Chapter 11: Duel at Sea

~Fort Kingsley, Kingdom of Vasilosse~

After his conversation with the king over the telephone, Brock felt a renewed vigor for his mission. Soon, Hunter and Luck would be within his grasp, no matter how far they ran away. Nothing would prevent him from capturing them.

He took a stroll around the fort, an eager, satisfied smile on his face. It would be his last before he took off after his targets; there was just one thing he needed to verify. He headed for the fort’s jail. Once there, he walked silently along the hallways, peering in every cell. As to be expected from a base ran by the kind General Ophelia Freyne, very few offenders populated the inside of the dungeon.

He stopped in front of a cell in which lay a lonely young man, eyes closed but very much awake. It was Ken.

“What do you want?” curtly asked Ken, keeping his eyes closed, hoping not to have to bother to open them.

“I have a few questions for you.”

Ken did not recognize the voice of the man speaking to him, so out of curiosity, he opened one eye.

“My name is Brock Floke, and I’m a vice admiral in the Royal Army.”

“Mhm. Don’t care.”

“I am here pursuing a group of criminals. Perhaps you’re acquainted with them. There should be six in total, but I’ve so far only been able to assess the presence of five of them. Among them are Luck and Hunter Reas, sons of the famous treasure hunters Travis and Silvers Reas, as well as Jim and Elesia Kareese. Of the six, these are the four whose identities we know.”

“Cool story.”

“Of the other two, one is a girl. That leaves only one, a reckless boy who picked a fight with Commander Desmond Blacke, a dear colleague of mine. While the boy left unscathed, my friend was severely injured, and to this day, remains in the infirmary receiving care.”

Ken scoffed. “That’s the least of what he deserves.”

“Ah, so am I to assume it was you who so foolishly attacked an officer of the Royal Army?”

“That’s right. It’s a shame I couldn’t finish the job.”

“You have a lot of guts, kid. And cold eyes. You remind me of myself when I was your age.”

“Ew.”

Brock laughed a bit. “I’m on a tight schedule, so I’ll send some of my men to take you back to the capital to answer for your crimes. I highly doubt General Freyne will prove cruel enough for what you deserve.”

“Sure,” boringly said Ken as he closed his eye again.

Brock headed back to the quarters where he and his soldiers stayed, ordering three of them to bring Ken back to the capital, whereas the rest would follow him east of the mountains.

On his way to the mine, which he needed to cross to go on the other side of the natural border splitting the island of Corin in half, Brock ran into General Freyne, or rather, she was waiting for him, alongside Bradley.

“General, have you come to see me off?” asked Brock, hellbent on mocking her in any way possible.

“As a matter of fact, I have,” she responded. “For your own safety, I suggest you avoid confrontation with my commander or any of my soldiers, going into the future.”

“Was that a threat?”

“A warning, vice admiral.”

“I don’t plan on coming back any time soon, rest assured.”

Brock went around Ophelia and Bradley and stepped into the elevator, quickly being surrounded by his men.

Bradley eyed him down ferociously. “Do not hurt my little siblings.”

Brock shrugged. “I do not answer to you, captain.”

Ophelia put her hand on her captain’s shoulder and grasped it lightly. Bradley wanted to go after his family, to stop Brock from hurting them, but he stayed where he stood. He had to trust his general.

***

~Somewhere in the east on the island of Corin, Kingdom of Vasilosse~

Hunter, Luck, Taina, Jim and Elesia had been walking for over two days, barely stopping to eat berries from bushes along the way or to sleep. They needed to reach the cove Ophelia had directed them toward as quickly as they could. This was a race against time, against the Royal Army; anything could happen.

It was not until the feeling of numbness in their legs had started to become noticeable that they finally arrived at the inlet Ophelia had described.

Where the plains of the eastern half of the island of Corin ended abruptly, overlooking the sea from atop grassy cliffs, one part of the ground, between cliffs, dipped toward the water. The passage was narrow and steep, connecting the plains to a long, hidden beach, half covered by the shade from the overhang.

The sand was cool, mixed with dirt falling from above. Near the water, plenty of algae and soaked twigs formed a sort of barrier between the dry sand and the dying waves.

Out in the sea sat a lonely island, or rather a large rock a stubborn tree had made its home. The tree’s roots bulged out of the side of the rock, hanging above the waves. Its leaves were green as any other tree’s, its branches as sturdy, a testament to its will to live.

Elesia crashed on the sand, rejoicing in the fact she could finally stop walking. Her brother joined her, sitting in the shade.

“Is that the island?” asked Taina, pointing at the rock inhabited by a single tree.

“I don’t see anything else in the water,” said Luck.

Hunter was the next to find a spot to hide in the shade. “I guess now we wait.”

“Do we know for whom?” asked Taina.

Hunter shrugged. “Dunno. She never mentioned who was gonna come, just that we should be on the lookout for a ship.”

“I hope they get here before the army…”

Time elapsed, and no one spoke. They rested, waiting for someone, or something. Jim and Elesia had fallen asleep, like two cats curled up on each other. Hunter could only rest his eyes, too anxious to fall asleep. Luck was alone in front of the sea, sitting on a convenient log, his feet being washed by the slowly rising tide.

Taina went to sit next to him. “You’ll get to your father eventually. I know you will,” she said, trying to be supportive.

Luck slowly breathed in the salty air. “Yeah… I know. We just have to make sure we stay safe first. Can’t save him if we’re dead, y’know?”

“Don’t even joke about that.”

He let out an awkward laugh. “Sorry.”

“Let’s just wait, okay? Someone is coming for us. After that, we can figure out how to save your father.”

“You know, you don’t have to say ‘we’. I know you wanna help, but you don’t have to.”

“I couldn’t bear to watch you and Hunter lose him.”

“I know. It’s just… I kinda dragged you both into this, and I wish I hadn’t.”

“Does looking at the sea longingly make you think like you’re in a drama?”

“Where did that come from?”

“You didn’t do anything, and you shouldn’t second guess yourself whenever things take an unanticipated turn, because they will, a lot. That confidence you usually carry around, those are the moments you need it most.”

“I swear, you have a repertoire of things to tell me when I’m not feeling my best.”

She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.

More time passed by, and soon, the sun was nearing the end of its daily cycle in the sky. As the sunlight faded, the darkness of the cove hid them nearly completely.

“It’s getting late,” worriedly said Luck. “Someone is bound to show up soon. I just hope it’s someone on our side.”

Almost as if he had spoken a summoning spell, an all too familiar voice called out from some distance behind them. “I’ve finally found you. This game of cat and mouse has been going on for quite long enough.”

It was Brock, accompanied by roughly ten soldiers. His typical wicked smile was more pronounced than usual; even his eyes were grinning, like he had finally found his prey after an exciting hunt.

Hunter jumped to his feet and returned a glare more intense than a raging fire.

Indifferent to the hatred projected on him, Brock began making his way down the slope. “You’ve done a fine job escaping justice up to this point, but I’m afraid for you, this is where your adventure comes to an end. Don’t look so upset, you’ll finally be reunited with your dear Silvers.”

“Bastard…” angrily grunted Hunter, unable to articulate his rage.

“Come now. Don’t make a scene like you did back in that trash heap you call a home. Even if you wanted to, no one is here to protect you, now.”

Luck, armed with a stick he found on the beach, stepped in front of his cousin in a protective manner. “Back off.”

Brock raised an eyebrow. “Surely, this is a farce?”

“I’m gonna shove that stick up your ass.”

The vice admiral shook his head in disbelief before addressing his soldiers. “Those two must be taken alive, so try not to make them bleed too much. The other three are disposable, kill them.”

The soldiers began marching forward, leaving the group little time to react, and nowhere to run.

Without giving it a second thought, Luck swung his stick at the closest soldier’s head, hoping for any fortuitous outcome. Unfortunately, the soldier in question simply blocked the weak attack with his arm, before returning a swing of the base of his spear.

Before the base of the spear could reach his cousin, Hunter grabbed hold of it mid swing. His hands firmly grasping the soldier’s weapon, he pushed it with all his might. The head of the spear made contact with the soldier’s chest plate, going as far as piercing it and drawing blood.

In a reflexive reaction, the soldier pulled the spear away, knocking Hunter off balance in the process. “Little runt!”

The soldier jabbed wildly in the cousins’ direction, forcing them to flee toward the water. Seeing no other option, Hunter ran into the water, quickly followed by the others, as they swam away from the group of soldiers coming in their direction.

None of the soldiers dared step foot in the sea, their armour being far too heavy to give chase in the water.

Brock calmly walked over to the shore and pulled out his pistol, taking aim at the group desperately swimming away. His first bullet whistled right by Taina’s head, numbing her eardrums. His second shot missed them completely, as they were getting farther away by the second.

Impatiently, he pushed one of his soldiers into the water. “Give chase to them, you worthless imbeciles! I don’t care if you sink to the bottom of the sea, bring me back the Reas boys! They can’t hope to get very far.”

Dragged down by the weight of their soaked clothing, but pushed forward by the determination to escape, the group swam as fast as possible. Once they passed the small island, no other land mass came into view in the distance, only deep blue stretching as far as the end of the world.

Among the tranquil waves, a single vessel sailed toward the action. It was large like the royal army’s ships but bore no kingdom’s colours and flaunted no flag. As it got closer, splitting the water on which it sailed, a young man standing precariously at the end of the prow looked down at the struggling teenagers below him.

His eyes were round and piercing, his eyebrows thick and sharp, and his nose perky, accentuating his lively aura. His hair was tied in a bun atop his head, except for his forelock, which fell symmetrically on both sides of his forehead. He wore a bright orange robe tied around his waist by a checkered black belt, a white shirt underneath, and sturdy wooden sandals. He posed on the prow, one hand on his knee, the other around the helve of a long, thin sword.

He raised his voice so that the group could hear him through their intense swimming. “You there, children! Are you the ones sent by Ophelia?”

“Yes!” shouted Hunter as he gasped for air.

“Very well! You should fear no longer, because I have arrived!”

The ship soon met with the people it was meant to give safe haven to. Ropes were thrown overboard to help them climb aboard, to which everyone quickly obliged. Hunter, Luck, Taina, then Jim and Elesia all climbed the ropes, helped by strong sailors on board. As soon as their feet touched the deck of the ship, they let their bodies go limp, too exhausted to exert any sort of effort.

“Hm, what have we here?” pondered the man on the prow. “Vasilosse Kingdom soldiers, swimming toward us? I wonder what they hope to achieve? Sink to the bottom of the sea, perhaps?”

“Will you get us out of here!” exclaimed Hunter as he regained a bit of strength.

“Ah, yes, that is indeed what I was sent to do. The timing truly could not have been better.”

“It could have definitely been better!”

“No matter, you’ve been saved.”

As if to counter his statement, a cannonball came flying out of the blue, wrecking part of the ship’s hull. Thankfully, the blast had collided with the ship too high to cause a leak, albeit still a cause for concern.

The man on the prow turned to face the direction from which the attack came and was faced with what he could only describe as a monster.

A ship, much bigger and more imposing than his own, reinforced with iron all over the outside, armed with obscenely large canons, appeared like a shadow in the night. Standing on the deck of the enemy ship was a man comparable to a wild beast. On that man’s coat shone three golden stars.

“An admiral, huh?” said the man trying to rescue the runaways.

Brock observed helplessly from the beach, rejoicing at the sight of his reinforcements turning up at the most convenient time. “Yes, now that Admiral Zube is here, they stand no chance of escape,” he laughed maniacally.

Hunter stood up in a spurt and ran to the man responsible for his rescue. “We have to leave, now!”

“We cannot.”

“What are you saying! We’ll die if we stay here!”

“On the contrary, we’ll die if we try to escape. The sea is far too large and open to avoid confrontation once it’s started. We cannot outpace that ship, no matter what we do. Just look at how quickly it caught up to us.”

“Then, what? What the hell are we supposed to do?”

“Our only option is to defeat the opponent that stands in our way.”

“How are you planning on doing that! Have you seen that thing!”

“Fear not, my friend. You needn’t resign yourself to any grim fate, for I, Yuen Long, will protect you.”

Yuen began unsheathing his blade, revealing its lustrous black glow. A second cannonball flew across the open sea, directly toward Yuen and Hunter. In perfect synchronization with the oncoming attack, Yuen fully drew his sword. In a flash, the cannonball changed its course ever so slightly, crashing in the water behind the ship.

Hunter had no idea what had just occurred; it all happened way too fast. He knew, though, in that instant, that Yuen’s words, whoever he was, were spoken with rightful confidence.

Yuen pointed his blade at Frankrick, calling out to him. “You, mad beast with the killer’s aura. Am I right to presume you are the leader of your ship? I offer to you, a duel between worthy warriors. If I win, I get to leave with these young people, not to be followed by anyone. However, should you come out victorious, you may do as you please with them.”

“Hey, don’t go betting our lives, you flamboyant shithead!” shouted Hunter in disapproval.

“Hush, don’t stand in my way.”

Frankrick remained still like a statue ready to burst to life at the slightest provocation, as his ship approached Yuen’s. He spoke no words, but his body language and stance suggested his enemy’s proposal interested him.

“Would I be correct to assume you are the one known as the ogre?” asked Yuen. “The Vasilosse Kingdom’s admiral know across the seas as a ruthless combatant, a man stronger than a bear, a man whose sole intent in life is to kill?”

Yuen spoke without a trace of fear of the man he had so adequately described as a monster. He was confident, cocky even, with a subtle grin on his face.

The two men, carried by the currents, now stood within arms’ reach of each other.

“And you are naught but a bug to be squashed,” said Frankrick.

“Ah, but it seems you’ve accepted my offer.”

Indeed, the admiral turned around and waited farther on his ship’s deck, clearing his forces away from the soon-to-be battleground. Yuen winked at Hunter and jumped aboard the Royal Army ship.

With onlookers on both ships, as well as on the beach, Frankrick and Yuen’s staring contest intensified. The admirals loosened his muscles, hopping from left to right to warm himself up for a fight, while his opponent only drew his sword and tossed the sheath on the floor.

Brock focused his vision to try to see the exchange happening at sea. “What is that fool doing?” he irritably asked himself. “Just kill whoever stands in your way, as you’re so good at doing.”

Once he was done warming up, Frankrick leapt forward, cracking the wooden flooring of the deck under the weight of his push. Yuen turned his body to properly face the oncoming charge, his blade held straight in front of him. Right before Yuen was about to strike his completely open opponent, Frankrick pulled out a claymore that up until now, was hiding on his back behind his open coat, and swung it with incredible force using only one hand. Yuen reacted to the surprise strike at the last possible second, deviating the blow to his left.

The admiral immediately regained his posture and started launching a barrage of heavy attacks, each one pushing Yuen back. If he failed to deviate the course of the swings, his sword would easily shatter.

“You are a formidable opponent!” exclaimed Yuen as he continued to defend himself. “However, your heart is consumed by unbridled, unjustified rage for all things in this world. Such a blackened spirit cannot hope to win in an honourable duel between warriors.”

Yuen pivoted on one foot, turning his body around, and taking advantage of Frankrick’s unstable positioning, brought his sword down on the back of the ogre’s neck. The sharp blade began to dig into his thick skin, until the effort to slice his flesh became too great to pursue. Yuen’s face turned to shock as he was unable to finish the deed.

Frankrick shook his opponent off like a wild animal, sending Yuen’s sword flying out of his hands. He stood up fully, towering above the man who had almost struck him down, blood trickling down his neck and back.

“Now, finish him and apprehend the Reas boys!” shouted Brock in the air.

Frankrick reprised his flurry of wild slashes; if only one of them connected, Yuen would be sliced cleanly in half.

Yuen dove out of the way. “He stopped my blade using only the strength of his neck muscles? Just how strong is he?”

Before Yuen could organize his thoughts, Frankrick sent him flying backward with a powerful kick to the chest. Yuen felt his ribs crack on impact, but nonetheless landed on his feet, snatching his lost sword from the deck while in the air. The admiral rushed his opponent with speed unbecoming of such a large man, reaching out his claymore to end Yuen in one fell swoop.

As if time had slowed down, allowing for a perfect counterattack, Yuen saw the opening making itself known to him. The left part of Frankrick’s abdomen was completely open. Yuen steadied his sword, waited until he no longer could, and when the thick blade of his foe’s weapon grazed his hair, he dodged to the side and thrust his sword into the larger man’s belly, pushing with all his might.

Inconceivably, as had happened mere moments ago with his neck, Frankrick’s abdominal muscles stopped the sword dead in its track. It was as if his muscles were made of steel, an impenetrable defense.

Frankrick brought his hand against Yuen’s head, sending him crashing against the edge of the ship.

He walked menacingly toward the defeated swordsman painfully gasping for air. “I have won. You were no match for me.”

Yuen panted and winced in pain. “You really are strong… The stories about you were true…”

“I will now take your life, but rest assured, your soul will not be tormented in the afterlife. Had you only been stronger, you would have beaten me. Knowing that, you should die with pride.”

With a desperate shout, Luck intervened in the fight. “That’s enough! Stop right where you are!” He was on the Royal Army ship, holding Yuen’s sword firmly in his hand.

“Luck, come back here, you moron!” screamed Hunter from Yuen’s ship.

“I’m sorry, Hunter, but I have to do this!”

“No, you don’t! Get back here!”

Luck turned to the admiral and Yuen. “The fight is over. You won. There’s no need to kill him.”

Frankrick faced Luck with a piercing, murderous glare. “You, are you one the Reas boys?”

“That’s right. My name is Luck Reas, son of Silvers Reas. I hear you’ve been looking for me. Well, here I am.”

“I don’t know what point you think there is to your little showing of bravado, but you’ve already been captured.”

“I have. But I’m the only one you’ll be taking.”

Frankrick burst out laughing. “And what do you intend to do to make that silly threat come to fruition? Will you challenge me, as well? You’ve seen with your own two eyes that such an action is pointless. You will fall.”

“No, I won’t fight you. I’m not stupid enough to think I would stand a chance. But I’m an important hostage, am I not?”

The admiral raised an eyebrow.

Luck brought the sword to his neck, pressing it against his skin. “You’ll let him go, and you’ll let that ship sail away with everyone on board unharmed. Do so, and I will come with you. Refuse, however, and I will end my life right here and now.”

“Your ridiculous threats have no effect on me. Whether you die or the other Reas child is let go, I lose one of my targets. Why should I prioritize you over him?”

“That may be true, but you’ll always get another chance to capture my cousin if you let him go. If I die here, I’ll be gone forever. I wouldn’t take those odds if I were you.”

Frankrick intensified his glare. “You bluff.”

“You wish,” snickered Luck. He pressed the sword against his neck, cutting the skin deep enough to trigger a weak blood loss.

“You would end your life so casually?”

“There is nothing casual about this. This is the most important decision I’ve taken in my entire life.”

Brock continued to squint his eyes to be able to see the confrontation on the ship, unable to hear the conversation taking place aboard. “What is that oaf waiting for? Just take him, already! He’s right in front of you!”

Frankrick groaned audibly as he assessed his options. “You are weak-minded. You will not take your own life so easily. My mission was to capture both the Reas boys, and I intend to do just that.”

“Okay, then,” said Luck. He lowered the sword from his neck and brought it to his wrist, slashing it unhesitatingly. The sharp burning in his wrist made him grimace, but he shook it off. “Hurry up and treat to my wound, or I’ll die.”

“You fool!” yelled Frankrick in panic.

“You don’t have a lot of time left. Let them go.”

The admiral gritted his teeth and grabbed Yuen by the belt, forcing him to his feet. “Get out of my sight before I change my mind and annihilate you all.” He then effortlessly threw the smaller man aboard his own ship, with no concern for the safety of his landing. “Somebody stop the bleeding on the prisoner!”

Hunter was frantically waving for his cousin to come back, running to the prow and extending his hand, however pointless it proved to be. “Luck, please, what are you doing! Come back while you still can! Please, I’m begging you!”

Luck turned to face his cousin. “Sorry, Hunter, I really went ahead and did it, this time. I hope you can forgive me.”

“Fuck off, with that! Just please, jump back! I’ll catch you!”

Tears began to form in Hunter’s eyes. No matter how loudly he cried out to his cousin, he stayed aboard the Royal Army’s ship, smiling at him as his face turned white from the blood loss. Yuen’s ship had already began retreating farther into the sea. Soon, Luck was nothing but a tiny shadow in the distance.

Hunter ran back to the deck and furiously grabbed Yuen by the collar. “Hey, you! Turn this ship around right now! We have to save him!”

“We cannot, anymore,” feebly replied Yuen. “I have lost the battle…”

“I don’t care about your dumbshit rules of honour! We need to go get him!”

“You misunderstand. This isn’t about honour or pride. The truth is, that man is still far too strong for me to defeat alone.”

Hunter pushed him back on the deck and grasped his own hair in despair, nearly tearing it off his scalp. “Then what good are you! I thought you were supposed to save us! Why the hell did we wait like dunces on that beach instead of hiding!?”

Taina stepped between Hunter and Yuen, also tearing up. “Hunter, you need to calm down. You’re not helping, right now.”

“How am I supposed to calm down when Luck’s been taken away! First, Silvers, now this!? It’s one disaster after another!”

“You’re not the only who’s scared! Stop acting like you’re the only one close to him!”

“He’s all I have left, Taina! He and Silvers are the only family I have! Now they’re both prisoners to a mad tyrant! Don’t tell me to calm down!”

“We still have time. Nothing will be done to them until the king can get your father to come out of hiding, remember?”

“And then, what? You think he’s just gonna let them go! Like he did with my mom twelve years ago!? Wake up, Taina! They’re as good as dead if we don’t save them!”

Tears began to roll off Taina’s cheeks. “You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do! And you do, too!”

Taina just shook her head, refusing to believe him.

“Then, go,” said Yuen. “Jump off this ship and swim. You can go after your cousin, but you will go alone. If you wish to throw your life away, no one here will stop you. In the eventuality you would like to come back with the rest of us to our base, we can elaborate a better plan of rescue.”

Hunter walked to the edge of the ship and repeatedly kicked its wall, screaming loudly into the air. As his voice died out in the night sky, he dropped to his knees and whimpered quietly.

Taina kneeled next to him, trying to wipe off her tears. “We’ll get him back. I swear we will.”

***

Aboard the Royal Army ship, Luck lay down in an infirmary bed in one of the lower levels of the vessel. The bleeding had been stopped just before he was about to lose consciousness, but he had still lost enough to temporarily weaken himself. He was dizzy and tired; even when he closed his eyes to rest, the world around him seemed to swirl and move around.

A woman’s voice spoke to him. “You know what you did had very little chance to succeed, right?”

Luck struggled to open his eyes again. He was met with the nurse tending to his wound, wrapping bandage around his wrist. She was in her forties, her tired, weary eyes betraying the smooth skin of her delicate face. Her hands, on the other hand, were covered in scars and wrinkles, her protruding veins nearly escaping her pale hands.

“Yeah…” muttered Luck. “It worked, though.”

“Not for the reason you think it did. Our admiral is the strongest person in the kingdom, and one of the strongest in the world. The only reason he decided to let your friends go is out of respect for a strong opponent. That man who fought for you saved you all, not your poor attempt at manipulation.”

“Well… I guess it doesn’t matter now.”

The nurse chuckled. “I guess not. Have you always been this reckless?”

“Some would say I have been.”

“You should be more careful. You only have one life, and you almost threw it away.”

“You’re awfully caring for someone who’s supposed to be my enemy.”

The nurse scoffed. “Enemies this, enemies that, it’s always the same wherever I go. Everyone thinks everyone is their enemy. Not that I blame you. The world has become so divided, violent and full of horrors, it’s hard not to perceive strangers as your enemy.”

“What about you? What are you?”

“Me? I’m a nurse, nothing more. I have no enemies, only patients.”

“If only everyone in the army could be as kind.”

The nurse smiled. “You flatter me, but you needn’t compliment me for doing my job.”

“Is that why you do it? Because it’s your job?”

“I suppose, partly. You can’t only have death in the world, you need healing as well.” She finished wrapping his wrist. “I’m all done here. Try to rest. It might be your last night in a bed for a long time.”

“Won’t be hard,” said Luck as he closed his eyes again.

He barely had time to close them that sleep came to swoop him away. The nurse admired how peaceful he looked, despite his injury and his undesirable situation. He remained positive, even in despair.