“Ahhh!” Screams rung out as Timeaus charged headlong into the second wave of enemy boarders, hoping to take advantage of the decimation of the first wave to take control of the bridge and restrict the enemies crossing. However, the screams he was hearing were not from the enemy, it was instead the yells of pain of his allies and subordinates. A handful having been cut down by the corpses at their feet, rising once again, their bodies still riddled with axe and arrow.
Unable to change his destination, and understanding the importance of controlling the bridge, Timeaus charged ahead spear in one hand, while a bronze cast arm covered the area where his left arm once was. He didn’t need to turn around, for he was confident in those at his back, with Maatilani, Caedyrn, Niko and the others making short work of the tenacious half dead enemies.
Their blood drenched bodies having seemingly no effect upon them or the next wave that followed, the pirates appearing to have little regard for their own lives or the lives of their compatriots. They fought like men possessed, even when an arm or leg was sent flying, the enemy charged forward attacking with whatever they had remaining. Only when their head was completely removed from their body did they come to a stop.
Having observed Caedyrn and the others cut down the seemingly undying fighters and understanding how they could be ultimately killed did the rest of the crew rush back into the thick of it. Fighting was bloody, it was violent, and it was costly. Both sides had taken a beating, but due to their superior training, weapons, and armaments, the Temrenosian and Balearii forces were able to push back the numerous enemy forces with only moderate losses. Yet each loss constituted years of training, almost a decade required to raise them to the current level of expertise.
Yet it was Timeaus and his unyielding will that allowed the crew to take control of the area around the wooden bridge connecting the two vessels. He alone armed with his newfound power was holding firm against the bulk of the enemy force. Making use of the narrow passageway to minimize the effectiveness of the enemies’ numbers, with both sides pressed against one another in a battle of sheer mass and tenacity.
Blood and fat greased the wooden planks, which in combination with the rush of seawater created a slippery and unsafe surface. This had become the most dangerous section of the battlefield, with a minor slip and fall turning into a death sentence. Warriors plummeted into the waves below, dragged into the depths if they proved too slow to remove their armor and weapons, what had protected them in battle had become anchors, becoming heavy and constricting, dragging them below the waves never to be seen again.
A dull light burst forth from Timeaus’s left hand, the metallic bronze cast arm glowing with power followed by an audible thump and a gust of air. Whenever that occurred the light would dissipate, but the enemy in front would burst into pieces and those within a five-foot cone shaped area behind would fall to the ground like puppets with their strings cut. Blood and bodily fluids would flow out from every orifice, while their bodies seemed boneless.
Luckily Timeaus had been able to gain a very powerful ability that helped to mitigate the loss of his left arm, while also significantly improving his combat potential. First was the bronze arm where his power was centered, the phantom limb seemed to manifest, absorbing nearby metal substances, and forging the bronze limb. This once again granted him the ability to wield his bow, but in addition he gained the powerful striking ability he was currently employing. Using prana, he could charge a certain amount into his arm and unleash it in a powerful shockwave strike. The sheer force of a direct attack had the power to completely implode a human body, the fluids within bursting with such violent movement that it tore the body to shreds. While those unlucky enough to be in close proximity would have their bones completely shattered, and their internal organs ruptured.
The single drawback would be the cooldown period, each use would drain the prana and take another ten minutes before it could be used again. Even then its prana expenditure was extremely high, with Timeaus’s current level restricting him to at most three uses a day. An aspect that could be improved over time, but for now he had to rely on his spear and combat skills to repel the waves of enemy fighters who continued despite the death of their comrades.
“Timeaus move aside!” As if expecting the order Timeaus moved aside without hesitation, piercing an approaching enemy, and tossing him over the edge into the blood drenched waters below. From his rear came Maatilani, her entire body glowing with bronze light, wherever her spear tip crossed the enemies’ flesh would be sliced clean through without effort. When another opponent on her flank struck out with their short sword, their blade rather than impacting her armor or body was reflected away.
Maatilani was like a living fortress, everywhere an attack would strike a small circle of light would emerge and intercept the attack, then reflect it back towards the attacker. With a blade this might mean causing their arm to be thrust away, leaving them off balance, whereas with a ranged attacker the projectile may fly back in their direction. The prana cost was also dependent on the range of the reflection, resulting in close range usage being extremely cost effective in comparison to reflecting an arrow as opposed to simply diverting it towards the ground.
Her greatest implementation of this simple ability offensively was of her own ingenious design. By overlapping the reflection ability upon the tip of her spear she could, this was done after the spear entered the material, in this case flesh. Upon piercing the target, two opposing reflection fields would be activated on both sides of the spear edge, pushing away the material threatening to close in on it. This had the effect of widening the cut, separating flesh with ease, or peeling open armor as if it were paper. A powerful ability in the right hands, for Maatilani it made her into a one-woman army, so long as she had enough prana to maintain the continuous power draw necessary.
“Don’t waste any more time here! Maati cut a path through these pawns we make for the captain’s tower on the other end!” Caedyrn barked his orders, staying here would only risk them getting bogged down in combat with these living shields. Time that they did not have to waste, for Caedyrn’s attention was focused on the slow descent of the sun, and then to the barely visible wisps of black smoke dancing around the hull of the pirate flagship.
Maatilani led the charge, cutting a path in the oncoming crowd, with their wedge formation quickly overwhelming the other side. Just before they broke through Maatilani stepped aside, pivoting out of the way of Timeaus’s bronze arm as it struck out and slammed into the column of enemies ahead of them. There was a loud clap followed by an eruption of blood, with limbs and meat flying in every direction, while opening a clear path ahead onto the deck of the Quinquereme.
Waiting in the middle of the deck was another one of those owl masked creatures, this one significantly smaller than the other two. The main difference that it featured only one of those blade-like wings, compared to two. Yet something changed in its passive demeanor upon witnessing the three at the back of the group, namely Niko, Mera, and Apollonius. It immediately charged forward, barely avoiding Maatilani’s overhead strike before being sent careening through the air after Timeaus’s unpowered punch.
It had taken almost no damage, and what little it did take began to immediately regenerate. Unlike the other two that had climbed the outer hull of the Sawtooth and silently ambushed the crew, this catenarii released a sequence of animalistic grunts and roars, its teeth audibly gnashing behind the wooden mask.
“My Lord, you go on ahead and deal with the ringleader. I will remain behind and watch over the young ones. I feel as if this creature will not let any of these three walk by.” Timeaus stood before the trio of Niko, Mera, and Apollonius, all three showing they were ready to fight with their weapons at the ready.
“Understood, take care of them.” Cadeyrn hurried along with Maatilani and Malakos at his side. All around the fighting was intensifying, but their focus was to cut the head of the snake and end this battle as quickly as possible.
