Well. Time to put those rusty fighting skills to use that Hahn forced me to develop.
Maybe this will even be fun. I doubt they're as skilful as him.
...
Once they have us circled, nice and proper, Mai and I stand back to back. Better safe than sorry, even if we're not used to fighting like this. Or I'm not. She might be, with Circus Girl.
Before we get to Ba Sing Se, we should practise this sort of thing.
And here I'd hoped to get all of this done relatively peacefully. Or as peaceful as cutting off the first bones of pinkies can be.
"So…" I say, when all the men do is surround us and glower, "What's up?"
One of them stifles a snort, but keeps the threatening expression. This is shaping up to be a bit awkward. They're not jeering or looking particularly undisciplined.
"We have your comrades," one of them rumbles out. His piercings are exclusively on his eyebrows. "Come with us quietly."
Oh. That means Gorou… was he captured? Is he a hostage? Somehow, I can't imagine him being tied to a chair… Even though I've put him in shackles myself.
There is no room for doubt.
I hum. "What'd he do?"
There is no answer. Ah. I don't like this at all.
"Will you come quietly?" the eyebrow-piercing-man asks, losing a bit of his calm patience.
"Hmm," I say, turning my head slightly to ask Mai, "What do you think?"
"No," she says. Well. That's that. Not, that I'd have chosen any differently.
The men attack simultaneously. They've trained in the way we should've. Mai manages to keep her lot at a distance, but I don't have the luxury of too many weapons. So, the dagger I take from my tunic will have to do.
Been a while, I think as I slip beneath one short sword, kick away another forearm and twist away from the strike aimed at my throat. So they aren't too concerned with keeping me alive.
Mai takes out two of her attackers. Seriously impressive aim.
I sweep another's legs out from under him, roll beneath the retaliating strike of his comrade and push myself up with my fists, to catapult my feet into another's sternum, making him wheeze and stumble backwards, as I land on the balls of my feet, dagger coming up to draw blood from the startled fifth man attacking me.
There is no pause.
I barely avoid the thrust of a short sword that would have skewered me from behind, twist into that man's space and land an elbow with enough force to crush his windpipe. Two down.
Mai kills another.
Eyebrows comes at me this time, with more tenacity than the others, with more skill. I hate sword fighters with skill.
I might be in a bit of trouble.
Dodging his attacks and the ones his comrades weave in between his pauses is all I can do. I feel sweat begin to break out. I might actually have to cheat a bit.
Well. I never did say I couldn't… and this isn't some kind of duel. Not, that I'd ever participate in that sort of thing.
Bending comes easily to me, after all, and so it is simple to take advantage of some of the blood spilled on the ground that Eyebrows is standing on to pierce his heel. His cry of pain tells me it worked, his falter does, too and I take advantage. His forearm breaks with a loud snap, the sword falls to the ground. He doesn't scream.
He retreats, hobbling.
I won't count him out yet, but for now, there is only two left for me to deal with and Mai seems to be occupying her last two attackers well.
It's luck and a twirl that saves me from the dart that would've caught me in the arm.
Not ten, then. And they came prepared with drugs, I suppose. Why not begin with this? Are they testing us?
The dart caught one of my opponents instead, but Mai's shout warns me that she was hit.
Shit.
No time for no more bending. I use the same trick I did on eyebrows on all of the fighters standing on blood, which is two of them. That leaves one.
Our eyes meet. I make quick work of the ones I crippled, throats slit. More blood is good for me in this case, since it splatters on the last two in my vicinity. I see another dart coming, and shove one of them in its path.
I kick the last one away from Mai's downed form, yank out the dart, dodge another and take stock of the situation.
Eyebrows is over there, by the one with the blast pipe who is loading it up with two darts. Then there is the last fighter, with blood all over his clothes and arms getting up from where he landed in between some crates.
I cast out my senses. No others.
If I bend now, and kill them, no one alive will tell the tale.
But then there might not be anyone to bring me to where Gorou is.
I decide on Eyebrows for the job, if I can make it so. Spokespersons are often the more knowledgeable ones. Besides, he was the most protected in that formation earlier. Not, that it did much.
I want the one with the blast pipe gone first. I will use the fighter to hide behind as I get closer.
It works, but with the cost of a long line of blood seeping from a wound on my arm. Not poisoned, I note, and he catches all the darts with his back for me admirably. Rather stupid of them, to sacrifice a capable man for a clear shot at me.
"Now," I say once the blast piper is unconscious at my feet with his own dart in his neck, perhaps a bit too deeply inside his flesh for him to recover nicely. "Where were we?"
Eyebrows does not resist as I tie his arms behind his back. I'm breathing a bit more quickly than I'd like, and make a conscious effort to even out my breathing. I'll have to bring Mai back to the ship. Then I'll have Eyebrows bring me back to where he came from, where I hope to find Gorou, in whatever state he's in and clear things up.
Good plan. Simple.
"Stay there," I tell Eyebrows once I've tied him to my satisfaction. He won't hobble far, if he does try to escape.
Then I go about collecting Mai's knives from the bodies. There is only one left alive. "Hello there," I say pleasantly as I yank the stiletto from his chest. Probably won't survive. "If someone comes to collect you and you can speak, please tell them that I'll be making a house call soon and to please have tea ready and my friend in pleasant conditions."
He makes to spit in my face. I tut, and make the spit land on his own face instead with the motion. I take care not to let Eyebrows out of my sight as I gather Mai onto my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She won't like it, but I need at least one hand free.
"Come on," I tell Eyebrows, "We're off to the docks."
...
Haruto greets us with concern as we arrive.
"Tie him to the mast for now," I tell the boy and he does as told, with the knots we taught him. Fon watches with interested eyes.
I bring Mai to the first mate's cabin where Circus Girl seems to be napping with Peter. She wakes with a start, and suspicion in her eyes. It's the child in her arms that stops her from causing me bodily harm, I suspect.
"She's just drugged," I tell her and lay Mai down where Circus Girl was moments ago.
I wash my hands in the basin, before extracting the now no longer dry blood and flicking it out the small porthole. Then I wet the cloth next to it and hand it to Circus Girl to clean her friend with while I gather some water around my palms to do some healing. Perhaps I can extract some of the drug, or filter it through her system in a less damaging manner.
I take a look at the entry wound in her arm.
There's not much residue for me to extract, but I do what I can.
"She'll sleep through the night," I tell Circus Girl and a silent Peter. "We were attacked. Is suspect Gorou's diplomatic efforts didn't go well."
Now, that her friend is no longer in danger, she snorts. Well. She's right. Gorou isn't a likable fellow.
"I'll go see what's going on."
"I am coming with you," Circus Girl rasps.
Ah. A night of surprises.
I nod in acquiescence.
...
If the story get to weekly rankings top 100 I will release an extra 5 chapters ;)
...
If you want to read ahead of the public release, or just want to support me.
you can join my p atreon :
[email protected]/Numera