Nysera pushed aside the larger chunks of debris, carefully kneeling on the marble to check on Shanya. "Shanya… are you all right?" she asked, her voice steady but carrying a note of concern.
Shanya rubbed her forehead, brushing off dust and grit. A few scratches caught the light, but her grin stayed firm. "Yeah, don't sweat it, Nysera. I've got it covered. Just gotta try harder, aye?" She flexed her fingers around the hilt of her broadsword, dragging the tip across the corridor's marble with a screeching rasp.
Nysera's eyes flicked down the corridor, her brow furrowing as she took in the dust-filled hall and the chaos beyond. "Please… be careful," she said, her tone calm but urgent. "There are too many people in danger. Both your crew and my kingdom…"
Shanya stood, brushing herself off. "Thanks. Got it from here. You—get to safety, Nysera. Gotta help 'em out."
Without waiting for a response, Shanya lunged forward, her slow dash turning into a full sprint as she disappeared into the fray.
Nysera's hands clenched at her sides as she watched, a heavy weight settling in her chest. She thought of the pirates risking everything for their captain, and of the kingdom she had sworn to protect—caught between loyalty and duty. Her voice dropped to a whisper as she watched the chaos unfold: "Please… let no one else get hurt."
Ralphie found himself stuck in the center of the throne room, surrounded by a ring of soldiers, with Zevros and the king towering over him—an almost impossible position.
Then, from the back of the room, Shanya came tearing forward. She leapt high above Ralphie's head, broadsword raised like a striking storm. "Y'all got no respect for what the princess wants?!" she yelled, her voice cutting through the chaos.
Corrosive energy hissed along her blade as she slammed it into the marble floor. The impact unleashed acidic flames that surged outward, forcing the soldiers back while keeping Ralphie safely behind the blast.
"Move! Out of the way!" one soldier shouted, scrambling backward as the flames spread. Another barked orders, "Clear the path! Protect the king!"
Zevros reacted immediately, whipping up his desert wind to form a protective barrier around the king. The gusts churned violently, keeping the monarch safe while deflecting the worst of the corrosive flames.
Some soldiers weren't so lucky. The acidic fire clung to their armor, melting it in jagged, sizzling chunks. They screamed and stumbled, desperately trying to get out of harm's way.
Ralphie planted his reinforced feet, eyes narrowing at the path Shanya had cleared. "Nice timing," he muttered, adjusting his stance, ready to take advantage of the opening.
Shanya straightened her stance, planting her broadsword firmly into the floor as the corrosive energy around her slowly faded. "Yeah? Then how 'bout we take that 'nice timin' and actually kick the crap outta these morons? Been dyin' for some action ever since Chiaki called in her orders." She cracked her knuckles and rolled her neck, gripping the broadsword tightly, Ralphie at her side.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Ralphie said, glancing around at the soldiers. "We need to wait a sec—let Nathaniel get those guys outta here first. Then we can set up something to handle the rest."
Kadesh led the soldiers down the twisting corridors, his white mustache twitching as he kept an eye on Nathaniel trailing behind. "I suppose it's only natural for a gunslinger to be this quick," he murmured, drawing his blade with deliberate precision.
Nathaniel's eyes flickered red as he analyzed Kadesh's motions. "Predictable," he muttered under his breath. "A gunner's use of inspection… can be quite handy."
Kadesh rotated on his heel, swinging his blade in a sharp arc, sending a slicing wave of energy toward Nathaniel. The force carried enough power to shear through most obstacles, but Nathaniel twisted, spinning to avoid it, cloak whipping in the corridor's draft as he planted his foot and dashed forward.
Seizing the moment, Nathaniel activated his time gate—but only around Kadesh. The area surrounding the blade master seemed to desaturate instantly; the corridor's colors drained, shadows fading into dull greys. Even the gleaming metal of Kadesh's sword dulled as if the world itself had been muted. Movement slowed drastically for Kadesh, each step and swing lagging unnaturally, while the soldiers beyond the zone carried on at normal speed, oblivious to the distortion.
Using the advantage, Nathaniel slipped behind Kadesh with uncanny precision, every step deliberate and calculated. The moment the time gate collapsed, color and motion snapped back into the corridor, and Nathaniel sprinted toward the soldiers with lightning speed, the world rushing back around him as if nothing had happened.
Kadesh froze mid-step, his calm demeanor momentarily shaken by how the gunslinger had used the time-altering zone to slip past him. He turned sharply, eyes narrowing, assessing Nathaniel's position and realizing he had just been outmaneuvered.
Kadesh spoke calmly, the tip of his sword resting lightly against the floor. "Their gunner… he's capable of using Syncopation. Rare talent, even among people like them. Could make things… troublesome."
Without breaking his composure, he walked casually toward the wall, eyes scanning the corridor as if noting nothing out of the ordinary. Reaching a seemingly ordinary tile, he pressed it with the flat of his palm.
With a soft click, the tile shifted inward, and a section of the wall swung open silently, revealing a hidden passage. Kadesh stepped through without hesitation, his movements precise and deliberate, vanishing into the concealed corridor as if he'd been there all along.
The soldiers continued down the corridor, urgency in their steps as they tried to maintain formation. One of them raised a hand, gesturing sharply to the others. "Keep moving! That gunslinger's closing in on us!"
A few glanced nervously over their shoulders, their breaths coming faster. "What happened to Kadesh?" one asked, voice tight with concern. "He was right behind us… did he fall behind?"
"Don't slow down to figure that out!" the first soldier snapped, glancing ahead. "Just get to the extraction point—we can't afford to be picked off now!"
Despite the warnings, a few others muttered under their breath, uncertainty creeping into their tone. "Where'd he go…?"
The corridor stretched before them, walls echoing with their hurried steps, while Nathaniel's footsteps remained a faint, almost imperceptible hum behind, steadily gaining on the group.
Nathaniel's boots barely made a sound as he closed the distance, the faint echo of the soldiers' hurried steps in front of him. Calmly, he drew his pistols from their holsters with fluid, almost theatrical precision. With a flick of his wrist, he ejected the spent rounds, flipped them between his fingers, and loaded new bullets with a series of smooth, mechanical motions that made the guns almost dance in his hands. Each movement was deliberate, controlled, and effortlessly cool—like watching a master craftsman at work.
The soldiers were too focused on their retreat to notice him. Nathaniel's eyes shifted upward, locking on a hanging lantern several meters ahead. He leveled both pistols, squeezing the triggers in perfect synchronization. A crack rang out twice, and the lantern shuddered before snapping free of its chain, crashing down to the floor with a deafening clang.
The soldiers skidded to a halt, startled by the sudden obstruction, their path blocked by the smoldering, toppled lantern. Sparks hissed as the glass shattered, filling the corridor with smoke and fire. Panic spread through the group as they realized they were boxed in.
From behind the smoke and shadows, Nathaniel emerged, walking casually toward them. His pistols still in hand, he slipped in a new magazine with effortless skill, his motions fluid, confident, and deadly precise. His red eyes glimmered faintly, reflecting the smoke-lit corridor as he spoke, voice calm but chilling:
"Hand over my captain. Now."
The soldiers froze, startled and uncertain, realizing he meant Temoshí—the gunslinger's own captain, whom they'd captured. The toppled, smoldering lantern blocked their path, leaving them trapped as Nathaniel advanced steadily, every step deliberate, every movement radiating control and quiet menace.
The soldiers glanced at each other, panic rising in their voices. Some fidgeted with their weapons, others took a step back, clearly unsure of how to handle the situation.
"What do we do now?" one muttered nervously. "He wants the captain… the one we've got!"
"He's just one man," another said, trying to sound confident. "We've got numbers—can't we take him down and keep him from getting to the captain?"
A younger soldier shook his head, fear in his eyes. "Are you kidding? Look at him! He moves like he's everywhere at once. And that lantern—he could've crushed us all if he wanted!"
"Calm down!" a more senior soldier barked, though his voice wavered. "We have orders. We can't let him reach his captain."
Nathaniel's footsteps echoed closer, measured and precise, his pistols at the ready. The smoke from the fallen lantern curled around him, the dim corridor emphasizing his calm menace.
"Decide fast," Nathaniel said, voice low and steady, cutting through the soldiers' hesitation. "Hand him over, or this ends badly for you."
The soldiers froze, glancing nervously at each other, aware that they were trapped between their orders and the gunslinger's unstoppable presence. Fear and uncertainty weighed heavily on them as Nathaniel advanced.
Before the soldiers could react, a hidden door in the wall slid open with a soft click. Through it stepped Kadesh, calm and composed, the tip of his sword dragging lightly against the floor as he entered the corridor. His gaze swept over Nathaniel, assessing, unhurried, every step measured.
Nathaniel's eyes flickered in surprise—subtle, controlled, not breaking his calm demeanor. He shifted his stance slightly, pistols ready, but there was no panic in his movements. "So you're here already." He noted, keeping his focus on the mission: retrieving Temoshí.
Kadesh's voice broke the tense silence, quiet yet firm. "Going after your captain with nothing but speed and tricks… daring. I must admit, it's impressive."
Nathaniel's eyes narrowed slightly, his focus unwavering. "Bold? Maybe. But I'm not leaving without him," he said evenly, voice calm yet carrying an edge of warning.
The soldiers surrounding Kadesh faltered, realizing they were caught between Nathaniel's deadly presence and the sudden appearance of their commander, unsure how to react as the corridor filled with tension.
To be continued...