Drifter stayed with Knife of the Ocean in the Guild ship while his crewmen busied themselves with the gathering of gull shit from the nearby rocks. It took quite some time so Drifter took the opportunity to rest up in a spare cabin, the experience of using his newfound power for the first time now bringing him fatigue. The crew had already finished when he emerged sometime later.
"Ah, there you are." Knife said. "We're about to head back home now. Wait til you meet the others!"
"I can hardly wait." Drifter said.
Something's coming!
He wheeled round to the water all of a sudden. Knife did the same.
"You felt it as well, didn't you?" Knife said.
Then, out of the blue, a figure suddenly shot up from underwater, rising high in the air. It was a woman, clad in black-jade armor and wielding a daiklave. From its position it was poised to attack.
"Dragon-Bloods!" Knife cried. "Prepare yourself!"
The woman aimed for Drifter, whose reflexes immediately kicked in. Drifter channeled his essence toward his movements, dodging the woman's blow and moving a good distance away. The woman appeared to have struck a figure that suddenly blew up into a million droplets of water.
Another figure shot out from the water, this time a man, clad in the same armor and wielding the same weapon, and aimed for Knife this time. He drew out a pair of hook swords and welcomed the attack. As he did, two more figures leapt from the water and landed at Knife's ship, welcoming the marines that stood guard there.
The woman, however, continued charging towards Drifter and struck again, but Drifter was prepared with his reflexes this time - he channeled his essence once again and evaded the attacks with little ease. As he did, his caste mark flashed once.
The man seemed to have taken an interest in Drifter, who stood dangerously close to him, and aimed a flurry of strikes towards Drifter. Again he was prepared, expending more of his essence to fuel his lightning-fast evasion. By that time his caste mark glowed bright as he channeled more of his essence to powering his actions.
Knife, however, was on Drifter's aid, for he welcomed the woman that was also charging towards them and struck a heavy blow, striking through the woman's armor and wounding her. She then dived back into the water, yelling loudly:
"He's a Solar!"
At that instant, the man also dived back into the water, followed by a violent rumble seconds later that almost knocked the two Solars off-balance.
"They're sinking this ship!" Knife said. "We'll have to jump it!"
"But there's more of them on the other ship!" Drifter cried.
"Better jump towards them that us sinking to their level!" Knife cried. "Come on!"
He grabbed Drifter and jumped high in the air, soaring past the gap of water that separated the two ships, then hurling Drifter at a Dragon-Blooded man that was on board Knife's ship. They both landed over the two, Knife instantly mumbling instructions at Drifter on their next attack.
By now their entire area seemed to have attracted a huge number of trouble, for there was a violent cry from the marines around their ship.
"SIAKA!!!"
As the Guild ship slowly sank at the effort of the Dragon-Bloods, a reddish tinge appeared around its waters as the huge man-eating sharks feasted at the poor people left in the hold.
"We'll have no time to come back for them, or else those Siakas and Dragon-Bloods will be up our necks!" Knife cried, as they now squared up the two Dragon-Bloods. They charged at the two Solars, weapons drawn. One who aimed for Drifter missed as Drifter scaled the mast and landed at the crow's nest. The other parried blows with Knife, whose hook swords were still drawn.
"Get down here or I'll head up there to kill you, Anathema!" the Dragon-Blood cried.
"I dare you!" Drifter cried.
The Dragon-Blood leapt high into the air, his daiklave poised to attack. Drifter then jumped down from the crow's nest, prepared to welcome his attack. As they met, the Dragon-Blood aimed a slash and Drifter immediately dodged, although his reflexes failed to completely dodge the strike, causing the blade to slash through the lower half of his shirt.
Knife, however, parried blows with the other Dragon-Blood, expending his own essence as well as he started demonstrating his Solar abilities, ending in a successful disarmament of the Dragon-Blood's daiklave.
By now the two Dragon-Bloods have recognized that Knife also bore a Solar's caste mark - the mark of the Night Caste.
"There's too many of them! We'll have to retreat!" a Dragon-Blood man cried.
"B-but my daiklave...!" the other cried.
"Leave it, we're no match for these two!"
Glaring at Knife of the Ocean, the Dragon-Blood who lost a daiklave jumped after his companion, disappearing beneath the waters. At the same time the attack on Knife's ship stopped and the waters calmed once again.
"Ah, there you are." Knife said. "We're about to head back home now. Wait til you meet the others!"
"I can hardly wait." Drifter said.
Something's coming!
He wheeled round to the water all of a sudden. Knife did the same.
"You felt it as well, didn't you?" Knife said.
Then, out of the blue, a figure suddenly shot up from underwater, rising high in the air. It was a woman, clad in black-jade armor and wielding a daiklave. From its position it was poised to attack.
"Dragon-Bloods!" Knife cried. "Prepare yourself!"
The woman aimed for Drifter, whose reflexes immediately kicked in. Drifter channeled his essence toward his movements, dodging the woman's blow and moving a good distance away. The woman appeared to have struck a figure that suddenly blew up into a million droplets of water.
Another figure shot out from the water, this time a man, clad in the same armor and wielding the same weapon, and aimed for Knife this time. He drew out a pair of hook swords and welcomed the attack. As he did, two more figures leapt from the water and landed at Knife's ship, welcoming the marines that stood guard there.
The woman, however, continued charging towards Drifter and struck again, but Drifter was prepared with his reflexes this time - he channeled his essence once again and evaded the attacks with little ease. As he did, his caste mark flashed once.
The man seemed to have taken an interest in Drifter, who stood dangerously close to him, and aimed a flurry of strikes towards Drifter. Again he was prepared, expending more of his essence to fuel his lightning-fast evasion. By that time his caste mark glowed bright as he channeled more of his essence to powering his actions.
Knife, however, was on Drifter's aid, for he welcomed the woman that was also charging towards them and struck a heavy blow, striking through the woman's armor and wounding her. She then dived back into the water, yelling loudly:
"He's a Solar!"
At that instant, the man also dived back into the water, followed by a violent rumble seconds later that almost knocked the two Solars off-balance.
"They're sinking this ship!" Knife said. "We'll have to jump it!"
"But there's more of them on the other ship!" Drifter cried.
"Better jump towards them that us sinking to their level!" Knife cried. "Come on!"
He grabbed Drifter and jumped high in the air, soaring past the gap of water that separated the two ships, then hurling Drifter at a Dragon-Blooded man that was on board Knife's ship. They both landed over the two, Knife instantly mumbling instructions at Drifter on their next attack.
By now their entire area seemed to have attracted a huge number of trouble, for there was a violent cry from the marines around their ship.
"SIAKA!!!"
As the Guild ship slowly sank at the effort of the Dragon-Bloods, a reddish tinge appeared around its waters as the huge man-eating sharks feasted at the poor people left in the hold.
"We'll have no time to come back for them, or else those Siakas and Dragon-Bloods will be up our necks!" Knife cried, as they now squared up the two Dragon-Bloods. They charged at the two Solars, weapons drawn. One who aimed for Drifter missed as Drifter scaled the mast and landed at the crow's nest. The other parried blows with Knife, whose hook swords were still drawn.
"Get down here or I'll head up there to kill you, Anathema!" the Dragon-Blood cried.
"I dare you!" Drifter cried.
The Dragon-Blood leapt high into the air, his daiklave poised to attack. Drifter then jumped down from the crow's nest, prepared to welcome his attack. As they met, the Dragon-Blood aimed a slash and Drifter immediately dodged, although his reflexes failed to completely dodge the strike, causing the blade to slash through the lower half of his shirt.
Knife, however, parried blows with the other Dragon-Blood, expending his own essence as well as he started demonstrating his Solar abilities, ending in a successful disarmament of the Dragon-Blood's daiklave.
By now the two Dragon-Bloods have recognized that Knife also bore a Solar's caste mark - the mark of the Night Caste.
"There's too many of them! We'll have to retreat!" a Dragon-Blood man cried.
"B-but my daiklave...!" the other cried.
"Leave it, we're no match for these two!"
Glaring at Knife of the Ocean, the Dragon-Blood who lost a daiklave jumped after his companion, disappearing beneath the waters. At the same time the attack on Knife's ship stopped and the waters calmed once again.
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