Cleon closed the bedroom door behind him, stretching his arms upwards. He interlaced his fingers and pushed his palms as high as he could. His back curved from the activity, awakening his still half-asleep muscles. Although they had always woken up before dawn all this time, he never got used to it.
On the other side of the corridor, another door opened and another pirate walked out.
"Say, Raz." Cleon greeted his leader, "I—"
"Where's Nyt?" She interrupted, passing him by.
The blue-haired pirate quickly followed her stride. A rigid back and tense shoulders, Cleon wondered if she ever relaxed. Even her steps seemed calculated despite how casual her pace was. Then again, she didn't become the captain's sergeant for nothing.
"He's in the bathroom, washing up," he answered with a yawn. Unbeknownst to Cleon's knowledge, the Prince actually spent more time tidying their sleeping arrangement than getting ready for the day ahead. The blue-haired pirate simply left the room without organizing the sheets and pillows he used.
"Good."
Both pirates descended down the stairs. Compared to Raz's demeanor, Cleon shuffled his feet clumsily, his hands on the back of his neck, "I've been thinking… What if Lily did turn out to be Ariene? Then, our mission would be over and we could head back before Scrooge could find us."
Raz merely raised an eyebrow, reaching the first floor, "If it was her, that would be a big coincidence. Not to mention, very lucky."
Cleon frowned at her lack of enthusiasm. She didn't seem to think it could be possible at all. Would it be too much to ask for it to come true? He really missed the food back at the Ytle ship. Deelah always had the best menu laid out for the day.
On their way out to the back, they passed by the farm owners, a couple that had been together for 30 years. White strands had begun to sprout on their head. Yet, they both had the energy of the young. They quickly told the pirates to come back for breakfast since they still prepared it.
Raz led Cleon to the spot where she had attacked Tylen. She hinted no warning before her rapier slid off its case and flew to the blue-haired pirate's head. Unlike the Prince, Cleon ducked and rolled. When he rose to a kneel, he had already pulled out his own basket-hilted sword, a hand me down from Alec. The hilt had already lost its shine but the blade had remained in good condition.
He didn't wait for Raz to make the next move, he leaped up and slashed against her torso, hitting nothing but air. His leader dodged to the side and aimed for his ribs. The blue-haired pirate quickly blocked it with his sword. He took a step back, shifting to a more advantageous position, but Raz was a step ahead and swung the rapier right where Cleon went, blocking his path.
Cleon lost his balance. He landed on his bottom. With the number of times Raz tested his footwork, his bum had become immune to the impact.
He stood up again and changed tactics.
Tylen watched the duel from the back porch. It was the second time he'd witness these sessions. Nevertheless, they baffled him just as much as the first one. The fluidity in Raz's form looked like a distant dream where he could execute the same.
When Cleon fell to the ground the 5th time, coal black eyes glanced at him.
"Do you plan to stand there all day?"
The Prince gulped and walked up to the pirates hastily. Raz sheathed her rapier while Cleon hopped to his feet.
Once Tylen reached them, the sergeant gave them instructions, "This is how it will go. The both of you are a team. If you need time to discuss, you have 5 minutes to do so in between rounds. You must have each other's backs. Cleon, you saw how Nyt did yesterday so you already have an idea about his fighting form. The same thing goes for you, Nyt. Neither of you are clueless about combat so I expect you can learn something from each other. Your five minutes start now."
Raz distanced herself from them. She stood a few meters away, eyeing the forest. She made sure to cover the tracks they left before arriving at the farmhouse, both before and after carrying an unconscious Prince. She did the same thing during the rescue mission for Maia. Ever since her run in with the Nocti at the Stitz Inn, she took extra care about their journey. Deep inside, she knew it was only borrowed time.
It wouldn't take long before the Devils of the Night found a way.
Cleon and Tylen ended their discussion with a nod. Both of them dashed towards the unsuspecting pirate from opposite directions.
Each of their attacks had been blocked by a blade. Raz had taken out her butterfly swords. She tested the Prince on his blocking and Cleon on his footwork. When one of her blades almost slashed Tylen, Cleon would move to block it… but this affected his footing.
Raz squinted at Cleon's strategy. Did he really not trust the Prince to do his own blocking?
To prove this theory, she doubled the amount of attacks she aimed at Tylen. Like clockwork, Cleon's sword was there to meet her blades. Then, she added variety to it. She went for the head, the arm, the legs then, switched the pattern. Just as she suspected the blue-haired pirate still moved clumsily and not only that but also he left himself wide open without notice.
She sighed.
Raz spun on her heel and jabbed Cleon's ribs with the butt of her sword. Then, she did the same thing with his shoulder. He crippled to the ground, trembling from the impact.
"Before you start protecting others, you should learn to protect yourself. How useless would it be if you can be defeated this easily? In the end, you protected no one."
Her words pierced and embedded themselves in the Prince's mind. It hit home. She was right. He couldn't possibly stand by Ariene's side only to be overpowered by enemies. He would serve no purpose to be there especially with his plans. It also wouldn't be right to have Hayden bear the responsibility.
Even before, with Raz's words, it meant his Knight didn't protect only one person but that he protected two.
How could he have lived like this for so long?
The sword in his hand grew heavier.
Had he been making excuses?
He wrapped a hand over his other one. They both gripped the hilt. His eyes stared hard at the shining blade. Although he had never really used it a lot, he had taken good care of it. His best friend had given it to him once he turned eighteen. Hayden had told him he'd be more at ease to know he wasn't unarmed.
The Prince pursed his lips.
The only thing hindering was himself and not his lack of abilities. Some of them could only be learned through hard work and determination. He just needed to believe in it.
Tylen swung the sword towards Raz.
The pirate crossed her blades to block his attack. She glared at the Prince's face, noting his sharpened features. It seemed like he was ready to play. The corner of her lips tugged upwards.
Raz spread her arms to push him off. Tylen already saw it coming and stepped back, digging his heel into the soil. He swung his sword towards the size, flipping it overhead. He had no desire to overpower the pirate. He knew his prowess. He only needed to familiarize his body into engaging in battles.
One blade clashed against his and another flew to his other side. The Prince took another step to maneuver his sword and dodged.
On and on, Raz kept attacking his sides. Then, she switched to his head. Tylen manipulated the blade to try different swings. When one of them lacked power, the pirate lifted off her sword faster to not completely knock it off his hands.
Once satisfied, she aimed for his legs.
Cleon watched from the ground. The two of them had practically circled the entire field with their dance. Raz had nudged the Prince's sword a few times, clearing overpowering it. She had done this with him as well—until she became dissatisfied with his performance of committing similar mistakes over and over again.
Soon, Raz used a complicated move and swept the Tylen off his feet, his sword clattering next to him.
"Not bad," she commented, "Your defense is better than you've implied. A little more and you can try attack positions. Get some rest for a while."
Blades ready in position, Raz turned to Cleon and slashed them next to him. The blue-haired pirate yelped, scrambling to his feet. When he looked at his leader, he could almost see smoke clouding over her coal eyes with a small hot white flame.
"How many times have I told you to master your defense sword skills?" Raz seethed. Her butterfly swords on either side, she stalked her way up to Cleon.
Cleon backed away, raising his hands in front of his chest, "That's not fair! He had lessons from knights! Plus he's far older than me!"
"Yet, you want to pick a fight with a knight far more advanced than him. You're too eager to attack when you can't even defend your openings. If you want to catch up to Nyt, we need to enhance training."
When the blue-haired pirate hit the porch railing behind him, he gulped. He swiftly raised his sword. Raz had him imprisoned. She purposely led him to this spot so he couldn't move his body away from her.
All he had to protect himself against his leader was his basket-hilted sword.
Raz showed no mercy and blocked all possible openings Cleon could use to escape. Unlike with the Prince, her pattern of attacks shuffled. She expected more from the blue-haired pirate since she had overseen his training for the past year. Yet, even Maia seemed far better than him.
From his viewpoint, Tylen now knew why Cleon had called Raz a monster.