Waves shattered as Orako darted through the open ocean, leaving a red trail of blood behind from his injuries. The salt stung them, causing his wounds to turn purple.
Despite how much pain he felt, there was a sense of duty in his mind. He had to destroy some ships, so they wouldn't destroy Volknair and claim more land.
Somewhere away from the conflict, deep below the waves, four creatures watched. Following Orako with their shielded eyes as he careened closer to the broad frame of a ship.
He launched out of the water, extracted his claws as he drove them into the side of the boat. Variants overhead went quiet, listening intently for any more noises.
They were sure of an enemy boarding, which was confirmed when Orako leapt from beneath their sight and pounced on an unexpecting Thawed. Orako drove his claws into their shoulders, then took a huge bite from their neck.
Variants perked up from their positions, steadying their weapons for the brawl. The salty, cold embrace of the ocean paired with the warmth feel of battle lingered over Orako's body.
A single gunshot popped, the ball of lead rapidly approached him. In response, Orako dodged left. Then he planted his left foot on the floor, he took aim at an incoming Zegus.
Like a gunshot of his own, Orako sent himself barreling towards them. Wind whizzed past as his well placed knee clashed with the Zegus' chest, sending them towards the boards that kept them from falling off.
Orako instinctively ducked, causing another Variant to miss their sword-swipe. Leaving the previous Zegus to endure the harsh language each sharpened blade spoke.
He pounced on the attacker, swinging his body back and jumping off. Another shot popped, the bullet flew and struck them in their ribs.
Knowing this was the perfect setup, Orako slashed at their knee before using their main body as a wall to launch himself towards the others. Steam from fired cannons masked Orako's flight.
Causing many to jump in shock after he landed right behind them, two sets of claws dug inside the backs of two shooters. Orako quickly retreated his right hand, then reached for their sheathed sword.
Despite Ferals being trained to be more lethal without proper weapons, this felt like a moment where he had to be more broad.
It was either being lethal to a single enemy at a time or less lethal, but to three enemies at a time.
The thin-sword flew out of its sheathe, then swiped at the faces of any nearby shooters. Causing many to drop to the floor with either deadly or serious injuries.
Orako flung the blade to an incoming Thawed, before spinning around and nailing the side of a dying Zegus' head with a skull-breaking kick. The crunch caused Orako to cringe as he steadied himself.
More reinforcements arrived, their shields and pikes ready to take down the invader. The line of purple painted metal with slaps of red paint across the center felt off.
As if they weren't there to take him down themselves, but to buy more time. And, if needed, to kill him. Those were the orders given by the shipmaster.
Fresh sunlight pierced the gloomy clouds, softly burning Orako's skin. But putting him in complete agony as the salt burned stronger than the rest in his wounds.
"Ragh!" Orako growled, slowly feeling himself go into a frenzy. "Put your weapons down and d -" he thought for a moment, remembering his father's wishes. "P - put your weapons down and surrender."
Nobody paid attention to him, all they thought about was if they should attack now that he was weaker. Which quickly turned into a yes as a defender emerged, their shield heavy in their forearm.
They charged, ready to bash Orako against the nearby wall. Right before they clashed, Orako dodged. Believing he had escaped the attack, only to see the attacker bringing a dull lance towards him.
It was to force targets into different positions so the attackers to devastate them. A tactic that proved itself effective again. Orako's momentum suddenly stopped as he was shoved back.
Followed by a brutal bash against the side of the shield. New red was added to the weapon, but this red was not paint, it was blood. The hit was powerful enough to break Orako's nose.
A heavy, deep thump rung as Orako crashed against the wall. He slid down to his knees, feeling adrenaline take over. Before the attacker could bring their shield back onto him, he rolled out of the way.
Letting the blunt side of the weapon to break some floor boards. Orako used his right leg to boost himself over the attacker, before he felt a sudden yank.
The shipmaster caught Orako midair, then they slammed him down. Blood flew out of Orako's nose as he stormed down, feeling the weight of two hundred pounds of pure Feral muscle crush his organs.
Dazed and weak, all he could do was try his hardest to recover before another attack landed on him. But the shipmaster denied it, they brought down both fists against Orako's ribs.
Heavy cracks resonated in the restless ocean, Orako instantly knew his situation was extremely dire. But he wouldn't be able to escape alive, but he could still damage the attackers.
So he mustered all his strength, pushing himself from underneath the shipmaster's crushing fists. They watched, unsure of how such a young looking Feral could withstand so much torture.
"Why are you not dead yet?" she spoke with a heavy Thawed accent. "You are riddled with wounds across your back, your nose is broken, and your ribs are shattered."
Orako's breathing got shaky as he used a nearby empty cannon to escort himself up. "I... I have lost m - my Neddy in the past..." he unsteadily exhaled. "But... I made sure that... that my current Neddy don't... l - lose me."
"Ah! So you believe you deserve to live? I can at least promise you a good death. Stand up, creature. Show me how much strength you've got left," the shipmaster taunted.
Orako gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes, feeling another surge of strength pulse through him. He was ready for his final stand.