Bubble

I feel the heat on my back as one of Vol's swift fireballs pass by me and collides with a barrier. The pirate standing behind it screams as his barrier breaks and the immense flame envelops him.

The enemy consists of approximately 35 people, maybe 30 of which are magicians. It's been a little under 10 minutes since they appeared from the massive bubble and boarded the ship.

On the bridge, Elizabeth stands side by side with captain Irene, whose curved blade is already covered in blood.

The entire ship is covered in messy fights between the tired crew and this unknown group of powerful magicians. The manacaster has proved as good as useless without the remaining spells. Four magicians have me cornered by the railing and a hulking man approaches me, a large weapon like a meat cleaver in his hand.

I cast the one spell I can reasonably use without obliterating the entire ship.

"Ailomolliex!"

The agility spell heightens my senses and I set off, crushing the wooden planks under my feet and sending splinters everywhere. The meat cleaver comes crashing down and I dodge, then leap upwards, kneeing the man hard in the chin.

There's a loud *crunch* before, a second later, the man keels over, leaving the cleaver stuck in the floor.

I pick it up. Though heavy, I have the physical strength necessary to hold it. One of the mages, a red-haired woman dressed in white robes, dodges backwards. The remaining three are less lucky as I spin the thick cleaver toward them, splitting their bodies apart.

"AARRCCGH"

The third in row screams and falls to the ground as I cut halfway into his upper arm. Huddled up and unable to defend himself, all it takes is another swift cut. The man's scream gets caught in his throat as I lop off his head.

"Rogsfulyvun!" the red-haired mage screams, having already drawn the complex shapes necessary for the highest level fireball spell in a panic.

Unfortunately for her, she did it wrong.

"YGCHRIAAAAA""

She lets out a blood-curdling scream as her body is torn apart from the inside, ravaged by her own flames. The bright blue flames sputter from her body like a furnace as she drops to the floor. Ashes.

Well, that was easily the grossest thing I've seen all day.

And I just split open two guys' stomachs.

I take stock of the situation around me.

Vol has put up a barrier and is having a mostly-stalemate fight with the pirates, who have done the same. Vol is more powerful, of course, so he'll whittle them down soon enough.

I ignore the frantically fighting crew as I check on Elizabeth. Her and Irene have taken out the people attacking them, but it seems like the captain has taken a bit of a hit.

"Elisabet, is just a cut. I am dassha," captain Irene says, holding her arm as Elizabeth helps her off the floor.

It seems like they'll be okay for now.

I guess I should focus on the remaining 23-

No, wait.

...24?

There's another mana signature somewhere here, but it's not here on the deck.

"Somebody's in the hull. Captain, come with me. Elizabeth, go help Vol."

We part ways and Irene rushes after me down the stairs, switching her sword to the other hand. Turning down a few staircases, I sense us getting closer to the presence. I enter the hull, the bloody cleaver still in my hand. Irene comes in a little behind me.

We look around the room, treading carefully through it while keeping our guard up. I can't sense the mana anymore, but it came from close by.

Nothing moves. Nothing makes a sound. All we can hear is the sloshing of the ocean and the battle going on upstairs.

"Here is nobody," Irene says in a low voice, "We should go, help."

"Fine," I nod, "You go back up. I'll keep looking."

She agrees. I hear hear footsteps head back up the stairs.

I wait in silence.

...

...

Creak

In one fluid motion, I bring down the cleaver. The metal blade, my face and my clothes are all spattered with blood, but there's nobody there. Then, as though appearing out of a haze, a tall, scaled figure comes into being, leaping away from me in fear and falling onto its back. A bright and bleeding gash covers its torso.

A kind of anthropomorphic lizard-human hybrid. The teal scales on the naked draconi turn yellow in its orange blood, which drips down all along its front.

Hm?

"I've seen you before. You were in Tayde. "

No response.

I hold up the cleaver to its long, soft throat.

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

The creature takes in several rasping breaths, but is ultimately unresponsive.

I move the edge closer to its neck. I see it clenching its jaw.

"Answer. Now."

Nothing? Fine. I don't like to turn to this option because, frankly, it makes even me a bit uncomfortable. But so be it.

With a slow and careful movement, I let the sharp edge of the cleaver droop down across its belly. I leave it hovering there, just above a curved red tip sticking out between its legs.

"Answer. Or lose your breeding privileges."