Youbé Port's usual quietness was disturbed. Tonight it was a staging ground. Standing amidst the pier was a combination of eleven Finders and Guardsmen each equipped with converter rifles. Everything was set; the men on hand had been briefed. Adriana and Abraham had personally come to see them all off. All that was left was to start the attack. 

Piotr had spent the day rehearsing the strike in his head. He was confident, and yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. Kydin was daring, but this almost seemed too daring. Abraham noticed his reluctance; he nudged Adriana, and the two approached him.

“Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet now of all times, Henlein?” Abraham said in his usual condescending tone. Adriana’s gaze lingered on him. She no longer wore her usual affable smile. Since the revelation of Christi meeting with Kydin, she seemed much more serious. 

“What troubles you, Piotr? Why do you pause?” she asked him.

“I believe there’s more to this than we initially assumed.”

“Elaborate.” 

Abraham huffed and rolled his eyes. Piotr looked to the town and back to the ship. 

“I know of Kydin’s ventures throughout Anriel. He’s a man who often utilises misdirection. Very simply, he’s more than meets the eye. This move on his part feels far too elementary. If we are to take his last attack into consideration. Well, he chose to attack in my absence.”

Adriana folded her arms and nodded. 

“You believe this is an attempt on his part to draw you out then?”

“If I were to hazard a guess, then yes.”

Adriana strolled to the edge of the pier. A cloud of vapour coalesced before her as a sigh escaped her lips.

“He’s playing us for a fool, isn’t he? What would you suggest then?”

“To be prepared. We’ll continue with the attack, but only with two other boats joining me and Sam. If I’m correct and we don’t proceed, then Kydin will suspect something. At least this way we’re ready.”

“Very well then.” Adriana turned and waved towards Abraham, who shook his head and huffed. Four men remained seated in their compact aquawood frame boats while the rest alighted. 

“Good luck.”

Piotr nodded firmly and joined Sam in the boat. Abraham ushered his men away, instructing them to remain vigilant. With a slight tug on the reins, the Varog duo at the bow began to pull. The boat lurched forward and continued at a steady pace. 

Natural light illuminated their path as they glided forward. White stars twinkled in the blue expanse above, and a crimson red moon hung in the night sky. The Farage Sea was still and calm; save for the faint red moonlight, the sea itself was as black as the abyss. 

In the near distance the freighter ship could be seen, anchored about half a mile out from the port. It loomed large, an imperious symbol in itself against the people of Barakat. They could see lights on the ship; there was no attempt to even hide their brazen location. 

The Varog slowed as they crept up to the ship. Sam signalled to the others to move into their designated positions. A boat at either side, close enough to be in shooting distance but far enough to be effective. 

Piotr and Sam took the lead. Creeping up to the hull of the ship, veiled in darkness. With another gentle tug, the varog came to a halt. Piotr nodded to Sam, and he soared upwards, landing softly atop the main cabin’s roof. 

He scanned the deck, there was no one to be found out front. Frankly, there was not a soul in sight. 

Must be inside then, Piotr thought. 

He lowered himself to the deck. A robust door led inside the ship. Piotr returned to where Sam was and peered downwards. All good; he gestured with a thumbs up. Sam raised his rifle aloft, and Piotr hoisted him up. Gently he sat down beside Piotr. 

“One last check around, and then we’ll head inside,” Piotr whispered.

After turning up nothing again, the two reconvened at the main cabin door.

“Ready?” Piotr asked Sam. Sam nodded firmly. 

The corridor lights inside buzzed quietly, and Sam and Piotr pressed forward. Checking every room they passed, it was eerily quiet. It was as if everyone had vanished. To Piotr and Sam’s left up ahead was a room with the door slightly ajar. 

A black mist oozed from the crack. Piotr looked at Sam; he nodded his understanding. Sam stepped beside him and took aim as Piotr yanked on the door. It drew back slowly. Inside a cloud of deep smoke, the room filled with smoke, and the smoke swirled. Flowing and surging, it felt alive to him. Too alive.

“Sam! Back now!” Piotr shouted as he shoved Sam out of the doorway. A blade pierced Piotr’s left shoulder. He felt his arm grow warm with fresh blood. His coat had provided what protection it could, but the blade had sunk its teeth in. 

“We meet again, Henlein.” He recognised that voice. It was Korill’s partner from the Inchydon guardhouse attack. Panther. 

Piotr tried to yank the blade free, but he felt no magnetic pull. A sharp cloud of pain jolted through his shoulder; Piotr grimaced. With his free left hand, Panther brandished a dagger. That was enough of a gap to allow Piotr to yank himself away down the corridor; he crumbled the two walls together to prevent Panther from pursuing them. 

Sam helped Piotr to his feet, and Panther slammed on the obstructed corridor. Piotr and Sam raced to the outside deck. The cold night air greeted them as they burst outside. They weren’t alone, however. Standing on the deck were two Fheitgr warriors; blood clung to their soaked clothes. Piotr realised at that moment why. 

He looked over the railing to his left. One of the boats bobbed quietly in the water. He didn’t need to see to confirm what he knew. It was just him and Sam now. The rifles were not lost; however, he could feel the pull of four in the water. For now he would stay his hand; no good would come of folding too early.

Panther stepped out onto the deck with two more warriors in tow. He drew back his hood, revealing his darkly skinned face and orange-streaked black hair. 

“Even with all your gifts, Henlein, I don’t believe you can hope to prevail here. Surrender.” 

Piotr clutched at his shoulder; cold air seeped into the wound. He looked around him, scanning the deck. Five against two. Not exactly favourable odds, yet he wasn’t nervous. 

“That’s true, but you seem to be overlooking one thing. I’m not alone.”

Sam shot a round towards Panther; he sidestepped the shot with ease.

“You had your chance,” Panther said as he waved towards all the Fheitgr to charge forward. 

Piotr and Sam stood back to back. Two warriors charged from the bow at Piotr. Another two behind Piotr evaded Sam’s shots. 

“Switch,” Piotr said, nudging Sam in the back. 

Piotr yanked Sam backwards into the air and tripped up the two warriors who were advancing on him by creating bumps in the deck. 

As Sam flipped through the air, he incapacitated the fallen warriors with two expertly placed shots to the leg. Piotr withdrew two metal sheets from the inner lining of his coat and melded a shield. He blocked the strike from one of the warriors who attacked head-on. The other looped around towards Sam at the bow. 

Piotr ducked to the side and positioned the shield at an angle that was aimed towards the warrior’s legs. A red flash ricocheted off the shield and burnt into the warrior’s left leg; he dropped. 

Panther smirked; he pulled out another weapon. A chain with a bladed tip, which he began to swing wildly. 

The chain whipped forward and wrapped around the rifle; Sam let go. As he did so, the warrior who had looped around pounced onto Sam. 

“Naive,” Piotr said as he spun the rifle and fired a shot using the lever trigger. The warrior, however, reacted, dodging the shot. Piotr clicked his tongue, and Sam tripped the warrior and dragged him around by his hood. 

The warrior steadied himself, and Sam retreated quickly. Panther pulled the rifle into his hands. The frame collapsed to pieces; Panther glanced at Piotr.

“Should’ve known you’d do that.” Panther swung his chain round and round and fired off the blade. Piotr narrowly deflected each strike; the constant barrage of the chain’s bladed tip prevented him from retaliating. There was also the issue of Sam currently being isolated. 

Time to fold, he thought. 

The rifles that floated in the Farage Sea rose quickly, and they took aim. Four lever triggers pulled back as four shots blitzed downwards. Of course it didn’t eliminate their opponents, but that was not why Piotr had done it. Piotr melded a club in haste and slid it towards Sam.

The scenario he had created for Sam was complete. Sam had slipped behind the warrior in the confusion. He retrieved the blunt weapon and clubbed the last warrior on the back of the head.

Two on one now, only Panther remained. 

Panther frowned; his chain clicked. It was shortened in length. That wicked speed only further increased as Panther spun the chain. 

Piotr and Sam had no choice but to huddle behind a shield. Piotr attempted to grab onto Panther with the discarded rifle pieces, but the blade on the chain disrupted his focus. Sam and Piotr turned to each other.

“Quite the perilous situation, my friend,” Sam said. 

“We’ve found our way out of worse,” Piotr replied.

“Let’s finish this then,” Sam said as he threw forward the club; Piotr propelled it forward. Panther swatted the club to the side. The chain whipped through the air at incredible speeds. Sam retreated back towards the bow and spun back towards Piotr. He ran at Piotr. 

With the added momentum, Piotr was able to hurl Sam onto the cabin roof. He rolled to break his fall and whipped around in a crouch. Panther glanced back at Sam. That allowed Piotr to reassemble the converter rifle and launch it right into Sam’s waiting hands. 

Not hesitating, Panther jumped to the roof and pressed Sam. Sam retreated quickly, but the chain lashed out at him. Piotr jumped up as well and fired off a slew of projectiles. Panther evaded so as to put Sam in danger. Piotr grabbed a hold of the projectiles. That was all Panther needed.

The blade sunk into Piotr’s left shoulder again. Piotr grunted and dropped to his knees. Panther attempted to pull the blade free; Piotr chuckled. Panther had made one mistake, a perilous one. 

Piotr formed the metal in his coat around the chain’s bladed tip. He gripped the blade and held on tightly. Sam hit Panther from behind; he fell to his knees. 

Sam helped Piotr to his feet; he let the blade go and ripped it free. He cringed as he did so. Sam kicked away Panther’s weapon. Dazed and groggy, Panther raised his head. 

Panther stared blankly at them; he clearly wasn’t one to express himself. Even in defeat he didn’t look the least bit annoyed. Merely indifferent. His focus shifted towards the town. Piotr and Sam followed his gaze. 

Explosions lit up Barakat.