    Hearing more of them around her she began moving onto another roof. Building up her speed by running from the end of the roof she jumped but as she flew she felt a cold touch against her ankle. Her speed rapidly slowed down and she didn¡¯t fly as high as she previously did. For a brief moment, she felt heavy.

    Anxiety took her over as she saw how low she was compared to the roof she was aiming for. Quickly noticing through the thick fog a windowsill she grabbed it and felt a pain in her arm as her body jolted down. She let out a moan of pain but it was masked by a loud thud. Even through the rush of thoughts and rapid heartbeat, she was able to hear the creaking of the barnacles. Even though she was by the window of the second floor she was able to spot the head of a barnacle and it was getting closer.

    ¡°They are climbing the buildings¡­¡± Pure shock was visible on her face, she couldn¡¯t predict that.

    Navia quickly lifted her left hand to grab the windowsill before her right arm muscle could tear out of strain. She lifted herself to the window but was unable to reach something to get to the roof.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try my luck on the other side.¡± Navia grabbed her knife and with the hilt of her dagger, she broke the window and opened it to enter the building. Inside was a bed with a blanket unrolled, left in a rush after the bells warned the citizens about the upcoming tide. Taking one step forward she kicked something forward. Looking down she saw a toy of a knight made of wood. Sorrow slipped into her mind and face, knowing that those poor people were dead.

    A creaking sound woke her up from the daze and she quickly ran to the doors and opened them with a force, almost throwing the door off its hinges. She wasn¡¯t expecting any of the monsters here but one of them hit the wall as she pushed the door open. Another one stood in the middle of the corridor and twisted its head with one fast move. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    Navia took out a dagger and a sword. The barnacle smashed against the wall, moved the door, revealing its head covered in barnacles and distorted with a chin almost connected to Adam¡¯s apple on the throat. As it opened its mouth to attack a dagger went through its head.

    The second barnacle dashed toward Navia, as she pulled out the dagger the monster''s body fell, and closed the door behind her. She then plunged her sword forward between the hands of the monster that was going to tear her flesh to shreds. The sword thrust into barnacle¡¯s head but instead of going through it the blade shattered and left bits of it inside the creature¡¯s head. It wasn¡¯t a swift move and once the sword broke her right arm jolted as she pressed forward a blade that couldn¡¯t cleanly go through the monster¡¯s flesh.

    Her right arm was aching constantly as if it was going to fall off her body. She grabbed her arm and rubbed it, hoping it could ease the pain but it was as if she couldn¡¯t reach the source of the pain.

    In the middle of the corridor on the left wall, there was a staircase leading to lower floors, and at the end of the hallway, there was a door to another room. A pale hand grabbed the edge of the wall by the staircase, Navia noticed the limb and began running forward, pressing her left hand against her right arm.

    When she ran past the staircase the barnacle tried to grab her but she was out of its reach, taking a glimpse at the attacker she saw ten more of those monsters climbing up the stairs.

    Her hand reached for the door handle and she pulled it down, but nothing happened. She pulled again but the results were the same. Turning her head around to check where the monsters are she saw two of them already moving toward her from the staircase.

    Navia quickly took a few steps back and ran into the door, hitting it with her shoulder. The monsters were halfway toward her and the doors weren¡¯t open yet. This time she took more steps toward the monster, leaving a length of two arms between them. Picking up the speed she broke down the door and entered the room.

    Hearing a loud thud behind her made her panic, one of the monsters fell over and was reaching for her foot. Without taking in her surroundings she found a window and sprinted toward it. There was no time to stop and open the window, she had to go through it. Picking up her guard to block her face she jumped into the window, breaking the glass and spreading it through the street. Once Navia felt the outside wind she opened her eyes, the roof of a lower building right in front of her.

    Without much time to react, she braced herself and hit the hard surface of the roof, rolling on the stone tiles. Opening her eyes she saw a lake of fog under her as she was on the edge of the building, close to falling down into the army of monsters. Looking back at the house she jumped off, Navia saw the two barnacles that were pursuing her, fall through the window and down into the street.

    Her face was stinging as a few shards of the glass cut her skin when she broke the window. Ignoring the wounds she moved back to the fourth wall to check if she got all the monsters out of the district.

    Hearing all the creaking noises as she moved toward the wall Navia knew that she got most of them in the district enveloped in thick fog. Looking down the wall there were zero monsters. She got all of them and had a safe passage to the shelters.

    Navia jumped off the wall and landed on the street of the last district. Before going forward she approached the open gates and listened for the sounds of monsters since she couldn¡¯t see them through the fog. After a long moment of silence, she was sure that most of them were far away from the gate.

    Looking around the last district she got a close look at the damage she had done with the cannon fire. Between those fresh dead bodies of the monsters were only a few corpses of the Berionian¡¯s soldiers.

    ¡°There should be more bodies¡­ Maybe they were able to escape with some of the citizens¡­¡± Thought Navia as she carefully moved through the street in case any monster was hiding somewhere.

    Approaching the stairs that would lead her to the shelters she noticed that there were no marks on the stone bricks. Like no monster placed its foot on those stairs. Not even a hole left by a missed shot from the musket. A simple question was repeated in Navia¡¯s mind ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Did the monster stop their attack? Or the soldiers were able to defend the city but had to evacuate the people, thus leaving the last gates open? Then why was one shelter closed?¡± Those thoughts ran through Navia¡¯s head as she peacefully moved up the stairs.

    Looking at the open gates there was no sign of struggle, no corpses of fallen soldiers or killed monsters. As if this place was abandoned except for one place that remained closed, or at least it seemed like it was. Once Navia approached the shelter¡¯s gate she noticed a small gap between them, they were slightly open.

    She pushed against the gates and there was no resistance. Nothing placed to block the open gate. Slowly opening the gates she looked for bodies or signs of monsters but it was empty.

    ¡°Was my assumption correct? Did they all escape?¡± Thought Navia as the place was empty and undamaged. Yet it didn¡¯t look abandoned as she saw a torch lighting the wall down the stairs. ¡°Maybe they left that torch lit¡­ or maybe someone is still there¡­¡± Navia descended the stairs and as she got closer to the bottom she could hear steps. Many steps but no creaking sounds, making lower her guard.

    At the end of the stairs, there was a massive hall stretching for a mile, with a high ceiling that was as high as a two-story house. Tens of tents were placed all around the hall with lit torches standing by them. The only source of light in this room is made of rough stone for the poor citizens of the city. A few people were walking toward the biggest tent which was the size of an actual building as it reached the ceiling of the hall.

    The giant tent stood out the most in the hall as it was the most lit place and the most colorful out of them all. The tents were simple gray in color while this one was made of many colored fabrics. Blue and green at the sides, purple and pink at the entrance to the tent, and red and yellow as the roof. From afar, it looked like one tent was connected to two smaller ones. The ones to the sides were circular shapes while the one in the center was more square-like.

    At the sight of this tent only one word came to Navia¡¯s mind ¡°Is that a circus?¡±

 3.2 Those Who Remain

    Her current destination was the ¡°Circus¡± tent but she checked a few of the smaller ones on her way there. All of them had bedrolls inside but nothing else. It was the case for each tent she took a peek inside. She could hear a murmur coming from the giant tent.

    At the entrance to the tent there were wooden stairs, judging by the rough design they were quickly built. Walking up the stairs she could hear the people walking, a few whispers barely audible.

    Once Navia reached the top she couldn¡¯t believe her eyes, she was looking for the survivors of the attack expecting them to be distressed, sad, depressed, and losing all hope. Except it was the opposite. People were smiling and almost laughing.

    She was standing on a platform that was leading to the side tents in a circular shape. In them, there were stands where hundreds of people sat and observed the center tent, where the slightly elevated platform was placed for everyone to see. On the platform was a small wooden ship with a Beronian flag, a red flag with a blue cross, and a white square in the top left corner. To the sides were placed wooden contraptions, once Navia moved closer to the stands she noticed that they were shaped like waves of the sea and painted blue. On the ship were five people, two of them were wearing Beronian soldier¡¯s uniform, dark and yellow. Three of them were wearing normal citizen clothes.

    ¡°And that¡¯s all?!¡± Shouted one of the soldiers on the boat, sounding like he was telling an obvious joke. At first, one person laughed and the whole crowd followed.

    Approaching the stands she saw that all of the people had their gaze on the scene right at the soldier who told the joke that she only heard the end of it.

    ¡°Excuse me.¡± Said Navia trying to catch the attention of the woman sitting right by the platform. The young woman in a worn-out green dress and a white apron didn¡¯t react so Navia repeated the question a bit loudly ¡°Excuse me!¡± At the time it was total silence and her raised tone traveled through the whole tent, making Navia shrink on herself out of shame.

    The woman finally turned her head to Navia and spoke ¡°Apologies for not noticing, I was too focused on the play. What brings you here?¡± The answered her gaze moving from the play to Navia a few times and then resting on her for an entire time.

    ¡°Ehm¡­¡± Navia was caught off guard by the question. ¡°I am a warrior of The Order Of Tomorrow and I came here to look for the survivors.¡±

    ¡°Order Of Tomorrow?¡± The woman asked, amazed by the answer given by Navia. ¡°We¡¯re all alive and well in here.¡±

    ¡°With all those monsters just behind the gates of the shelter?¡± Said Navia with disbelief as she pointed her hand toward the gates, the exit from the shelter.

    ¡°Beronia¡¯s military gots it under control.¡± The woman answered with a light smile on her face, no worries or fear on her.

    ¡°How so?¡± Asked Navia, trying to understand the survivors'' situation.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know all the details but the soldiers told us that the army is preparing a fleet to escort us.¡± The woman calmly answered.

    ¡°When? Will your supplies be enough till that time comes?¡± Navia continued with her questions. Worried about the safety of those people.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know when but small ships smuggle supplies for us so we can endure. In the meantime, we enjoy the plays or even act in them to kill the time while we wait.¡± The woman answered with a monotonic tone and a smile that didn¡¯t change, making Navia feel a bit uncomfortable.

    Navia then noticed how silent the whole tent went, looking around and trying to figure out why. She didn¡¯t have to ask because the woman saw her confusion and answered ¡°It¡¯s an interval. A moment for the actors and the audience to rest. Calm yourself and your emotions between the acts in play. Oh. They are about to start.¡±

    Her focus was entirely on the woman she was talking with but for a moment she noticed that all the people behind the woman were watching her and once the play started they turned their gazes at the stage.

    As the actors came onto the stage they bowed in each direction to the crowd which was silent until one person began to applaud and the rest of the crowd followed. Looking in the direction of the first claps she saw another platform near the stage, opposite from the entrance to the tent with a single chair, almost like a throne.

    A single man with a black bowler hat and a mask that covered his eyes and nose. The mask had sharp features with its top part colored red and beneath the eyes colored white with a single blue line at the bottom. A few dark hairs came down from the hat and laid against his mask. He wore a long black coat with a triangular cut at the end that hung from the throne to his ankles. Under it, he had a simple white shirt with white buttons. Grey dress pants with a silver chain hanging from the right side and black dress boots on his feet. On his hands black leather gloves.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Navia asked without taking her eyes away from the mysterious man.

    ¡°That the director. He is the one who made this theater and runs it. Magnificent playmaker. If I could, I would never leave that place.¡± Said the woman.

    Navia was a bit horrified by her answer and looking back at the woman she wasn¡¯t even looking at her. She was entirely focused on the play. Navia raised her hand and was about to wave it in front of the woman¡¯s face but a sudden voice made her flinch.

    ¡°Good day young lady.¡± Turning around she saw the direction in a flesh, bowing to greet her.

    ¡°Good day¡­¡± She hesitantly answered.

    ¡°My name is Sive Herming. Director and creator of this wonderful theater.¡± Introduced himself to the man as he pointed his gloved hand toward the stage and the act began as if on his command.

    ¡°I¡¯m Navia Silckthron of The Order Of Tomorrow.¡± Answered Navia, her eyes piercing right through the mysterious director.

    ¡°Miss Navia¡­¡± The man tapped the cheek of his face with a finger. ¡°You¡¯re bleeding¡­ And your blood is¡­ Black¡­¡± Sive said with a bit worried expression as he reached for her wounds but held his hand back to not touch the woman without her permission.

    ¡°Oh¡­ It must be because it''s drying. I injured myself while running from the barnacles.¡± Answered Navia as she took a step back from the man, her gaze falling on his legs as she didn¡¯t want to look at his face, expecting a disgusting expression from the man.

    ¡°The ones in front of the mountain? How did you escape them?¡± Sive asked, clearly intrigued by Navia¡¯s appearance and the hole in her armor.

    ¡°I used cannons from the fourth wall to distract them and lure them into the fog. While running from one of them I had to jump through the window and the glass shards must have cut my face.¡± Answered Navia as she pressed a hand against a wound and took a look at the blood which surprised her how dark it was.

    Before she could linger on it any longer, the man gasped, and his eyes shined as he said, ¡°Brilliant! I must put it in one of my plays! Amazing improvisation, daring! And the thrilling chase!¡± Sive took out a piece of paper and a pen and began writing it all down, a wide grin on his face as he did so. Once he finished, he looked at Navia and realized that his smile was a bit terrifying. ¡°My apologies. Theater is my passion and¡­ How do I say it? I become so excited¡­ that I wouldn¡¯t even notice a missing arm or leg while preparing a script or playing on stage.¡± The man answered with an innocent smile on his face.

    ¡°Why did you decide to make a theater in here?¡± Asked uncomfortably Navia as she grabbed her right wrist, curious about the truth and she didn¡¯t want to hear more terrifying comparisons.

    ¡°When I came here¡­ Everyone was so scared and anxious. The children were crying, and the parents tried their best to calm them down, but their true feelings were hard to cover. I thought that a play would distract them from the terrifying things outside, and I saw a chance to perform in front of a massive audience.¡± The man explained as he acted like a sad parent at the beginning and finished it with excitement that he held for the theatre.

    ¡°That¡¯s very kind of you.¡± Navia said with a warm smile, even though his character was a bit weird his intentions were kind in her eyes.

    Sive¡¯s eyes shined with curiosity as he looked at the young woman in front of him. ¡°Perhaps you could perform on my stage?¡± The man asked as he slowly moved his gaze toward the actors.

    ¡°I¡¯m a warrior, not an actor¡­ I don¡¯t belong on the stage¡­¡± Navia turned her head around to hide her embarrassment.

    ¡°Everyone can perform at the theater!¡± Said the masked man as he spread his arms and raised them toward the sky, his gaze distant as if he was able to look at something through the fabric and the mountain itself. ¡°Your appearance is stunning! And dramatic¡­¡± He said as he leaned a bit forward, looking at the hole in the armor.

    Navia took a step back and covered the hole that was right in the middle of her chest, giving the man a threatening look, to which he backed away with hands near his face. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything like that. I am a man of culture, not a filth from the brothel. What I meant was that you already look like you are wearing a magnificent costume for a drama.¡± Sive slowly waved his hands as he tried to defend his action.

    ¡°Like I said. I don¡¯t belong on a stage.¡± Stated Navia with confidence to stop the man from trying to persuade her.

    ¡°Look. I want to help you. Silver armor, the teal cape, and the sun on your back gives hope to people and are signs that you¡¯re trustworthy. But those are the people in distress. You might need more for them to trust you than just the look of a warrior. Show yourself on stage and act for them that way, they¡¯ll come to like you, and you¡¯ll earn their trust.¡± As Sive talked, he moved behind Navia and began to whisper to her ears, as he did that she tried to get away but he quickly came from the other side.

    Navia felt uncomfortable and anxious by that man ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    ¡°You want to help those people and if you want to lead them you need their trust¡­ And that¡¯s where you¡¯ll earn it.¡± Sive grabbed her by the shoulder and pointed his open hand at the stage as he led Navia closer to the edge of the stands.

    ¡°If you insist¡­ I could play a side role with a few lines¡­¡± Answered Navia, looking at the stage with anxiety but it changed into a small smile as she looked at the stands on the other side, seeing people watch the play, forgetting about the danger behind the gates.

    ¡°I promise it will be a small role.¡± Sive said as he extended an open hand toward Navia, which she shook. ¡°Gate Open.¡±

    Navia¡¯s eyelids became heavy, and her breaths shallow. Strength was slowly leaving her body, and she fell. Sive grabbed her before she could hit the ground and held her close. Before her eyes closed, she could see a maniac grin on his face.

 4.1 Dramatic Act

    While the new props were placed on the stage, all the lights were out, and the people were chattering with each other. From the center of the tent, it seemed like many normal conversations but if someone stood by the stands they could hear the same two conversations on repeat.

    ¡°The last play was amazing. The director needs to be praised for his astonishing work. I couldn¡¯t move my eyes away from the stage.¡±

    ¡°If I could, I would watch the play all day and all night. I don¡¯t need to sleep or eat. Theater is all I need.¡±

    The lights were lit, and all of them were turned toward the stage, leaving the stands in complete darkness. On the stage were trees and bushes made of painted planks. A man with a black wolf mask, wearing a white robe and black pants, stood over the body of a dying man, a knife in his chest, blood slowly pouring out of the wound. The dying man tried to grasp the air, but his efforts were in vain.

    ¡°Poor mortal¡­ Your time on a mortal plain has come to an end. I, Karos, God Of Death, will bring your soul to a place where it will rest for an eternity. Those are the rules of this world¡­¡± Said loudly the actor with a wolf mask as he kneeled down to close the eyes of a dead man. He reached for something hidden under the man¡¯s coat.

    He raised a blue ball for everyone to see and faced each side of the crowd as he said ¡°This soul shall rest in a better place for eternity. This is a reward that all humans get for experiencing death.¡±

    ¡°Stop!¡± A soft voice shouted and to the stage ran up a skinny man wearing a robe over his left shoulder and around his waist, showing his pale skin as white as the robe. His mask had a sad expression with a single tear painted under the right eye.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Asked the God Of Death, lowering the blue ball and keeping it close to his chest.

    ¡°I am Hanis! God Of Humans! Creator of what you just killed!¡± The man shouted as he pointed his finger aggressively at Karos.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t kill that man. I came here for his soul to bring it to a better place.¡± Answered Karos, turning his torso away to cover the ball with it so the Human God couldn¡¯t see it.

    Hanis slowly approached the dead man and kneeled by him, placing one hand near his heart and grabbing the man by the arm with the other. ¡°His body is cold¡­ And his heart isn¡¯t beating¡­ That¡¯s not how he should be! He should be warm, with a beating heart, walking around and breathing. HE SHOULD BE LIVING!¡± Hanis shouted as he took the dead man¡¯s body and raised it, bringing it closer to the god of death. He then hugged the body, painting his mask red with the still-warm blood.

    Hanis then dropped the body, and the loud thud echoed through the whole tent, a new wound appeared on the back of his head, more blood leaving the dead body. The Human God then jumped at Karos, pushing him down to the ground and sitting on him. He then relentlessly punched him in the face, breaking the mask, then the nose, and leaving the actor¡¯s face in a mess.

    Tears came down from under the mask of the actor who played the human god but he continued punching the now dead man. The crowd gasped and went silent, continuing to watch the play.

    Three more people appeared on the stage: two men wearing dark robes and dark masks and a woman in a dark dress and a crow mask. ¡°He killed Karos!¡± The woman with a crow mask shouted in disbelief as she pointed her finger at Hanis.

    The two men with dark masks jumped at the Human God and pinned him down to the ground. Hanis tried to get those two off him, but he stopped once he noticed his resistance was futile. They then took the man away, and the lights slowly faded.

    ***This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Once the stage had been cleaned and the scenery changed, the lights came back, revealing a row of benches, a circular fence, and a platform in front of them with another desk towering over everything on the stage.

    Inside the circular fence was the Human God, behind him on the benches sat many people wearing plain white masks. The one who stood out from the crowd was the woman with a crow mask who sat in the front row. On the desk on the platform sat a man with a white mask with an angry expression.

    As the play started, the angry man struck the desk with a wooden hammer three times. ¡°I am Jarian, God Of Justice. And today, I will punish those who committed a crime. Something that hadn¡¯t happened for three thousand years. Murder of a god.¡± Said the angry man with a strong tone that vibrated in everyone''s ears.

    At first, the actors on the benches let out gasps of disbelief, and then the watching crowd followed. ¡°Hanis, God Of Humans. You¡¯re accused of killing a fellow god. Do you have anything for your defense?¡± Asked Jarian, the God Of Justice.

    Hanis looked at the gods sitting on the benches behind him, looking for anyone who would stand by his side and put a good word. His gaze long stayed on an empty seat, and then lastly, he looked at the woman in a crow mask.

    ¡°No, your honor¡­¡± Said the Human God with disappointment as he lowered his head in shame.

    ¡°Does any witness want to speak up and tell us what they saw?¡± Asked the God Of Justice as he looked at the crowd, waiting for a response. One hand rose from the crowd of gods. ¡°Sienna. You may speak.¡± Said the man with a nod of approval toward the woman in a crow mask.

    The woman stood up and faced the judge. ¡°I didn¡¯t see how it began, but once we arrived, Hanis was on top of Karos, pummeling what remained of Karos¡¯s face. It was a horrible sight, the blood on his hands¡­¡± Sienna explained and turned to the crowd of gods with trembling hands in front of her as if they were covered in blood.

    The gods began to whisper aggressively between each other, even raising their voices from time to time. The sound of a hammer hitting the desk made them stop and all of the gods turned toward the judge.

    ¡°Hanis. I declare you guilty of murder. As your punishment, you¡¯ll replace Karos as the god of death. You¡¯ll be responsible for killing your creation.¡± Announced Jarian as he hit the desk with his hammer.

    ¡°No¡­ No. No.¡± Whispered the God Of Humans, placing both hands on his head out of frustration.

    ¡°That¡¯s not enough!¡± Shouted one god from the crowd.

    ¡°You want more?¡± Asked the God Of Justice, not surprised, order from a fellow god. The crowd agreed, and the hammer hit the desk once more. ¡°Humanity will be punished as well. We¡¯ll drown the world and slowly kill off all the humans.¡±

    The crowd of gods lets out their joy to be heard by everyone, clapping their hands, jumping in place, and celebrating the decision made by Jarian, God Of Justice.

    ¡°And to ensure you¡¯ll do your job. A seal will be placed on you.¡± As the judge said that, all the gods turned around to face a man in grey robes and an empty grey mask. In his hand, he had a branding iron used for marking cows. The tip of it was still red and hot.

    Two men took Hanis to his knees and revealed his back. The man with the branding iron lifted it for everyone to see, the crowd let out a shocked gasp and went silent to continue watching the thrilling scene. The man then pressed the hot iron against the man¡¯s back. Hanis let out a painful scream before he collapsed from the pain.

    The lights went out except for a single one pointed at one person on the stage. Sive stood there as the rest of the staff took the props away. ¡°Hanis replaced the God Of Death and continued to kill his own creation. Humans. The beings he created and loved. His younger brother couldn¡¯t watch his brother any longer. The punishment was taking a toll on his mind. Young Vetra disappeared from the pantheon, and when he disappeared, new humans began to surface into the battle. Blessed with unusual powers and strength. The gods decided to call them Stranded, as they didn¡¯t belong in this world. The pantheon accepted the challenge and answered by creating something they called Drowned. Monsters with the purpose of drowning those poor lost souls. But the gods noticed humans that could very well do the same job as the monsters, blessing them with unimaginable power, making them Drowned as well.¡±

    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen. I have something to tell you today. I kept it for a moment like this. At this stage, they are both Stranded and Drowned. THE GODS THEMSELVES CHOSE ME TO BRING THE GREATEST TRAGEDY ON EARTH! I AM DROWNED!¡± Announced Sive, looking up toward the gods with open hands, and the audience clapped. He bowed in both directions to thank them.

 4.2 Dramatic Act

    ¡°But who might be The Stranded?¡± Sive asked with wide-open eyes, his expression as if he was surprised himself by the answer he hadn¡¯t revealed yet. He then dramatically turned around and pointed his finger at the other side of the stage. The light shone at a wooden pole and a woman strapped to it.

    Navia had her armor taken off, leaving only a tight black shirt and dark leather pants. She stood there with her head low as she wasn¡¯t conscious yet. At the snap of Sive fingers, she woke up. At first, looking around, confused, not knowing what had happened to her.

    Her eyes then locked on Sive, mixed feelings rushing through her and her face. Fear, anxiety, disbelief, sadness, and anger. ¡°Who are you?!¡± Shouted Navia, demanding an answer.

    ¡°I am a man chosen by the gods. A human between the monsters. Drowned in the power given by the gods. I am Sive The Puppeteer!¡± Announced dramatically and the crowd clapped. ¡°And if not for your hair, I would mistake you for a boy¡­ Just a slight change of hairstyle and you could fit any role! But I must end your life¡­ You almost tricked me with your answer with the blood.¡± Sive approached Navia to face her, his eyes curious while hers were red out of anger and sadness.

    ¡°Tricked you? You were the one lying!¡± Shouted Navia, spitting on his face as she did so.

    ¡°Your blood is dark because you¡¯re stranded. Chosen by Vetra to fight the tides, drowned, and eventually the gods.¡± Answered Sive as he lifted Navia¡¯s head with his hand so he could take a closer look into her ocean-blue eyes.

    ¡°What kind of nonsense is this?¡± She asked, her chin barely moving as Sive still held it.

    ¡°Want proof?¡± Sive took out Navia¡¯s dagger from under his cloak and put it against her throat. She lifted her head to get away from the blade, but Sive moved the dagger as well, licking his lips. ¡°Kidding. I won¡¯t cut your throat. This should be enough.¡± He then cut her forearm with a wide swing, letting the blood splatter in front of her.

    She looked down at it, and then he put the dagger close to her face, black liquid dripping down from the dagger. She ignored the pain as her thoughts were lost, her gaze locked on the dark blood. ¡°It¡­ Can¡¯t be¡­ my blood¡­¡± She muttered.

    ¡°Oh, it is. You are stranded. A being that shouldn¡¯t be in this world. You¡¯re forced to stay here, but I will help you to get to the other side¡­ And I¡¯ll make a goddamn good show out of it.¡± Sive whispered that to her ear and backed away. ¡°This part of the play will be improvised! But I promise you¡­ It will be a drama you all desired!¡± Announced Sive with all the excitement he could muster.

    The light stopped shining on him, letting Sive leave the stage in the dark, away from the crowd¡¯s eye. Five lights appeared on the stage, and five people with lit torches stood in front of the wooden pole. Blue robes and a white painted eye on their foreheads. No masks on their face, revealing angry expressions, but deep in their eyes was a different feeling. Fear.

    They all said at the same time ¡°The gods chose to punish us! We must not resist! You!¡± They pointed their fingers at the tied to the pole Navia. ¡°You were made to resist the act of god. Defying the gods'' words is the biggest sin. You must be punished!¡± The group talked at the same time as they walked toward Navia. ¡°And your punishment will be¡­¡±

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    ¡°Death!¡± Shouted Sive, standing right behind Navia. He then whispered, ¡°By the hands of people you wanted to save¡­¡±

    Sive tossed a knife to the ground in front of the actors. One of them reached for the knife, and as the young woman grabbed it, tears began flowing from her eyes. She resisted picking it up, but as she felt Sive¡¯s sharp gaze, her will to fight back disappeared. She was the first to approach Navia and stab her once with a knife to the side of her abdomen. Shallow enough to not wound her organs.

    Navia let out a grunt of pain and whispered, ¡°Stop it¡­¡±

    The woman stepped back and gave the knife to another person, an elderly man. His hands were shaking as he held the weapon, his lips trembled as if he tried to say something. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± The old man whispered as he cut Navia¡¯s right arm. This time, she screamed out of pain as her arm was already injured from the time when she missed the jump from the roof.

    The old man slowly backed away and held the knife to the side, which a young boy quickly grabbed and ran up to Navia, imbuing the blade into her left leg. He then looked right at her with a wide grin on his face, his eyes empty as his mind was already lost. Since Navia didn¡¯t react to his attack he twisted the knife, forcing a pained moan.

    The boy ran back, laughing as he gave the weapon to a young man with pale skin and dark veins. His movements were calm but decisive as he moved forward, looking for a spot on Navia¡¯s body to strike. His eyes locked on her eyes. He raised the knife to level with his own head. ¡°No. No. No!¡± Shouted Navia as the man walked toward her.

    She watched as the tip of the knife moved closer to her eye. Her heart was racing as if it was going to burst out of her chest and push the attacker away. Her whole body was shaking out of fear. She felt hopeless, without the power to fight back.

    Navia then felt a whisper in her ear of a woman, her voice firm and decisive, ¡°Kill¡­¡± then another whisper of the same voice, ¡°Kill him¡­¡± And she felt something behind her, a feeling that tapped her mind. The only person who was standing behind her was Sive. ¡°Kill him¡­¡±

    At that moment, fear was erased from her head, and those words were repeated, not giving her a moment to calm down ¡°Kill him! Kill him!¡± Strength came back to her body, letting her move. With all her force, she snapped the rope that tied her arms and grabbed the hand of the pale man, twisting his wrist so he would drop the knife. Before it could fall to the ground, she grabbed it with her other arm, and with one swift move, the rope on her legs was cut.

    Sive was stunned by the sudden burst of strength from Navia that he stood there in place, watching. He didn¡¯t react as Navia kneeled to the ground and spun around, only seeing her extended arm. He saw a flash of light in front of him. Sive felt something warm on his face. Placing a hand on that place, he felt that his mask was missing, and looking at his wet hand, he saw blood. His own blood.

    Once he saw Navia running toward him, he shouted, ¡°Defend me!¡± and lifted his arm, his hand as if he was pulling something, and running, Navia flew past the old man and young woman that stabbed her earlier. They blocked her path for a clean punch and as she tried to avoid them their bodies moved accordingly with her position.

    ¡°Kill him¡­¡± Echoed in her head, and to calm that voice, she decided to try an attack between the two bodyguards. As her punch flew forward, she saw the old man¡¯s terrified face; this punch could very well kill him. Sive was cautious and used the kid to slow her down by trying to drag her away. Navia stopped her fist right in front of the old man¡¯s nose.

    Seeing the hesitation, Sive used all three of the actors to restrain her, or at least pin her to one place while he could get away. As she struggled to get free without injuring those people, she felt a cold sting between her ribs, looking to the side, she noticed the pale man¡¯s hand holding a knife that was in her.

 4.3 Dramatic Act

    ¡°He is controlling them¡­¡± Desperately thought Navia, not wanting to hurt innocent people.

    ¡°If you want to kill HIM, you must get rid of his pawns.¡± The whisper appeared in her head once more.

    ¡°No! I can¡¯t! They are people!¡± Navia shouted to Sive, sounding like a mad person who had lost their mind. Even in that situation, he couldn¡¯t resist his urge to stop and write that down.

    ¡°Those that look like a person? Or a puppet used by this man¡­¡± Navia took a look at the child who was smiling like a madman, not a single thought in his head. ¡°A man that you want to kill... THAT YOU NEED TO KILL.¡± The whisper changed its tone and commanded Navia.

    Navia suddenly kicked the child who was clinging to her leg, knocking him away. She then quickly grabbed the man with a knife by his arm and pulled him closer for a headbutt to his chin, knocking the man unconscious. The old man and the woman struggled to pin her in place but once she stopped restraining herself she threw the controlled woman over her shoulder into the old man.

    Once Sive finished writing, he saw Navia running toward him, her expression no longer anger or grief. Her eyes were focused on him, and that was all that was on her mind. ¡°Kill him.¡± Whispered Navia, sending shivers down Sive¡¯s spine.

    ¡°GET AWAY FROM ME!¡± Sive shouted desperately as he spread his arms to both sides and pulled them to his chest as if he were dragging something. Suddenly, two more people flew to the center of the stage between Sive and Navia. The two men raised their arms, ready to punch the oncoming Navia.

    The first man was kicked with a knee to his stomach, making him vomit on the spot and fall to his knees. The other man threw himself at Navia, trying to tackle her. She effortlessly avoided him and pushed him so he would hit the ground much harder. As she thought that her path was clear, she heard as if an army was marching right beside her.

    The whole crowd jumped off the stands from both sides. The first people were sacrificed for a softer landing for the next ones who jumped down. A massive crowd of people quickly flooded the stage.

    Without much thinking, Navia punched the young man who was in her way straight in the jaw; the next person was struck with an elbow to the throat. She continued fighting her way to Sive, except the people didn¡¯t attack her. All of them were standing still, looking in random directions.

    ¡°You can¡¯t hide!¡± Shouted Navia, pushing and shoving people out of her way forward, looking for the Drowned in unusual clothing compared to all the citizens of the shelter.

    ¡°Good actor know how to blend in with the crowd.¡± All the people said at the same time, only their mouths moving.

    Navia slowed down to listen to the crowd and understood that running around wouldn''t help her. In the moment of silence, she heard her blood dripping down to the ground.

    ¡°If I don¡¯t do something I¡¯m going to bleed out¡­¡± Navia ripped the sleeve of her shirt and wrapped it around her wounded arm, using the other sleeve to wrap the wound on her leg.

    As she was taking care of her wounded leg, she heard footsteps behind her. Looking back, she saw a woman with a raised hand to punch her in the back of the head. Navia swept her legs and knocked the woman with one punch to the face.

    ¡°Hey! Stop breaking my dolls!¡± The whole crowd shouted at the same time, making Navia cover her ears from the loud noise.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°They are not dolls! They are¡­¡± Navia wanted to argue with the madman but the whisper came back to her mind ¡°Kill him.¡±

    At that sound, she turned to her left and began sprinting. She saw his hat between the people, trying to cover himself with them. While she was focused on finding him, another person extended his arm to slow her down and then grabbed her, trying to stop her.

    Navia raised her arm, and with all her strength, she hit the man in the arm with her elbow. The noise of his bone snapping was heard throughout the whole tent; the whole crowd let out a surprised gasp except for the man, who fell flat to the ground.

    Continuing her run, once she saw the bowler hat close to her, she took one long step and took her fist back, taking another long step, she extended her arm and threw a straight punch to the face. The body tumbled through the ground and stopped right in front of an old woman, a single tear falling from her face.

    Navia realized that she had punched the wrong person, it was a young man with blond hair, the exact opposite of Sive. The man¡¯s face swelled from the punch he had received with a tooth right by his nose.

    ¡°He should be here. I felt it.¡± Thought Navia, while lost in her thoughts, didn¡¯t see what was right beside her. She barely saw the object as it hit her in the face. Blood from her mouth splattered to the ground.

    Sive stood right by her without his cloak and hat with a wooden cane covered with dark blood. As she threw a punch toward him, another person jumped to his aid and blocked the attack with their chest. The ribcage of the young construction worker caved in. As he fell to the ground, Navia lost sight of the wicked Sive.

    ¡°He barely started his first work.¡± An old woman with the young man under her feet said, looking at Navia.

    She turned around to face her, disbelief and sorrow in Navia¡¯s wide-open eyes. Her gaze then quickly moved to another citizen who spoke ¡°Picked a job at a young age to help his poor family.¡± Said a man with a bushy black beard, standing sideways but turning his head to look at Navia.

    ¡°Now he won¡¯t be able to help his family.¡± Said an elderly woman in a simple grey dress, tears falling down onto the body of a young builder. His chest wasn¡¯t moving as his heart stopped beating. ¡°You killed him.¡±

    ¡°No¡­ No¡­¡± Whispered Navia, looking at the body of the young builder in disbelief. The whisper continued to ring in her head, ¡°Kill him.¡± and the two thoughts collided and repeated in her head, ¡°No. Kill him. No. Kill him. No! Kill him! NO! NO! NO!¡± Navia fell to her knees and let out a scream; the sound slowly changed and her pitch changed from a scream of sorrow to the scream worthy of a banshee. The high-pitched sound vibrated through the heads of nearby people, blood started coming out of their ears and eyes, and they fell dead to the ground.

    ¡°Did you all see that?! She is a monster! No better than me!¡± Sive shouted, hidden between the people he controlled. The people were resisting Drowned power, but once another monster appeared, their thoughts changed, and all of them had mixed feelings. No one was sure of what to do about all of it, giving Sive more space to control them.

    Sive brought his hands close to his chest, lifting and moving his fingers as if threads were attached to them. ¡°Defend your families!¡± Shouted the mad director, and two old men with muscles built after years of hard labor ran from the crowd toward Navia.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get close¡­ Stay away!¡± Desperately shouted Navia as she used her legs to push herself away from the running puppets. Waving her hands, trying to push them away with invisible force.

    ¡°They are no longer resisting his power¡­ You know what that means? They want you dead.¡± The whisper informed Navia, and as if the whisper had its own body, it pointed Navia¡¯s gaze at the men¡¯s eyes. There was no sorrow behind them, they wanted her dead.

    ¡°You¡¯re lying¡­¡± Answered Navia, her voice and body trembling.

    ¡°Want to stay alive?¡± The whisper asked but Navia didn¡¯t answer, she was looking at the ground, lost in her thoughts. ¡°Or do you want to break the promise you made with your husband?¡± Added the whisper.

    ¡°No¡­¡± Navia answered very silently, trying to imagine Taizen by her side, expecting his voice to come next but her husband remained silent.

    ¡°Or have you forgotten about your daughter back home?¡± The whisper asked, getting a response from Navia of a sudden twitch of her body. The memories overrun her head, memories she didn¡¯t remember an hour ago. Now, all of them were clear as day.

    ¡°How could I forget her name¡­ Emma¡­¡± Navia whispered in disbelief, tears running down her face.

 4.4 Dramatic Act

    One of the attackers threw a straight punch at Navia while she had her eyes down. The man stopped moving as his fist was locked in Navia¡¯s hand. From a sitting position, she jumped and wrapped her legs around the man¡¯s arm, pinning him down to the ground. She pulled his arm until it got dislocated from his shoulder.

    As the other attacker approached her, she kicked away his leg, making him fall to the ground. Before he could stand back up, she kicked him in the chin to knock him down.

    With a quick glance, she found out where Sive was hiding and dashed forward. With a wide swing, he pointed his open hand toward running Navia, and five other people jumped to block her path.

    ¡°You coward! Fight with your own hands!¡± Navia sidestepped each person that blocked her path and with a quick move, she hit each one of them in the back of the head. As she was standing in front of Sive all five people behind her fell down to the ground.

    Sive picked up his guard to fight and stood strong, but his eyes said something different. He was terrified of her. To hide it, he threw himself first with a straight punch, but it was aimed randomly and moved very slowly. With a single step to the side, she avoided the attack and spun around to do a half-kick into his back.

    He quickly recovered and threw himself again, this time bending forward with one hand close to his head and the other ready for a punch. Navia didn¡¯t avoid Sive¡¯s attack, she dashed forward with a knee in front, hitting him square in the jaw.

    As Sive growled on the ground, grabbing his injured jaw, Navia slowly walked toward him. ¡°Most of the people would be knocked down with that kind of attack. The gods gave you power, but you have no skill to back it up.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not a brute like you!¡± Shouted Sive, drops of blood spurting between his saliva. ¡°I have a different role¡­ In this war¡­ I am a commander!¡± Sive clenched his hand into a fist, and five people began running toward Navia. She was ready to fight back, looking for the first person to strike, but they didn¡¯t. They only ran forward, passing by her and continuing their run.

    Turning around to finish the Drowned Puppeteer with a fist ready to pummel his face like the actor who played Death, Navia noticed that Sive was missing. Looking around for him, she tossed the standing people to the side, focused on one thing. Finding him and killing him.

    ¡°Hey! What are you doing!¡± Shouted a man who Navia pushed to the side. His shout woke everyone from their daze; people began looking around, confused, chattering about what had just happened.

    Then cries came from behind Navia. People were mourning the dead, and children looked for their parents in the crowd, shouting ¡°Mama! Papa!¡± as they cried.

    Navia wanted to push forward to look for Sive, but people blocked her way. When she tried to toss them to the side, another person grabbed her by the shoulder. She spun around and hit the man with the side of her hand, making him realize her. The people gasped with mixed emotions, some surprise, some fear.

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    Those different emotions of a hundred people woke Navia up from her focus. The people were no longer controlled by Sive. ¡°Did he free them from the grasp of his power? Or did he run away and lose the grip on those people?¡± Thought Navia as she still looked for Sive, but the people began blocking her sight as all of them surrounded her.

    ¡°How could you?! Killer! Murderer!¡± Shouted the crowd, making Navia feel much smaller, like an ant in the middle of the street.

    ¡°I am not a monster¡­ I¡­ I tried to save you. I came here to help!¡± Shouted Navia, trying to sound reassuring. ¡°I¡¯m from The Order Of Tomorrow! That man controlled you and imprisoned you in here! But he ran away! You¡¯re all safe!¡± Reassured Navia, but her confidence disappeared once the people''s faces didn¡¯t change. There was anger in their eyes.

    ¡°Since when does Order Of Tomorrow recruit monsters?! You¡¯re a liar!¡± The crowd continued to shout, their anger increasing once they noticed that Navia felt overwhelmed by them, looking like a harmless child.

    ¡°He was the monster who controlled all of you. Used for those sick theaters. I am a human, just like you¡­¡± Answered Navia, losing the vigor she had a moment ago as she saw those discordant eyes of the people.

    ¡°Not a single human being bleeds black¡­¡± Said the old woman with tears in her eyes as she stepped in front of the crowd. Navia looked down at the pool of black blood under her, more liquid coming from her wounds. ¡°You were the one who killed my son¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I tried to save-¡± Navia tried to argue with the crowd but they had already made their judgment.

    ¡°You killed them!¡± Another man shouted as he joined the old woman, taking a step in front of her to protect her.

    A soldier wearing a black and gold uniform stepped out of the crowd with a rope in his hands. ¡°By Beronian law, I must arrest you and¡­ let the high judge decide your fate.¡± Said the soldier as he moved toward Navia with a stretched rope to tie her hands.

    She took a step back but felt the crowd getting closer to her. ¡°We should be the ones to judge! We can¡¯t wait months for the process! She needs to be punished!¡± The people shouted as they got closer to Navia, the fear they once had turned into hatred that they wanted to satisfy by punishing the woman in front of them.

    ¡°I had to¡­ They were attacking me¡­ I had to defend myself!¡± Shouted Navia, but the people ignored her arguments. Like Sive said, ¡°You might need more for them to trust you than just the look of a warrior.¡±

    Navia fell to her knees, hiding her head between her arms as people began to reach their hands to grab her. ¡°Stop!¡±

    Looking up, Navia saw the back of a child with spread arms as if she was trying to cover her from the danger, a young girl in a grey dress that used to be white, a jeans jacket that was for someone much bigger than her, sleeves hanging down from her hands. Ragged leather shoes with a hole in the left heel. Auburn hair cut short enough to show her neck, uneven in some places.

    ¡°Mirabell! Get away from that monster!¡± Shouted the old woman with a similar nose shape to the young girl.

    ¡°She is not a monster!¡± Shouted the young girl, firmly stomping her foot out of anger, her face pouted as she looked around the people. Confusion slipped into their minds at the sight of a young girl defending Navia.

    ¡°She killed your brother!¡± The grandmother shouted even louder as she pointed her finger behind her, stepping a bit to the side. The people on the path where she was pointing did the same, revealing the dead body of a young worker with a caved-in chest.

    ¡°And the evil man killed Sam! He used us to kill each other! Tried to make us kill her! That¡¯s not fair to punish her! That¡¯s not fair! THAT¡¯S NOT FAIR!¡± Mirabell shouted louder and louder to get to the people who tried to ignore her.

 4.5 Dramatic Act

    The confusion changed into hesitation. The people looked into each other, looking for anyone who would take initiative in the conversation, and said out loud their opinions.

    Navia stood up and grabbed the young girl by the shoulder, when Mirabell turned around to face her she saw a kind smile. Navia gently closed her eyes and nodded her head toward the girl to thank her.

    With her confidence back, she straightened herself and looked around to check the people''s faces and what they were feeling. It was a mix of everything. ¡°I know you may not know me! My name is Navia Silckthrone, warrior of the Order Of Tomorrow¡­ Vice Captain of Squad number five. We were here on the day of the attack. I was on the frontline and thought that I died¡­ I woke up between the remains of the battlefield, and the first thing I chose to do was to look for survivors, to look for you, to make sure you¡¯ll live to see another sunrise.¡±

    Some faces brightened up, people believed her, or at least wanted to believe her for at least a glimpse of hope, even if a false one. ¡°I know how you feel about your loss¡­ I also lost a loved one on the day of the Tide. I¡¯m not asking for forgiveness. I am asking you to trust me with your life; I want to get you to safety, away from the monsters¡¯ grasp.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying there are monsters still out there?!¡± Shouted a horrified young woman, letting her fear spread to the rest of the crowd.

    ¡°Yes. There are monsters.¡± Navia answered confidently as if that wasn¡¯t a problem. ¡°I only saw Barnacles out there, but I lured them away from the mountain. We could avoid them and get a ship from the port. There is a chance that some of them will come back, but it''s better than waiting for death in this cave. I¡¯m not forcing anyone, but who is willing to trust me and escape this hell?¡± Navia asked with vigor, looking around the people, waiting for someone to join her.

    The Mirabell, who was half Navia¡¯s size, raised her fist. The people looked at each other in shock, they wanted a clear answer from someone but were surprised that a child did that. The grandmother tightly clenched her lips but in the end, she let it go and raised her fist as well. The people slowly joined until all of them decided to follow.

    A genuine smile appeared as Navia looked in each direction, looking at the people who were willing to go with her. ¡°Pick up some food and something to defend yourself with. Don¡¯t get too much, enough to survive, and enough to run with it if necessary! We¡¯ll gather in front of the stairs leading out of the shelter.¡± Gladly ordered Navia, trying to lift the people''s spirits up.

    Navia was the last to leave the tent, looking back at the stage where the dead people were left to rot. They had to leave as fast as they could to have a chance of survival. It will leave a bitter taste in their mouths, but it''s better than rotting with them.

    Once she stepped out of the massive and colorful tent, she saw that half of the small tents were already taken apart. Many used the knives they had to sharpen the sticks that were used to support the tents. Some people picked up the pans they used for cooking to fight with. The materials of the tents were cut to wrap their supplies in them. The people seemed eager to see the sky and leave this place.

    As Navia slowly got to the stairs, the noise calmed down as more people finished their preparations and waited in front of the stairs or helped others to get ready. Taking a few steps up, she took a look at the crowd of around four hundred people with wooden spears, makeshift bags, kitchen tools, and the will to live.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    She raised their dagger high up for everyone to see, the last remaining light of the sunset slipped through the gap of the gates and reflected from Navia¡¯s blade. ¡°Let us see tomorrow¡¯s sun!¡± Shouted Navia with confidence and vigor, which people were glad to see as they raised their weapons and yelled back.

    The crowd of people followed Navia up the stairs with the strongest man in front of the group. Many stayed close to their families, but those who had nothing left were positioned strategically with their wooden spears.

    People squint their eyes as the sun¡¯s light touches them for the first time since they were trapped in the underground shelter. They were glad to see the sky, smiles were warming on their faces. Some even shed a tear or two.

    The older woman tried to take in all the fresh air, expecting a refreshing cold wind from the sea. Instead, she smelt the pungent and nauseating odor of rotten flesh. The sweet, sour, and metallic scent of death.

    A worried man rushed to the old woman as she began coughing but she reassured him with a wave of her hand that she is alright. ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect¡­ Such a strong¡­ smell¡­¡±

    The plaza was clear, not a single sign of monsters. ¡°Careful not to get close to the gate. The monsters are behind those walls in the fog.¡± Navia warned the crowd. Her eyes looked for a way out without going through the whole city. The walls were undamaged, not a sign of a hole to get out through. Jumping on the roofs was out of an option since there were children and elderly in the group.

    ¡°What now?¡± Asked a stressed woman with a pan tightly clenched between her fingers and placed close to her chest, her eyes rapidly moving around to look out for danger.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to figure it out¡­ There are no holes we could use to sneak out¡­ At least not yet.¡± Answered Navia as she figured out a plan. She ordered people to move toward one side of the walls in the corner. ¡°Wait here. I¡¯ll shoot from the cannons to make a hole in the wall. This will attract the monsters, but once all of us leave the district, we¡¯ll be safe. So once I made a hole, I quickly ran and got to the other side. Head to the port and look for a ship we can take.¡±

    When she mentioned the monsters coming toward them, the people began to question her idea, anxious and unsure. ¡°It¡¯s either that or die. Let¡¯s get to it.¡± The blacksmith with his hammer broke the silence of the crowd, his statement calmed people about the plan but the monsters were still in their heads.

    Navia was about to run but she felt a soft hand grabbing her. Looking back she saw Mirabell with a worried look on her face. ¡°Be careful¡­ And come back quickly.¡±

    She kneeled down to be on her level and kissed her on the forehead. ¡°Sure thing little one.¡± Whispered Navia. They looked into each other''s eyes for a moment. Then she gathered her courage and left the group, running toward the wall¡¯s tower to climb up and fire the cannons.

    Slowly opening the doors, she looked inside to check if a barnacle was waiting for her right behind the wooden planks. ¡°Clear.¡± Whispered Navia, entering the tower with a dagger in front.

    Each step echoed through the spiral stairs leading up to the walls. A light slipped through the small windows of the tower. She stopped from time to time to check on the crowd of people waiting for her to create an escape route. She picked up her pace when she heard the creaking sound when she looked at the wrong side of the wall.

    ¡°Some of them are near the gates. I need to get moving.¡± Navia dropped the cautious stand and began running up the stairs. She pushed the door and was about to run to load the cannon.

    ¡°Missed me?¡± Sitting on the cannon was Sive with a short sword in hand, playing with it before Navia came.

 5.1 Tragedy

    ¡°Didn¡¯t scare you enough? Need a reminder?¡± Asked threateningly Navia as she slightly bent her knees and pointed the tip of the dagger at the man sitting on the cannon, treating him more like a bug than a threat.

    ¡°I wanted to make a drama¡­ And I thought it wasn¡¯t enough¡­ I need more. What about¡­ A tragedy?¡± Sive said, revealing the predatory eyes hidden under his hat. With a snap of his fingers, the doors from the tower behind him opened, and two barnacles with sword hands came out.

    ¡°You think that would scare me?¡± Navia asked, her sharp gaze piercing Sive, he could feel those eyes on him even while looking away.

    Sive put a hand near his ear and bent to the side like a mime exaggerating his every move, his expression focused and curious as if he was waiting for something. ¡°Do you hear that?¡± When he asked that, Navia''s focus was on what was below them. The creaking of hundreds of monsters. The barnacles were leaving the fog and entering the plaza.

    Navia ran up to the edge of the wall and with all the air in her lungs she shouted ¡°THE MONSTERS ARE COMING! GET READY!¡±

    Even from far away, she could see the panic and fear overtaking the crowd of people as they saw the barnacles walking through the gate. One man began to run away toward the shelter, and a few others decided to follow him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t separate yourself! You need to stay close! Fight together!¡± Shouted Navia, trying to help the people at least with command while she was away, unable to help them at the moment.

    Some people understood Navia¡¯s wish and got in front of the group with their spears pointed at the upcoming monsters. ¡°Flock of sheep with a shepherd. Against the pack of wolves¡­ Although a better compartment for you would be a cat¡­ Maybe Lynx¡­¡± Said Sive as he waved around his short sword, and pointed at Navia.

    ¡°Last warning¡­ Back away, and you might still live to see another day.¡± Navia warned the man and held her dagger close, ready to dash forward and aim for a kill.

    Sive stood up and looked back as if considering her suggestion. ¡°I am curious about one thing¡­ Back there. On the stage. You found me. How?¡± Asking he turned toward Navia with a confused frown, not finding any idea how she accomplished that.

    ¡°Just a hunch.¡± Plainly answered Naiva, not even trying to remember how she actually did that and not wanting to give a proper answer to Sive.

    ¡°Hunch¡­ I constantly moved, and she always changed direction toward me¡­ When she was in that¡­ State? Flow?¡± Sive considered her answer and had his eyes locked on the dagger Navia held. ¡°I know you¡¯ll find me eventually¡­ It¡¯s better to get rid of you before you get stronger.¡± Sive pointed his sword forward, and the two barnacles ran past him. One was a head taller than the other and a bit bulkier.

    The smaller barnacle was faster, and it quickly got to Navia with both blades, ready to pray at the woman. She pushed the monster away with a kick as it was very light and tried to finish it while the barnacle¡¯s arms were up. Navia thrust her dagger forward, aiming for its chest. Her blade stopped in place as it met the bone sword of the bigger barnacle.

    ¡°It shielded him? But they are brainless monsters¡­¡± Thought shocked Navia, suddenly feeling cold by what she had just witnessed. Something that used to be impossible, unimaginable until now. Her eyes lingered on the two barnacles that she barely noticed the shining blade beside them.

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    The cold went away as she quickly had to respond to an unexpectedly coordinated attack. Jumping back, she wasn¡¯t even able to lift her dagger to protect herself. She could see the reflection of her eyes right on the blade that scratched the tip of her nose and cut part of her long braid.

    They all froze in place, Sive observed with a sly smile as the blood dripped from Navia¡¯s nose while her eyes were on the cut-off braid lying right in front of Sive¡¯s feet.

    ¡°That was unexpected¡­ Or not¡­ I had forgotten about his power to control people. He can do the same with monsters¡­¡± She thought as she closely observed the movement of the monsters and Sive¡¯s hands as they moved with the slightest twitch of his fingers.

    ¡°Like my choice of weapons? A short sword, light and fast. Good for someone without much experience with a blade.¡± Sive ran his finger across the blade, watching his own reflection in it. ¡°Swift bladed barnacle and to accompany us one bigger barnacle. Even with our inhumane strength, we can¡¯t overpower him.¡± He then patted both the monsters on the back, they didn¡¯t lash out at him, they simply stayed in place. ¡°I didn¡¯t cut off your tongue. Only scratched a nose.¡± Said Sive a bit impatient as he expected an answer from Navia, wanting a conversation like in play.

    ¡°I¡¯ll say it again because you seem to have forgotten. You¡¯re a coward.¡± Said Navia, getting closer to the ground, leaning forward, and supporting herself with her left hand so as not to fall while the right hand with a dagger was behind her back.

    Sive quickly moved back and the two monsters blocked Navia¡¯s path to him. She knew his tactic very well and since those weren¡¯t people but monsters, she wasn¡¯t about to hold back.

    Leaving only dust behind, she dashed forward, and the massive barnacle stepped forward to meet her blade. It aimed its sword arm right at Navia¡¯s throat, but she was faster. Jumping in front of it, she landed on its hand with her arms, stabbing it right in the arm and, at the same time, kicking the barnacle in the head.

    While the monster lost its balance and moved back, the smaller barnacle dashed into the action. Both of its blades were ready to prey on Navia before she could land back on the ground. That would be if that was her intention. Spinning around mid-air, she threw the dagger at the running monster. She smiled as she couldn¡¯t see Sive because he was standing behind the giant barnacle.

    ¡°Can¡¯t block what you can¡¯t see.¡± The dagger pierced the monster''s head. Navia landed and dashed toward the massive barnacle, before the smaller one could hit the ground, she grabbed her dagger from its falling body.

    The massive barnacle spread its leg a bit so Sive could have a better view of the situation. His face went pale a bit as he saw the nimble barnacle lying dead on the ground and Navia running toward him.

    ¡°Get her!¡± Shouted Sive as he lifted his hand, all of his fingers touching together, holding an invisible line that controlled the monster in front of him. The barnacle lifted both of its blades, and they fell down at running Navia.

    Compared to when she used her Wind Step, she was much slower but still faster than a normal human. Navia thought she moved as fast as she used to with Wind Step, but she was wrong. Seeing the shadow of both blades above her made her instinct tingle. Both of her legs were rooted to the ground, and the dagger was ready to block the falling blades.

    Once the blades met, it felt as if she was at the bottom of a waterfall. The falling water was heavier than anything she had ever tried to lift or block. Much stronger than her husband in the sparring match.

    ¡°It¡¯s as if five Taizens were trying to break my guard!¡± Navia fell down to her knees, the blades coming closer to her face. No matter how hard she tried to push back the results were the shaking of her hands.

    ¡°I told you. He is stronger than any of us!¡± Shouted Sive as he appeared by Navia¡¯s side, his sword by his chest, ready for a thrust. He had a maniacal smile on his face as he had already imagined the sword going into Navia¡¯s throat.

 5.2 Tragedy

    A memory flashed in Navia¡¯s head. She was sitting on the floor in a room in the shape of a long rectangle surrounded by stone walls. The floor was made of wood that slightly bent under her. It was light and flexible, perfect for a sparring match where the fighters would throw themselves to the ground. She was in a loose gray robe tied by a black belt and loose gray pants. Under them, she wore a tight black shirt and pants. Navia¡¯s hair was tied into a braid that barely reached her shoulders.

    By the wall to both of her sides sat ten more people in the same robes as her. In front of them stood a man in silver armor and a teal cape. The man was bald but had bushy eyebrows and a thick mustache. His cape was attached to the armor by golden pins by his collarbones, the teal material was lying on his shoulders like he was wrapped in a blanket.

    ¡°Recruits. Today, we have a visitor from The Monastery. Master Liang will teach you about the gates.¡± The man was old, but his voice still held strength and superiority worthy of a commander. He stepped aside and revealed a short man who was even older looking than him.

    Master Liang wore a loose white shirt and linen pants. A red robe falls on his chest and back, reaching beneath his knees. On his head, he had a straw kasa. His eyes were white, and everyone thought he was blind, but he proved everyone wrong as his head turned to each of the recruits to inspect them.

    The master slightly bowed, and a few of the recruits returned the greeting while the rest looked a bit disoriented by this way of greeting. The man took a shallow breath and spoke, ¡°Does anyone know what gates are?¡±

    The young woman on the far right side raised her hand. Her skin was ashen, but she seemed like a lively person with pinkish hair tied into two buns. Master Liang bowed his head toward the woman, letting her speak. ¡°Gates are our inner powers that currently lie dormant or, as we call them, Closed Gates. Each gate is different, but some people share similar powers.¡±

    ¡°May I know your name?¡± The master asked as he pointed his open hand toward the woman who had just answered.

    She stood up and placed a hand near her heart. ¡°My name is Marim Livanov.¡± Then, she sat back down with the rest of the recruits.

    ¡°Like Miss Livanov just said. Gates are our inner powers.¡± The master began walking in circles from one end of the line to the other. ¡°In each of us is a gate that holds power behind it. When we need that power, we open those gates. No one knows how many gates are hidden inside us and what they hold inside.¡± He then stopped and looked at each recruit. ¡°Now. Another question. How do we find those Gates?¡±

    The recruits looked around in each other''s eyes, hoping that they would find the answer in them. They then began to whisper to each other, which was quickly stopped by a firm stomp from the elder in the armor and his firm look that was enough to warn them from any more chatter.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    ¡°There is no need for that, Sir Prim.¡± Said Master Liang with an extended open hand toward the elder in the armor as if he was calming an agitated animal. ¡°It wasn¡¯t an easy question. I¡¯ll give the answer you seek. There are two ways. The most commonly used is meditation. Entering your soul to look for the gate is like looking for a door in a sea of fog. You don¡¯t know where to go and where you have already been. Sometimes, you even pass the gates unknowingly. Once you find them, there is another problem. They are often closed. There are many ways to open them. Some need a strong push, some have a puzzle instead of a simple handle, and some are more complicated than the rest. Testing if we are worthy of the power lying dormant behind them.¡± Explained Master Liang.

    Without raising a hand, Navia spoke up, ¡°What about the second way of finding a gate?¡± She asked while sitting with both of her hands lying on her legs.

    Before Sir Prim could scold her, Master Liang lifted his hand, stopping the elder from whatever he was about to do as he barely made a step forward. Making the man flinch in surprise instead. ¡°The second way is much rarer. We¡¯re not meditating to find a gate or try to open it. The situation forces our souls to open the gate. It¡¯s almost like a survival instinct.¡±

    The whole memory flashed in a second, and the blade barely got closer to her throat. In her head, she could hear doors being forcefully busted open. The wound on her arm opened up, and the trails of blood ran into her hand, hardening and creating a dark dagger. Not questioning the situation, she threw the dagger into the barnacle¡¯s leg, severing the muscles above an ankle. The monster lost its balance and fell to the side. No longer under pressure from the barnacle, Navia turned to face Sive, who was now without any pawns to use.

    Raising her dagger to defend against the attack from Sive, she also lifted his sword. They were inches away from each other with their arms in the air. Before Sive could even try to think of a response, he got headbutted right in the face.

    The hit was so strong he had to take a few steps back to not fall down to the ground, holding his nose that was bleeding while the short sword remained on the ground in front of Navia.

    ¡°Shi-¡± Before he could even finish cursing, he saw a flash of reflected light from Navia¡¯s dagger. He took a step back, barely in time. The dagger cut deep into his already broken nose. Even more blood was pouring down from his face.

    Sive was lying on the ground, both of his hands covered with his own blood. He tried to use his power to control the remaining barnacle, but when he tried to pull the invisible thread, all he could grab was air. Looking at the monster, he noticed a dark knife stuck in its head.

    ¡°I¡­ I was chosen by the gods! They demand a tragedy! Tragedy to humankind!¡± Shouted Sive with a trembling voice as he backed away from Navia. He was terrified, no way of defending himself with powers. Looking like a rabbit cornered by a fox.

    ¡°They demand a tragedy? I¡¯ll give them one¡­ But¡­ They will play the victims.¡± Navia threatened aggressively, but it barely felt like her words as if she read someone¡¯s letter out loud.

    ¡°Is she¡­ Also, a pawn? An actor in someone¡¯s play?¡± That was the last thought Sive had before a dagger cut open his skull, red blood splattering on Navia¡¯s hands and face.

    After killing him, Navia felt her focus coming back, slowly realizing her current situation. ¡°The people!¡± She shouted with frustration as she moved to the edge of the wall to check on the people. Around fifty of them were running up the stairs back to the shelter while a group of monsters was moving after them.

 5.3 Tragedy

    The group at the wall was broken up, and people panicked and hesitated between two options. Fighting back or running away to hide in the shelter. Those who were brave died to defend the people who remained. With nothing left in this world, they felt fulfilled and glad they were about to join their family in the afterlife. Many felt fear that was visible even from the top of the wall. Constant screams and shouts, people running away and back.

    After the man in the first line died, the second line quickly jumped in front with their wooden spears. Between them was a young man who lost his father and sister in one of the sick plays organized by Sive. He thrust his wooden spear into the first barnacle he saw in front of him. The spear went right into its chest, killing the monster on the spot, but instead of coming through the other side of its chest, the spear broke, leaving him unarmed. He punched the upcoming barnacle square in the face, but it barely did anything. The hideous monster grabbed him by the arm and face, pulling and scratching his flesh. The man screamed in agony, but the brave had already fallen. No one even attempted to help him; they simply watched or tried to move away from the monsters.

    The remaining people pushed against each other, trying to get closer to the wall, away from the horde of monsters. Impatiently, they watched the walls and waited for the cannon fire as the monsters killed them one by one.

    ¡°That devil used us! We were just bait!¡± Shouted a woman in her forties. She squeezed through the group and tried to run to the shelter. ¡°I¡¯m not staying here to die!¡± She shouted, but her heart stopped as she saw that the group that tried to escape was already dead. Their blood flowed down the stairs like a small waterfall, painting them crimson red. She wanted to turn around and hide behind the remaining people, but it was too late. A barnacle grabbed the skin on her back and pulled down, skinning her back and slowly getting to her insides as the woman screamed her lungs out and her life slowly slipped away from the body.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t leave us!¡± Shouted Mirabell, sheltered by the people who knew her and her family, who were very close friends.

    Both people and monsters turned toward the walls as they heard loud explosions. They watched as the cannon balls flew into the wall, making a gap wide enough for one person at a time to squeeze through. All of them decided to run to the hole to get away from the monsters. They pushed against each other, wanting to be the first one on the other side, not caring about the lives of others as their own was on the line.

    A desperate man pushed the people in front of him, making a woman stumble and fall to the ground. Her knees were scratched, and blood was slowly coming out of her dirty, shallow wounds. The stinging pain made it harder for her to stand back up. She felt a hand on her shoulder, thinking it was someone who had come to help her. Suddenly, a hot pain surged through her body as the barnacle tore the skin off her shoulder, dislocating it as he pulled the skin down. She screamed out her pain, but no one came to the rescue. All of them had one thing in mind. Get to the other side.

    The man who desperately pushed all the people aside got first to the hole and tried to squeeze through it as he was a bit bigger than the hole. People were impatient, and another young man pulled him back so he could get to the other side first.

    ¡°What the fuck are you doing!¡± The desperate man grabbed the young man before he could even try getting to the other side, his face red out of anger.

    ¡°What the fuck are YOU DOING!¡± The young man argued back and punched the man in the face without any warning, breaking his nose.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    The man spit out a broken tooth and jumped the young man, starting a fight by the hole and blocking the path for the others. Whoever tried to push them aside got hit as well and joined the fight. The horde of barnacles slowly killed those on the back, leaving a trail of corpses with flesh and meat torn off their bodies. A masaker, butchery, tragedy¡­

    Mirabell looked in front of her at the group of people fighting each other to try to get to the other side, and looking back at the monsters, they killed many people and were getting closer to the wall. Clear fear in her eyes, and tears slowly appeared on her face as she didn¡¯t see any hope.

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to die¡­¡± She barely whispered as her throat got clogged by the fear of death and the air trying to escape her lungs as she sobbed, making it hard to breathe.

    Suddenly, she was grabbed into an embrace by an older man with a few grey hairs appearing on his slick black hair. ¡°You won¡¯t.¡± He firmly said as he pushed forward to the hole.

    ¡°Mister Brint¡­¡± Whispered Mirabell as she recognized the voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m with you!¡± A young man, Mister Brint¡¯s son, joined in pushing the people to help them get to the gap in the wall.

    Then, two more men and two young women, close friends of Mirabell¡¯s family, joined them to carry the scared and confused girl. Mister Brint¡¯s son punched the man who tried to get into the hole in the face, pushing him into the fighting group. Before the man could stand up and pay back, he got dragged into another fight. As two other fighting men trampled against him, mixing him into the fight.

    A woman with a bleeding head and hair from the side of her head torn off from the fight saw an opportunity and rushed forward to the gap in the wall. Her path got blocked by a man who wanted to help Mirabell. He took a punch to the abdomen from the woman, and as she tried to poke his eye out to get through, his sister kicked the woman in the leg, making her fall to the ground with a loud thud. The rest of the group joined and made a wall to protect Mirabell as Mister Brint helped her get to the other side.

    While standing in front of the gap, Mirabell looked back at Mister Brint and saw the barnacles behind him getting closer. ¡°You need to get to the other side! Quick!¡± In a rush, she tried to make space for the man to go through, but he didn¡¯t move.

    Mister Brint pushed her to the other side, ¡°At least you must survive, Mira¡­¡± he said as he turned his back against the wall to block the path for those furious people and the monsters that were slowly tearing their way into the crowd, or at least what was left of it. With his guard up, he prayed for the girl¡¯s safety and awaited the inevitable.

    ¡°I hope that was enough to repay my debt to you¡­ Mirco¡­¡± Whispered Mister Brint as he braced himself for the man who raised a fist against him.

    ¡°No! No! Get to the other side!¡± Shouted Mirabell as she tried to get back to the other side of the wall to her friends. As she placed her hand on the wall to get up into the gap, she heard the last scream, and all the sounds vanished.

    ¡°No¡­¡± She barely whispered between the sobs and heavy tears that made her tiny face shine in the remaining sunlight. ¡°No. No. Please be alive.¡± Mirabell decided to go to the other side and check. With the sorrow, she lost most of her strength. Before she could climb into the hole, a soft hand grabbed her and forcefully pulled her away from the gap.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t save everyone¡­¡± Barely heard Mirabell as the sounds were muffled while her face was in the embrace. She then felt tears falling onto her head. She felt the sadness of the person holding her close, so she returned the embrace and hugged that person back.

    Feeling safe, she looked up to see the face of her savior. A woman with a gentle face and a small nose that was dark at the tip. Her eyes, while red from crying, had beautiful silver pupils. As she ran, all her wheat blonde hair fell back against the wind.

    Her eyes flickered with darkness as her eyelids felt heavy. All those emotions flushed down, and she felt weak and sleepy. In Navia¡¯s arms, she felt safe. She could rest peacefully.

 6.1 Bitter Freedom

    With a child in her arms, Navia ran to the port, worried that the monsters might come after her. The sorrow she felt had to wait; there was no time for crying over the dead when she could save at least one person.

    ¡°At least her¡­ At least she must live.¡± Navia repeated to motivate herself as she ran forward. In a rush, she forgot to look around the corner to see if any monsters were waiting for her by the docks. Since they were empty, that idea didn¡¯t even cross her mind. Her head was so occupied that she didn¡¯t notice the feel of a refreshing sea breeze.

    ¡°A small ship¡­ A small ship¡­ Where¡­¡± Navia¡¯s whole body was shaking out of anxiety as she looked for the thing she chanted out loud. Reminding herself of what she is looking for.

    There were many merchant ships, but they needed a whole crew to set sail. Traveling in a boat was out of options, it was too unsafe in an open sea. Even a small monster could flip it over and drag them down into the depths to drown them.

    Once Navia saw a small ship, she didn¡¯t bother to look around for another option. It was enough for her at the moment. It was a recreational ship made of light-brown wood that was as big as four boats, slightly elevated with a small subdeck visible through four small round windows. Four beds that barely had a space above to sit on them. The room was only prepared for the possibility of resting in the middle of the sea, not for the comfort of the travel. The ship had only one triangular mast that was as long as the whole ship. The entrance to the subdeck was at the rear of the ship, and the stairs were covered by a small door set into the sloping wall.

    Navia ran into the ship, opening the door in a rush. She damaged the handle but ignored it as she wanted to place the child in the bed and set sail as fast as she could. She carefully placed the girl on the first bed by the staircase and was about to run back up but saw the girl''s peaceful and gentle face. Looking at the girl, she had more flashes of her past memories of her only child. Navia gently placed a hand on the girl¡¯s forehead and slowly stroked her hair to comfort the sleeping girl, to prevent her from having nightmares after a day like that.

    ¡°Emma looked just like her when she was a young child¡­¡± Whispered Navia, a nostalgic tear ran down her cheek. For a moment, she could enjoy those precious memories.

    The moment was broken by the feeling of dread as if she had a knife placed to her throat. Navia¡¯s body quickly heated up, sweat visible on her face and neck. An expression of unimaginable fear froze on her face. In a quick burst, she left the girl alone and went up.

    Without looking around for the danger she felt, Navia kicked the ship away and jumped onto it before it could move too far away. As she reached for the rope to free the sail so the wind could move the ship, it jerked to a stop, almost making Navia fall into the water. Looking back, she noticed a rope wrapped around the wooden bridge.

    The knife on her neck felt like it was already piercing her skin; the feeling of danger was growing inside her, warning her to get away as far as she could. Her heart pounded rapidly as if it was trying to squeeze itself.

    Not losing any time, she threw her dagger to cut the rope and continued hanging up the sail. Time was of the essence. She knew that there might not be more chances in life. No miracle will bring her back to life again like after the fall of the city.

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    As she watched and waited for the wind to pick up and blow against the sails, Navia could hear her own heartbeat, her own blood flowing in her veins. She had never experienced anxiety and fear like in that moment. The falling sweat felt like knives tearing her skin off with a very slow movement. She forgot to close her eyes, and as they went dry, she could feel the cold wind almost freezing her eyes.

    Finally, she closed her eyes as an instinctive defensive measure forced against the wind. The wind was strong enough to push the boat away from the dock. She could finally leave this cursed place.

    The creaking sound made her hair stand on end. All her instincts begged her to run away. She was still alive, yet she felt as if she was at death''s door; her whole body was cold, and her heart had stopped for a moment. Navia¡¯s senses were overwhelmed by dread.

    Gathering the courage to turn her head around, she felt her own bones scratching against each other. She first saw a ball of dim blue light, and that was enough to make her panic, breathe rapidly, and feel dizzy.

    Watching her sail away, standing on the dock was a monster she knew very well. It''s a skinny humanoid skeleton with a few muscles attached to it. A harpoon with gashes in its hand. The head in the shape of an angler fish. The creature that killed her on the day of the tide and the monster that took the love of her life away.

    ¡°I¡­ Am dead¡­ It''s going to kill me again! I don¡¯t stand a chance against it!¡± Despair took over Navia¡¯s mind at the sight of this monster. She fell to her knees and banged her head against the floor as she screamed.

    The monster didn¡¯t move and didn¡¯t use any sort of magic. The angler fish simply observed the ship float away and disappear in the fog placed on the sea, Navia¡¯s screams slowly becoming one with the winds on the sea.

    Once Navia lost sight of the monster, her mind calmed down. ¡°Was I seeing things?¡± She asked herself as her breath slowly came back to a steady pace.

    She almost jumped in place when the silence was broken by footsteps under the deck. Standing on the staircase was Mirabell with hands over her stomach. ¡°I¡¯m hungry¡­¡± The girl whispered awkwardly.

    ¡°Oh¡­ Um. I¡¯ll look for something¡­¡± Answered Navia as she went down the stairs to check if there was anything. ¡°Now that I think about it¡­ I don¡¯t feel hungry at all¡­¡± She thought about the missing feeling of her stomach wanting fuel to sustain itself.

    By each bed, there was a small chest, but all she could find were clothes, which she took and ripped apart to use as bandages to cover her wounds. At the back of the room, she saw a tiny door, half the size of the small girl.

    Opening the doors, she felt a foul stench entering her nostrils. Her hand quickly moved to cover her nose from the rotten scent. All that was left in the stash was rotten fruits and vegetables and bread covered with mold.

    Navia closed the doors with a heavy sigh, disappointed but not so much as she expected it a bit. Feeling the little girl¡¯s gaze at her back, she calmly answered, ¡°We¡¯ll have to make a stop for food¡­¡±

    The girl went back to sleep once Navia mentioned that it might take some time before they reached any land. Once Navia left the under-deck, she could clearly see the stars above her. The fog was nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see if I remember anything¡­¡± Navia looked directly above her and straightened her arms. ¡°Place a thumb on the star above you, if you are looking for the north, point your index finger and look for the star within its reach.¡± She whispered as she extended her index finger, turning it around until it blocked the view of another bright star. ¡°Here¡­ And from the place we come from, there should be an island to¡­ Northeast.¡± Navia placed her hands on the steering wheel and spun it until the ship was heading in the right direction.

    ¡°Hope she can endure for three hours¡­ We¡¯ll be there around midnight. If we are lucky, there might be a tavern open.¡± Thought Navia as she looked toward the full white moon in the sky.

 6.2 Bitter Freedom

    Some might think that traveling on the sea might be dangerous because of the monsters, but in reality, many of them are unable to do anything from the water. Barnacles can only be dangerous if someone travels by boat since they can flip it over and get their hands on the people on board.

    Most of the monsters aren¡¯t strong enough to damage the ship from under the water. There are unique monsters capable of destroying whole fleets, but there are so few of them that the sailors consider it a small risk. Some even think about them as legends, stories to scare children from sailing away from their homes.

    Approaching the massive island, Navia saw the lights of a small village and turned the ship toward the light. The place was small but had a dock that could fit four military ships. Only one bridge was occupied by a ship, it was eight times bigger than the ship Navia had her feet on.

    Once she tied the rope and made sure the boat wouldn¡¯t sail away on its own, Navia went down to wake up the girl. She gently placed a hand on her shoulder and lightly shook it while whispering, ¡°We arrived.¡±

    Mirabell quickly turned around to face Navia. A soft smile on her face as she said, ¡°I¡¯m starving!¡±

    They were about to leave, but Navia stopped near the stairs. ¡°Wait for me at the deck. I have to grab something before we go.¡± Without any question, the girl ran up the stairs. Navia opened one of the chests and took the first shirt she saw, a teal shirt, to cover her torn black shirt with blood stains. While lifting the shirt, she saw a few silver coins on the bottom of the chest. ¡°Lucky find.¡± She whispered as she took the coins.

    Mirabell gasped with amusement at the sight of a new shirt that Navia had. ¡°You didn''t say you have a change of clothes in there! I also need one!¡± Said the girl as she glanced at her old dress, darkened by the dirt that gathered over time with a few small holes at the bottom.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think there is one you could fit in.¡± Said Navia playfully as she patted the girl on the head, messing up her hair.

    The village was placed on the hill, and from the shore, there were visible five buildings, and one of them was much bigger than the rest and much louder. A lot of people were inside, judging by the sea of voices coming out of the windows.

    ¡°Looks like we won¡¯t need to worry about waking up the owner¡­¡± Playfully said Navia as she grabbed Mirabell and brought her closer.

    The inn was built out of wood. It had two floors with a balcony above the entrance where a few smokers already spotted them approaching. They stopped their conversation to observe the new visitors.

    Navia took the girl under her protective wing as the three men didn¡¯t take their eyes off them. She picked up their pace as she didn¡¯t enjoy being eyed like that by strangers.

    Opening the door, the sound of the crowd became even louder, and the smell of freshly roasted meat filled their nostrils. Most of the tables were taken by drinking men. Many plates of food were placed on their tables, from whole chickens to rows of steaks. There were around twenty of them on the first floor and more visible by the railings of the second floor where a bit calmer conversations were held.

    Quite a lot of them were so drunk that they barely sat on the benches. One man even slept with his head on the plate that still had a lot of food on it. Navia slowly walked forward and tried her best to avoid those men. She flinched as she felt something hard against her leg. She accidentally caught the sword of one of the men, but he didn¡¯t react as he was too busy telling jokes to his companions.

    Looking around, she noticed that all of them possessed weapons. ¡°I don¡¯t see the symbol of Guns For Hire. Most likely a group of mercenaries.¡± Navia thought as she moved forward to the counter where a bold man sat with two waitresses placing food on wooden trays.

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The bald man raised his eyebrows in surprise as he didn¡¯t expect a woman and a child at such an hour with a group of drinking men already inside. Not a time for such visitors to come into the tavern.

    ¡°Is there anything left to eat?¡± Asked Navia as she looked at the tables full of food.

    ¡°There is but nothing with meat. We sold out all of it, as you can see.¡± Said the bald man with a bit of a disgusted face as he looked around at the dishes that were prepared and already placed on the tables.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that would be a problem.¡± Navia answered as she slowly patted the girl under her arm, trying to comfort her. The girl was overwhelmed by the ruckus inside the inn.

    ¡°That¡¯s the only thing available right now.¡± The bald man tapped his finger on the counter where the menu was engraved in the wood.

    Navia looked Mirabell in the eyes with a gentle smile and calmly asked, ¡°Do you like mushrooms?¡± The girl only nodded at her question. ¡°Then we¡¯ll take the boletus soup and four slices of bread.¡± Navia placed seven coins on the counter and then moved up the stairs where the inn was calmer.

    Not many people moved upstairs, so once they noticed that it wasn¡¯t a waitress, their eyes lingered on two of them until they went out of sight. Navia let out an uncomfortable grunt, and a few eyes went away, a bit ashamed by how long they had stared at them. That is, except for one man who sat by the table for two with his companion.

    The man had black dreadlocks partially hidden under a blue band; on some of them, he had silver rings. He had slightly tanned skin from months spent on the sea. No sign of hair on his young face. His eyes were like a dark blue ocean; just by looking in them felt as if a person was sinking under the water. His coat was short and slightly darker than his band, with shining silver buttons. Under it, he had a white shirt with a cut that slightly showed his chest. Thin dark ropes were wrapped around his waist. More rings were on his hands, proudly showing his wealth to everyone.

    The girls moved away from the group to the other corner of the second floor. Navia sat down by the wall so she could observe the whole floor while Mirabell sat to her right. Anxiously watching the men drinking and playing around with each other.

    ¡°Those people are¡­¡± Mirabell finally spoke, but she lacked the words for what she wanted to say.

    ¡°Intimidating?¡± Navia continued the girl''s thought, a bit unsure if that was the word she was looking for. Looking away from the drinking group to Mirabell, lifting one brow as she waited for the confirmation.

    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Mirabell awkwardly agreed, her gaze constantly on her hands, which she placed on the table.

    Navia tried to smile for the girl so she would feel a bit better, more comfortable, but she couldn¡¯t force it any longer as two drunk men were coming their way. Their faces were enough to figure out why they were coming here. They were lustful.

    A man with blond hair and a rough beard turned the chair around and sat on it, laying his arms on the chair''s back and his head on them while his bald companion placed one hand on his shoulder.

    ¡°What brings a beautiful lady like you to this inn¡­ In the middle of the night¡­¡± The blond-haired man tried to flirt and not to stutter from being drunk while his friend only smiled with a disturbing grin, making Mirabell move closer to Navia and hide her face behind her protector.

    ¡°Just food. Once we eat, we¡¯ll get moving.¡± Navia answered plainly, her face stoic, not showing any signs of discomfort or fear. A bit of anxiety slipped as the bald man licked his mouth as he clearly looked up and down at Navia.

    ¡°As you can see, there is more than food in here¡­ How about a drink? We¡¯d like to get to know you closer¡­ What¡¯s your name, sweetie?¡± The blond man asked calmly as he tried to show his best smile, but his friend didn¡¯t help with his seduction. The bald man represented with his expressions what both of them wanted.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for drinking¡­¡± Navia looked away to show disinterest in them, but she was startled as the bold man hit the table with his fist.

    ¡°Enough of this crap! You¡¯re going with me!¡± He shouted as he extended his arm to grab Navia. The man was suddenly jerked backward, falling flat to the ground. ¡°Hey! You fucker¡­¡± The man¡¯s agitation faded and turned into shock as he saw the figure that had pushed him. The man in a dark blue coat who was sitting by the table for two.

 6.3 Bitter Freedom

    ¡°What were my instructions?¡± The man with dark dreadlocks turned around to face the bald man, his face stoic and a hand on the hilt of his saber attached to the ropes around his waist.

    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t touch village women¡­¡± The man stuttered as he answered, his body shaking as he understood he had done something wrong and would be punished.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch women IN the village.¡± The man corrected him and hardened the grip on his saber, making the bald man flinch and sweat on his face. He lifted his arms to protect himself from any possible attacks. ¡°Take him back to the ship. We¡¯ll have a talk later.¡± He took his hand away from the saber and turned to the blond man, ordering him.

    The man flinched at the order but quickly rushed out of the chair to escort the bald man. They didn¡¯t even look back as they walked away. The man in a blue coat watched them until they descended down the stairs.

    ¡°My apologies. Some of my crew aren¡¯t the sharpest tools in the shed.¡± The man bowed toward Navia with his hand on his heart. Showing that he truly felt bad about that incident. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking. You¡¯re here only for the food and afterward moving on?¡±

    ¡°That is what I said.¡± Answered Navia, crossing her arms and waiting to hear what that man intended to do with that information.

    ¡°Allow me to sit by your table, and none of them will dare to lay a hand on you.¡± The man turned the chair around and pointed his open hand at the seat, waiting for Navia¡¯s permission.

    She first looked at Mirabell to check how she felt about it, but after seeing how they obeyed the man and how well-mannered he was, she loosened her grip on Navia¡¯s arm, feeling a bit safer.

    Navia gestured for the man to sit down, and he nodded his head to thank her as he sat down. ¡°So that is your ship at the dock?¡± Asked Navia as she didn¡¯t want to sit uncomfortably in silence. Looking through the window, she could only see the mast of the ship.

    ¡°Yes, it is. Dark Wave. My glorious ship that endured countless battles.¡± The man bragged about his ship, a smirk on his face as he explained. It was easy to tell that it was his pride and joy.

    The waitress placed the soup and bread between Navia and Mirabell. The man lightly grabbed her arm before she walked away. ¡°Excuse me. Could you get me some wine?¡± He said with a gentle smile, making the girl blush just by looking at him.

    ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯ll get it right away.¡± The waitress answered with a light smile on her face, joyfully stepping away, the man¡¯s grip loose, so when she walked away, his arm slipped down.

    ¡°Currently, all the tables are taken by my men. To avoid any problems, I set a rule so the people working here and living in the village could feel safe. Even around random armored people.¡± Explained the man in a blue coat as he looked away so as not to make the girls uncomfortable with his constant gaze.

    ¡°You don¡¯t belong to the Guns For Hire group unless you hide your symbol. Perhaps a different group of mercenaries?¡± Navia asked, making small talk at the topic the man continued.

    The man placed a hand on his mouth as he tried to think of an answer. ¡°Mercenaries? Partially. We are free men, not bound to one profession.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re pirates.¡± Navia stated, making the man go stiff at those words, striking a nerve with those words.

    ¡°I rather call us people of freedom¡­¡± The man answered bitterly with clenched teeth. As the waitress placed his cup with wine, he only gently nodded his head. He then took one big sip, savoring the taste and the aftertaste as he let out a sigh. ¡°We live in a world that fell from its glory. We don¡¯t know how long until it''s all going to fall. Like the lost city of Beronia, Brimwon.¡±

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Just the mention of the city¡¯s name was enough to bring all those bad memories to Navia¡¯s and Mirabell¡¯s heads. Navia grabbed her temple as a stinging pain appeared there. Mirabell looked at her food as lost her appetite and moved the bowl aside.

    Navia let out a long sigh, and without looking the man in the eyes, she said, ¡°That¡¯s why The Order Of Tomorrow exists¡­ To protect the people and the whole world from this catastrophe. Brimwon was¡­ It was unfortunate. We are the only survivors¡­¡± Navia unsurley answered, finally facing the man. A saddened smile painting her face.

    He was surprised that they were survivors, but it was hard for him to believe that story. ¡°You survived that? How?¡± Doubtingly asked the man, but he seemed concerned when she mentioned that as he leaned closer to listen what Navia has to say.

    ¡°The monsters didn¡¯t attack one of the shelters. We decided to try and escape by ships, but the army of monsters attacked us. We were the only ones who were able to escape.¡± Navia told the story, her voice low as she imagined the deaths of all those people and those who died during the tide, as if she was trying to scare a child with a horror story.

    Seeing how the girls reacted, his expression changed, and he was saddened by that news. He stood up from the table and bowed slightly. ¡°I apologize for asking such a hard question. Seeing as you finished eating, I will escort you to the exit so no one would bother you...¡±

    As they walked through the inn, Navia watched all of those pirates; they only glanced once and then avoided eye contact when they saw their captain by their side. ¡°People of freedom¡­ Maybe they are different than most of the pirates. Or at least he is¡­¡± Thought Navia as she looked at the man¡¯s back, imagining what his soul could look like.

    He opened the door for them and said, ¡°Have a good night, ladies.¡± with a waving hand in the air.

    ¡°Could you tell me your name?¡± Navia asked, wanting to know the name of such an unusual individual as him.

    ¡°Right¡­ I forgot to introduce myself¡­¡± He scratched his chin in embarrassment. ¡°My name is Evan.¡± The man answered with a light bow.

    ¡°I am Navia. It was nice meeting you.¡± She answered after a moment, understanding that it was her moment to introduce herself next.

    ¡°And my name is Mirabell!¡± The girl said loudly so the man could hear her even through the loud chatter, lifting her hand so he would look down at her.

    ¡°Those are beautiful names.¡± The man answered with a soft smile.

    He watched them for a moment as they walked away and then closed the doors of the inn to join his crew in their feast. Mirabell held Navia¡¯s hand as they moved toward their ship. ¡°That¡¯s one unusual person. Now I understand why I felt something off about him.¡± Navia said with a relieved face, letting out a sigh as if all those worries had left her with the air from the lungs.

    ¡°What was it?¡± Asked Mirabell, giving a curious gaze toward Navia.

    ¡°It¡¯s because he is a pirate and not that bad, too.¡± Answered Navia, a light smile on her face. Glad to know that not all the pirates are pure evil.

    ¡°My mama told me a lot about pirates and how bad they are. But looks like she was wrong.¡± Mirabell began jumping like a rabbit instead of walking, watching the path ahead.

    Navia stopped and kneeled in front of the girl.¡°Your mama wasn¡¯t wrong. He is the only exception¡­¡± She whispered as she poked the girl''s nose.

    Even though the Dark Wave was without any light, there were a few voices coming out from it. ¡°There is someone on the ship.¡± Mirabell pointed her finger at the ship and grabbed Navia¡¯s shirt to catch her attention.

    ¡°They must have left someone to guard the ship. We didn¡¯t have to do anything like that because we didn¡¯t have anything valuable on the ship.¡± Explained Navia as she slowly guided the girl to their ship. ¡°Get some sleep while I sail the ship to our next destination.¡± Navia said as she left the girl on the stairs to the underdeck.

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Answered Mirabell as if all the energy she had a second ago was burned in the blink of an eye.

    Navia set sail a few miles away from the land but was close enough to see it clearly. Her destination was behind this island. The fortress of the Order of Tomorrow, Avalon.

 6.4 Bitter Freedom

    Looking at the path ahead, Navia observed the sky slowly turning yellow as the sun rose on the horizon. She could finally lower her guard as the monsters didn¡¯t attack when the sun was in the sky. Admiring the beaches and the forests of the island she had stood on last night.

    Hearing the sound of moving waves, she turned toward it to notice that a ship was following right behind them. Seven times bigger than what she was standing on. The ship had three sails, with the one in front being triangular in shape. On a square crow''s-nest stood a man, leaning against the rails as if he was bored. The ship was made of dark wood, yet at a closer look, it seemed like a dark blue color like dark ocean water. The ship¡¯s beak was made of silver metal shaped like waves of the sea charging right in front of it.

    Navia had her hand on her dagger but moved it away as she recognized the ship. ¡°Is it¡­ Dark Wave? Maybe they are heading north too¡­ Even if he is a different kind of pirate, he must do some business in Liberin City.¡± Hesitantly, thought Navia, unsure of why the ship was moving the same path as her.

    Dark Wave sailed much faster than Navia¡¯s ship. She followed with her eyes as the Dark Wave moved to the left side of her ship, toward the ocean. The group of people with swords and sabers in their hands looked at her. Suddenly, a harpoon was fired from the cannon into the deck of a small ship, a rope attached to it.

    ¡°Hey! What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± The ship suddenly jerked as it was pulled toward Dark Wave by the harpoon. ¡°Stop! I know the captain of your ship! He won¡¯t be happy about what you¡¯re doing!¡± Shouted furiously Navia but she was calm, knowing that Evan would be on her side.

    ¡°I am happy with what they¡¯re doing.¡± Between the pirates, Evan showed himself, leaning his elbow on his companions.

    ¡°What?¡± Navia was taken by surprise, she couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°But you said it earlier! To not touch us!¡± Shouted Navia, not understanding the pirate¡¯s ways of thought. The disbelief on her face made Evan burst out with laughter.

    ¡°Hahaha! Uh¡­ I¡­ Ah¡­¡± Evan tried to gasp for air as he calmed down and stopped laughing, looking Navia right in the eyes. ¡°I said not to touch you¡­ IN THE VILLAGE.¡± He informed with a wide grin on his face. ¡°We don¡¯t want to lose one of our stops because of my men''s stupidity¡­ and I wouldn¡¯t want to get my merchandise damaged.¡± He said with a terrifying calmness.

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ A slave trader¡­¡± Whispered Navia. The image of an unusual pirate shattered into pieces in a mere second without any doubt.

    ¡°That¡¯s only one side job¡­ And with a good catch, it gives so much profit.¡± Evan rubbed his fingers in front of his face. ¡°Especially exotic catch like you. From a LOST CITY! That¡¯s three times the usual price! And for a woman, your figure is¡­ neutral. I¡¯ll find some client that will pay me five times the usual price¡­¡± Muttered Evan as he already imagined the money he would get from selling her.

    ¡°You¡¯re a monster!¡± Navia shouted aggressively, making the rest of the crew burst with laughter.

    ¡°You heard her boys! We¡¯re monsters!¡± Evan laughed with them for a moment, but once he stopped, his face was serious. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you call me. I just do that for the money.¡± With a snap of his fingers, three men jumped down to the small ship, their sabers pointed at Navia.

    In front of her was the bald man she had met at the inn last night. He was licking his lips, a wide grin on his face as he was ready to fight, even excited about it. Behind her stood two men; one was wearing a bandana over his head and was trying to hide his emotions, wearing a blank face of unknown feelings. The third guy had long black hair, two daggers at his side, and a dark cape around his torso. He was the only one who looked worried about what they were doing.

    Navia spared each one of them only a short glance, and her eyes stopped on the bold one. ¡°I won¡¯t be sorry if I hurt you first¡­¡± She thought as she lunged forward at the bald man. He raised his saber to protect himself and met Navia blade to blade. He was so sure of himself until the battle of strength between them started. He was using all his strength, yet he was only able to slightly slow the dagger from getting close to his throat while Navia used only one arm. All that pride and feeling of superiority vanished from him. He was so focused on his sword that he forgot about her free arm. Navia grabbed his wrist and pulled him down while sending a knee to his stomach.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    He fell to his knees and spit a bit of vomit from his mouth, barely noticing the awful taste of his insides as the pain was unbearable. Navia wanted to continue attacking him, but a charging scream from behind made her look back at the running attacker. The man with the bandana ran without any thought besides striking his opponent. ¡°I¡¯ll be merciful to you.¡± Whispered Navia before dashing forward with her dagger, the tip of the blade inches from the man¡¯s throat. He wasn¡¯t able to follow her movement; for him, she just disappeared.

    A shadow blocked his vision and screamed, ¡°Step back!¡± Realizing who it was, he took a few steps back and saw his companion with two daggers trying to hold Navia¡¯s blade away from getting himself killed. He wasn¡¯t as foolish as the bald one as he jumped back before he could completely lose the match of strength.

    ¡°Captain! She is-¡± The man tried to ask his captain for help, but before he could finish his sentence, he had to pick up his guard and block the dagger. He could feel the pain from straining his arms from sudden movement. He pushed his speed to his limits, and even that was no match for her. The distress was clear on his face, and he struggled to defend himself. While the other two wanted to kill her from the beginning, he had a different goal. From the moment he stepped down onto the small ship, he felt like he was locked in a cage with a lion. His goal was only to make it out alive.

    Each time he raised his daggers, his arms were thrown away from Navia¡¯s attacks. Just by the twitch of his eyes, Navia knew that something had changed. The other two pirates looked for a chance to attack, and they took that chance. His eyes twitched, not in the hope of defeating her but out of fear that they both were about to die. He could see both of their throats being slashed open in mere seconds.

    ¡°You fools! The death is right in front of us!¡± The man screamed inside his head as he didn¡¯t have enough breath to shout it to his companions.

    Navia no longer aimed to kill those pirates swiftly. She would slowly get her revenge on that disgusting man. Navia ducked down to avoid the two sabers that were lunged at her from two sides. As she turned around on the ground, she was able to wound the man with two daggers by slicing his abdomen and drawing the first blood from the pirates. Next, she used her arm with a dagger to hold herself while she kicked the man with a bandana in the chin, knocking him away. He tried not to lose consciousness, but his legs already felt numb, and he couldn¡¯t stand straight. He backed away until he hit the edge of the ship and fell into the water.

    With her leg still in the air, she laid her foot on the back of the bald man¡¯s neck and brought his face down to the floor, pressing her leg against his throat to choke him. Not wasting more time, she raised her dagger and brought it down into the man¡¯s skull.

    When the fight began, the pirates cheered for the fighters and laughed when the bald one was humiliated, but it all went silent once in a split second Navia wounded, knocked down, and killed their companions.

    The smile faded from Evan¡¯s face, and a disappointed frown replaced it. The rest of the pirates tried to step away from him, but one man was unfortunate. Before he could move, the captain grabbed him by the collar. ¡°Get him before he drowns.¡± He said with a cold voice as he threw his underling into the water.

    Evan jumped down onto the small ship and took one last look at his dead companion. He had his hands in his pockets as he slowly walked around Navia. ¡°If I knew you were a warrior, I wouldn¡¯t even run after you¡­ Where are you from? Ironclad Clan? The Monastery? Shadow Clan? Or maybe¡­ Order Of Tomorrow?¡± Evan looked for the answer, and he didn¡¯t even have to hear it to know which one hit the mark; a slight change in Navia¡¯s expression was enough. He then stopped walking around. ¡°Really? The Order of Tomorrow kills people? I thought their goal was to save everyone from the monsters¡­¡± Evan said sarcastically as he took one last look at his dead companion.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t kill him as a warrior of The Order of Tomorrow. It was personal.¡± She answered with annoyance as the man tried to agitate her, defending his immoral actions.

    ¡°Personal? He did try to get his hands on you, but in the end, he didn¡¯t. So you punished him for something he didn¡¯t do? How soulless...¡± Said Evan as he slowly drew out his saber, making the sound of the unsheathing metal vibrate through the air.

    ¡°It is a personal matter that is connected to all the pirates!¡± Navia shouted as she jumped forward at the pirate¡¯s captain.

 6.5 Bitter Freedom

    While she was really fast, her opponent almost matched her speed and also dashed forward to cross their blades. ¡°And I hoped we would find some mutual understanding¡­¡± Evan said sourly, as if he was sad that he wouldn¡¯t be able to talk it out.

    ¡°Like hell we would!¡± Navia kicked Evan away, surprising him with her strength even though he had witnessed it with his own eyes a moment ago when she overwhelmed three of his men.

    He let out a cough before he was able to speak. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re a lady? Because that was a strength of a gorilla!¡± He shouted as he parried Navia¡¯s attack, making her wide open, landing an uppercut to her chin and sending her flying away.

    Once she landed, Navia quickly recovered and spit out a bit of blood from her mouth, making the whole crew cheer for their leader. ¡°Just surrender, and I won¡¯t injure you anymore.¡± Said Evan as he gave Navia a warning gaze, meaning that what he just showed was just a taste of his power.

    ¡°And go into slavery? I''d rather kill you where you stand.¡± Navia answered bitterly as she brought the dagger close to her shoulder. Her voice did not hide the intention to kill.

    ¡°You sure you¡¯re from the Order of Tomorrow?¡± Asked Evan, but he had to quickly stop his talk to bring his saber up to defend himself from a sudden attack. He had to take a step back to solidify his stand that was about to crumble just from Navia¡¯s pure force. ¡°Strength is all you got?¡± As he said that, the ring with the yellow gem began to glow with bright light that illuminated both ships and blinded Navia as she had her eyes close to the gem.

    Navia tried to get her vision back by rubbing her eyes, but it was futile work. That¡¯s when she was suddenly punched in the face, making her roll on the floor until she hit the edge of the ship. ¡°Where is that voice¡­ I need to know where he is! I need to kill him!¡± Navia desperately thought as her agitation grew. The voice didn¡¯t come; didn¡¯t listen to her plead. She needed it to fight strong opponents, to win no matter what.

    ¡°Did you lose your fang?¡± Asked Evan as he kicked Navia¡¯s hip, making her roll away again to the side of the ship. ¡°Where is that beast that killed my crew?!¡± He shouted as he hit her in the face, drawing more blood to the ground.

    As Navia tried to stand up, she placed her hand on her own blood, and without any thought, it hardened and turned into a knife. She could finally see her opponent and surprised him by swinging the dagger she had just created; for him, the blade appeared out of nowhere. Evan barely avoided the blade, feeling as if it cut his throat open. Navia relentlessly continued her attacks with a blood knife, she was able to cut one of his dreadlocks.

    He looked down at the cutten hair and back at Navia. ¡°So you do have some aces up your sleeve¡­¡± He said with a surprised smile, as he didn¡¯t expect anything like it. ¡°Looks like I can¡¯t hold back.¡± He raised his right fist, and a green gem began to glow. He threw a quick jab while he was feet away from Navia.

    Her head jerked at the touch of the wind, blood coming out of her nose as if she got punched straight in the face. Quickly recovering, she was able to avoid the next invisible attack that flew past her. Yet she felt like she had been punched right in the shoulder. ¡°How¡­¡± She whispered with arm pressed against her shoulder.

    ¡°Nice rings, right?¡± Said Evan as he swung his saber, aiming to injure Navia¡¯s shoulder. She brought her dagger up to defend against the attack, but once their blades collided, her hand and the hilt of her weapon were enveloped in ice. She then noticed that a ring with a blue gem on the hand he was holding his saber with also began to glow. She brought her arm to the side to defend against the flying kick. She screamed as the kick connected, cracking her bone. She hit the side of the ship, shattering the ice as her hand slammed against the wood.

    ¡°Ready to surrender?¡± Asked Evan as he walked forward with confidence, feeling like he already won the fight.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Navia spit blood right in front of his foot and with a smirk she said ¡°Fuck off, sea swine.¡±

    A vein popped out on Evan¡¯s face, the provocation clearly worked on him. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to teach you a lesson before I sell you!¡± He shouted as he pinned her hand that was holding the dagger to the floor with his left foot. Navia swung her other arm with a blood dagger aimed at his ribs to pierce his lungs, but he quickly brought his saber and stabbed Navia¡¯s hand and also pinned it to the floor. ¡°That¡¯s how you¡¯ll spend the rest of your life once I break you¡­¡± He whispered, hoping to bring despair into Navia¡¯s soul, but as he got a closer look, he saw that she still had that confidence in her.

    Navia spit out her blood at Evan, but as it flew, it hardened and changed into a blade. He had to jump back to avoid it; the blade only scratched his ear, but Navia was free from his grasp. She lunged forward before he could take a solid stance, grabbing his right arm behind and twisting his wrist so he would drop the saber. She then pressed the dagger to his throat, whispering into his ear, ¡°Any last words.¡±

    Evan seemed worried at first, but after a second, a smile won over. ¡°Look to your left.¡± He slowly said.

    Navia looked the way he asked and saw the man with long black hair and two daggers still standing; right in front of him was Mirabell with a blade close to her face. ¡°You touch the captain¡­ I kill the girl¡­¡± Said the man as he breathed heavily, still bleeding from his wound. Instead of treating an injury that could kill him any second, he chose to help his captain.

    Her eyes of pure shock looked at the terrified girl. She was trying to move away from the blade, but the man wouldn¡¯t let her. She froze and didn¡¯t move; both of them were in the same position. ¡°He must be lying. Even if I kill the captain, he won¡¯t touch her. It¡¯ll be an opportunity for him to be the captain of the ship. This scum will always think about themselves.¡± Thought Navia as anger built up inside her, pressing the dagger harder into Evan¡¯s throat, a drop of blood falling down his neck.

    ¡°If you think they will ever betray me¡­ Then you¡¯re wrong. It¡¯s not fear that makes them follow me. It''s my actions that made them loyal.¡± Evan laughed a bit as he said that but stopped as he felt that while laughing, his throat was moving into the blade, drawing even more blood.

    ¡°You¡¯re lying¡­ You¡¯re pirates¡­¡± Navia desperately counter-argued, trying not to get swayed by the pirate¡¯s trickery.

    ¡°We may be pirates¡­ But we still are humans. After you killed my man, I had to step in. No other captain would do that. So if you take me out, you can be sure that the young one will go with me.¡± Said Evan. Once he felt the grip on him loosen, he slowly moved away.

    Navia didn¡¯t even look at the captain; she worriedly observed the man, waiting for him to get the dagger away from Mirabell. His eyes darted from her to the captain, but after not seeing any signals, he moved the blade away.

    ¡°Thank you for your cooperation.¡± Gently said Evan, making Navia finally look straight at him but as she turned around, he placed his fist on her forehead. A white gem began to glow on Evan¡¯s ring. Navia¡¯s eyes moved back, and she fainted. Before she could hit the ground, Evan grabbed her and gently placed her on the floor.

    ¡°No! Navia! NO!!!¡± Mira shouted as she tried to run to Navia¡¯s side, but the man held her strong, not letting her go. She wiggled around, trying to break free, but she was just a little girl trying to escape the grasp of a grown man.

    ¡°She is not dead.¡± Calmly said Evan as he approached the girl, still held by his crewmate. He kneeled in front of her and looked straight into her eyes. ¡°She is just asleep. For your own good, you¡¯ll get some rest too.¡± Mirabell followed the man¡¯s fist with a horrified gaze, and once the white gem touched her forehead, she fainted.

    Three more men jumped down to the small ship. One of them took Mira, and the other helped his injured companion get back onto the ship. The third man slowly took out his saber and lifted the blade above Navia, the tip of his saber aimed at her neck. His eyes were filled with anger, a few tears hidden in his eyes, unable to leave it. As he brought the blade down, the captain shouted, ¡°DON¡¯T!¡± The man flinched at an unexpected scream and missed the mark by an inch.

    Evan¡¯s eye twitched as he looked at his crewmate, standing above Navia with a saber in hand, intent on killing a defenseless woman. The man watched his captain with mixed feelings, but mostly there was disbelief. ¡°She killed As-¡±

    The man tried to argue, but the captain came up to him and cut in with an authoritative tone. ¡°Don¡¯t touch our merchandise. Get back on the ship.¡± Evan grabbed the hand with the saber and pushed it away, toward the Dark Wave.

    The man worriedly watched his captain but didn¡¯t argue. He picked up his saber, and before jumping back onto the Dark Wave, he looked back to see the captain¡¯s face, to read his feelings. It was unclear because he hid them very well.

 7.1 Pay The Price

    Evan sat on a chair by his desk. Stacks of coins were placed on one edge, and right beside them were papers with the names of each man in the crew. A lone candle lit the whole desk as the captain wrote on the paper with a dark feather. The room was on the smaller side, with one bed in the corner and a chest beside it. A small oval window was right behind the desk, a bit of moonlight rays coming through it. On the opposite side of the room, there was a shelf with trophies. Parts of unique animals like skulls or horns and small ornaments. Right beside it, there were two chests, and one of them was slightly open, revealing coins that were inside. Even though he had a lot of money, he kept his room modest. A reminder of his past.

    A slow and light knocking made him stop his work. ¡°Come in, Edgar.¡± Said the captain as he put down his pen and looked straight forward. As the door slowly opened, they revealed the guest, the man who had fought with Navia and suffered an injury. He only wore linen pants and boots. His stomach was covered with a bit of bloodied bandages.

    Edgar opened his mouth to speak, but once the captain put his hand up, he stopped mid-gasp. ¡°Before you say anything, I wanted to apologize. If I knew beforehand she was from Order of Tomorrow, I wouldn¡¯t send you to fight her. Or anyone at that. I¡¯ve made a bad decision. Forgive me.¡± Evan tilted his head so low he almost touched his desk, his words genuine with concern and guilt.

    ¡°There is no need for you to apologize, captain. I know you very well. I know you wouldn¡¯t throw your men into death¡¯s hands. You are not like the rest of the pirates out there.¡± Softly answered Edgar, comforting his captain as he slowly closed the door and sat on the chair in front of Evan.

    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Evan still had his head low as well as his gaze; all he could see were bandages on his crewmate. ¡°How is your injury?¡± He asked, looking Edgar straight in the eyes with concern.

    ¡°Not as bad as we thought. It could have been worse¡­¡± Edgar trailed off as he placed a hand on his wounded abdomen, reimagining the moment he got that injury.

    ¡°Yeah. Luckily, she had no poison on her dagger.¡± Said Evan with a scoff at the end. Bitterness didn¡¯t leave his mouth after their fight.

    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± Quickly said, Edgar, reflecting on the fight and what he learned through it about Navia.

    ¡°Then what do you mean?¡± Asked confused Evan with a frown on his face as he tried to figure out what he meant.

    ¡°When we were fighting. She didn¡¯t try to injure me. All her attacks were aimed at killing me instantly. She could have left more cuts on me, but that wasn¡¯t her goal. Once all of us jumped her, that¡¯s when she changed priorities. Her main target became Astin, and we were just in the way.¡± Explained Edgar with a bit of admiration.

    ¡°So she wanted to end the fight quickly. Maybe long battles aren¡¯t suited for her-¡± Evan trailed off as he tried to figure out his new prisoner.

    Edgar cut in before Evan could continue his speculation, wanting to give him the answer. ¡°No. It was clear. She hated us but didn¡¯t want unnecessary blood. She was aiming for a quick and merciful death. Except for Astin¡­¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ Astin did try to rape her. So no wonder he was the main target.¡± Evan said uncomfortably, letting out a tired sigh.

    ¡°What do we do about her? Do we sell her? Or let her go?¡± Asked Edgar, leaning his arms on the desk to get closer to the captain. He thought that it was a matter they needed to discuss.

    ¡°We could kill her¡­¡± said Evan sarcastically as he scoffed at the idea. ¡°That¡¯s what some of the crew would say¡­ That¡¯s what all the pirates would say. We are different.¡± Evan¡¯s disgust turned into pride, he always hated when people compared him to pirates.

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°You have something planned?¡± Asked Edgar, caught off guard by the sudden mention of killing her and leaving a space for another solution.

    Evan placed his head on his fist as he explained his plan. ¡°Of course I do. Either we release her or sell her as a slave, it will end the same way. The day we meet again, she will try to kill us. So we will sell her to the worst client possible. To those rich bastards¡­¡±

    ¡°So she would have a hard time escaping?¡± Edgar asked, but just by looking in the captain¡¯s eyes, he knew that his guess was wrong. ¡°No¡­ You have something different on your mind.¡±

    ¡°She is strong, and her ability to turn blood into a weapon gives her an advantage for surprise attacks. A slave, without anything, suddenly has a knife pressed to your throat. One wrong move, and those bastards will get killed by her. I¡¯ll get a lot of money, and she will get rid of those fat pigs.¡± Explained Evan with his fearless eyes. He was hungry for the death of those above him, and Navia would bring that feast for him.

    ¡°Glad to see you¡¯re still the same captain.¡± Edgar stood up with a smile, but before he could take a step away, Evan hit the desk with four golden coins. He looked at the captain for a reason he was going to give him the money.

    ¡°Recompensation for the injury.¡± Said Evan before he went back to his paperwork.

    Edgar¡¯s eyes lingered on the coins, he didn¡¯t want them. ¡°Same as always. I hope the past will stop to hunt him like that.¡± Edgar kept those words for himself and took the coins before he left the captain¡¯s cabin.

    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ I need to give compensation to Michel¡­ And August for his brother¡¯s death.¡± Whispered to himself as he wrote those names on a paper, but he stopped when he had to write a number of coins. ¡°How¡­ Do I value the life of my own crew¡­¡± Evan said louder than he wanted as he looked at the ceiling.

    ¡°I need a fucking drink.¡± The man suddenly kicked himself away from the desk and opened one of his chests, inside there were clothes and in each corner a bottle of whiskey. He picked one, and in one breath, he drank one-fourth of it. ¡°Enough hard work for today. Time for some me time.¡± Evan giggled as he sat down on his bed, but between those laughs, a tear fell down to the ground. ¡°For the future we could have, Eric.¡± He lifted his bottle as if someone was in front of him, sharing a drink. He then downed the rest of the bottle.

    A pirate named August with a characteristic scar under his eyes checked through a small window how the captain was doing. Seeing him drink, he smiled and left. ¡°He won¡¯t be able to stop me now¡­¡± He whispered to himself, walking toward the staircase down the ship. On the lowest floor, there were cages for prisoners - future slaves. The place had a strong and nauseating stench resembling an unpleasant scent of piss. Near the bars, there were wooden bowls, some of them still had bits of water in them. Right beside them, there were stains left from food, slowly rotting. Treating the slaves like dogs.

    The wave of whispers halted as they heard the upcoming footsteps. August took out his saber and lightly struck it against the prison bars. Each man and woman moved closer to the wall and curled up into a ball, not daring to poke their eyes out to see who it was. The sound of vibrating metal stopped, and August looked to his right side. Inside the cell, there were two women and Mirabell lying close to Navia, who was chained up to the wall. The two of them seemed to be asleep while the remaining two women shaked in fear.

    As the man opened the doors to their cell, they began to whimper in fear. One of them silently apologized as she feared she was about to be punished for something small. August didn¡¯t even bat an eye on them; his angry gaze was focused on the woman he had wanted to kill earlier. ¡°Now he won¡¯t be able to stop me¡­¡± The man whispered as he took a step closer to Navia. ¡°For my brother¡­¡± He raised his saber and aimed the tip of it at Navia¡¯s throat.

    ¡°If you want to end up like the baldy, you better walk away.¡± Navia said as she slightly lifted her head, not hiding her murderous intent, making the man take a step back. His hand was shaking, and the saber in his hand showed it even clearer.

    ¡°How¡­ She should still be asleep. It hasn¡¯t been twenty-four hours yet¡­¡± August couldn¡¯t believe his eyes and ears. His shock was from her being awake rather than her threat, but as his chain of thoughts continued, ¡°If she woke up so early, she could kill me¡­¡±

    He woke up from his daze as he felt a sting on his cheek, touching the place he felt something moist. As he looked at his hand, it began to tremble even harder. It was his own blood.

    ¡°That was my last warning¡­¡± Even though it was just a whisper, the man heard it even clearer than any scream or command given to him in his entire life. Those weren¡¯t simple words, a statement. They carried a clear intent that he unconsciously understood. The man cautiously took a few steps to leave the cell, and once he was out, he ran away.

 7.2 Pay The Price

    The sun was visible on the horizon along with a blue sky as the watchman shouted from the crow¡¯s-nest. ¡°Liberin City! We¡¯re almost at Liberin City! We¡¯re almost at Liberin City!¡± The man waited for some kind of response, but no one answered. As he was about to shout, the doors to the captain''s cabin opened, and the man halted. Looking at his captain and waiting for some kind of response.

    Evan approached the bell attached to the center mast with his sloppy, drunk walk. He pulled the rope and rang the bell. He intended to do it slowly, but being hungover, he leaned too far forward and almost fell to the ground along with the bell, if not for the mast in front of him, making the bell ring faster.

    The crew quickly gathered on the deck in front of the captain, waiting for his orders. He looked around and couldn¡¯t shake one feeling off. ¡°Is everyone here?¡± Asked Evan as his gaze moved from one head to another. Not sure if someone is really missing or his head is messing around with his eyes.

    ¡°Well¡­ One person is missing.¡± A man awkwardly answered as he scratched the back of his head.

    ¡°Then go get him¡­¡± Said Evan as he tried his best not to barf, holding one hand over his mouth as he spoke, his voice harsh and dry.

    ¡°That might be a problem. He won¡¯t get out of the bed. Hell. He won¡¯t even speak to us. He whispered something about being close to death or something.¡± Said the pirate, barely believing his own words as he tried to explain why August was missing.

    Evan grunted loud enough for everyone to hear his annoyance. ¡°I warned him not to get close to her. Let this be a warning for everyone. Don¡¯t get close to her alone. At least three people will be needed to escort her when the time comes.¡± The captain explained as he supported himself against the mast. Pushing himself away, he began to march slowly from one side of the ship to another. ¡°We¡¯re going to sell most of the slaves to the Markiz Family. Along with the two new assets.¡± The crew began to whisper loudly at the mention of the family name. ¡°I know we never sold anyone to them, it''s the worst possible fate. Once we sell them, we won¡¯t be the one holding that curse of death under us.¡± Evan pointed his finger at the floor and what was beneath it. ¡°If all things go right. Soon we¡¯ll hear very good news like a downfall of the Markiz Family!¡± The pirates began to cheer, showing support for the captain¡¯s plan.

    The Dark Wave was getting close to an island fully covered by a city. It looked like the city was built on a mountain, with new floors separated by the walls. In reality, there was no mountain. The city was massive, and each floor was built by the hard effort of humans. Buildings as tall as towers stretched from each floor, bridges built between them almost as if the place itself was one big fortress. Around the island was a massive wall with cannons and artillery. Many soldiers stand on the walls with muskets in their hands. There were four gates to the city, one from each side of the world. The gates were wide enough for three ships to pass through at once without any worries.

    The guards observed the ship closely but didn¡¯t do anything, they let them pass through. Behind the walls, another island was visible. The left side of the city was massive, towering toward the sky, while the right side was much smaller, aiming to be built as high as the other.

    There weren¡¯t any walls right by the city, but between the outside walls and the island, watch towers were placed. Each one of them was equipped with one artillery and four cannons. Prepared for the worst type scenario.

    ¡°The safest place on earth. Liberin City.¡± Said Edgar, amazed by the massive structure in front of him. Even though he had seen this place many times, he always observed it with awe.

    Evan placed his hands on the railings of the ship to stand beside Edgar and observe the view with him. ¡°Best prepared. I would say there are two places much safer than Liberin City.¡±

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°There are other fortresses like this one?¡± Asked Edgar, curious and in disbelief that there might be greater defenses than the ones in Liberin City.

    Evan turned around to lean against the railing and looked Edgar straight in the eyes as he explained. ¡°No. This place is unique with the amount of weapons, but that is only useful against those weak monsters. There are beasts that can withstand a cannon to the head. That¡¯s when a strong warrior comes in. Where can you find those kinds of fighters? In Monestery and The Order Of Tomorrow. There are warriors capable of cutting steel with their bare hands. That is the power needed to kill those beasts.¡±

    The Dark Wave drifted toward the smaller part of the city known as the red zone. The part of the city with the biggest criminal activity and no police patrols because of that uncontrollable part of the community. The docks of the red zone needed renovation, but people still used them. Some planks were shattered, some broken in half. One bridge seemed as if its front was about to sink into the water.

    Evan took a long breath and with a smile, he announced ¡°Smells like shit. Just like I remembered.¡± He looked down on his crew from the steering wheel. ¡°Get all of the merchandise. You two will get the special one.¡± He didn¡¯t need to mention her name to make the two men''s faces go pale. ¡°I¡¯ll be there to assist you.¡± Added Evan to make them less worried, not wanting them to faint on the spot.

    The air from the outside was just as bad as the one in the ship¡¯s prison cells. One man was standing outside the cell looking around, clearly worried and stressed as he didn¡¯t know what to do.

    ¡°Captain!¡± The man said with surprise, as he didn¡¯t expect him down here. ¡°I have one small problem¡­ I wanted to take that little one, but she is clinging to the cursed woman. She warned me not to touch her¡­ and¡­¡± The pirate stuttered as he tried to explain why he was just standing there, pointing his finger at the people inside the cell but quickly moving away in fear.

    Even took a peak and slightly smirked as he saw Navia chained up to the wall and Mirabell clinging to her leg. The woman¡¯s eyes are like a predator ready to kill. He then entered the cell. The two men wanted to follow him but he stopped them.

    Before Navia could threaten him, he cut in. ¡°I need to clear one misunderstanding. If I knew you were from the Order, I wouldn¡¯t lay a finger on you. You killed one of my men, and the other went insane¡­¡± He slowly kneeled down in front of Navia, his gaze on the ground for a moment. Once he looked her straight in the eyes, he continued, ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to sell you as a slave.¡± In those words, Navia shook the chains in anger, wanting to kill the man right in front of her; they could break at any second, and the pirates behind the captain shook in fear.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t finish. I¡¯ll get money out of selling you, but I sell you with loosened shackles so you could easily run away once I get the money. Then it is their problem for not being able to contain you. Because I am sure that you could even escape The Great Tower. I think it¡¯s a good deal for what you¡¯ve done to my crew.¡± Evan whispered so Navia could hear him very well but not his crew; he knew that some of them might not like this idea. ¡°To sweeten up the deal, I¡¯ll sell the girl to the same person so you both can escape without any harm. Because if you tried something right now¡­ I can¡¯t promise anything.¡± Evan lifted his hands close to his head, his eyes looking away as if the whole plan wasn¡¯t in the palm of his hand.

    ¡°Fine¡­ But if you do something else¡­ I¡¯ll kill you first. That¡¯s a promise.¡± Navia warned the man with her sharp eyes and voice that stabbed him like a dagger.

    Chills ran down Evan¡¯s spine at this threat, and he took a deep breath. ¡°You¡¯re a feisty one¡­ I¡¯ll keep my end of a promise.¡± Said Evan with a slight bow. He then waved his finger to signal his men to take both of them. ¡°Keep them together if you want to live another day.¡± The captain warned his men as he stood up, observing them closely so they wouldn¡¯t make any wrong moves that could cost their lives.

    Navia followed the pirates as they dragged her from the ship. The man that was holding the chain tried to stay close so as not to push her with the chain, he didn¡¯t want to risk his own life by doing that. A cold sweat constantly trickled down his spine. Uneasy breaths audibly even from behind.

    Navia looked around at the place, and she quickly knew where she was. What was more surprising was the gaze of the people living in this part of the city. They weren¡¯t surprised at all, it was a normal thing for them. ¡°Maybe some of them are slaves¡­¡±