The shipmaster reached for her waist, taking out a decently sized dagger. She held it out so Orako could see it inside its leathery sheathed, then she tossed it to the side.
Orako focused on his body, ignoring everything she was doing. Now Orako could focus on making on-the-fly adjustments and better protect himself.
In this state of mind, any Variant could become seriously difficult to kill. They float with the current of battle. Not struggling, but using those very struggles to help them reach better positions.
"Hat-augh!" she howled as she charged.
Nearby defenders and survivors watched Orako step aside and swipe at her shoulder with his claws. They left a searing hot path in their wake. Orako then dashed back, straightening himself out upon landing.
He continued to regulate his breathing and monitor his heartbeats. That's when he realized he was flat-footed, a huge disadvantage. So he began hopping in place, alternating leading legs.
"You seem to be very focused here. Ignoring the pain?" the shipmaster said while retreating her hand from her shoulder. "Let's see your strength now!"
Orako charged towards her as she charged towards him. Split seconds before impact, he dropped to the ground, sliding the rest of the way towards her.
The shipmaster abruptly stopped, grabbing onto Orako's legs before spinning him around to bash his head against a wondering cannon ball. The moment it struck him, he felt himself get light-headed.
It felt surreal, being in the middle of this calamity while knowing the odds of death weren't low at all. He pushed himself to get back up, nearly collapsing again. The shipmaster charged towards him.
A defensive shadow cast Orako into darkness as she drove her forearm straight into his chin. Sending Orako flying through a wall.
Debris crumbled and situated itself over him. It was like a makeshift grave, which would be cleaned out right after this vessel returned home.
Built up dust made it difficult for Orako to breathe, so he pushed himself out of there. He felt his survival depending on this. Despite how much pain he was in, he felt the urge to survive.
He watched the shipmaster's frame come into view as she peeked through the window, the vicious figure silently threatened him. Strategies on how to defend himself appeared in his mind.
Despite wanting to, he couldn't just run from them. The shipmaster and defenders would drag him back in and slaughter him. So he had to take care of the more threatening shipmaster first.
"I am starting to feel bad for you," she commented. "You look like such a strong little cub, yet you side with weakness? Infinus used dirty tactics to fight us! They waged war against Yarno first!"
Orako fought against his fatigue, planting a knee over the rubble while glaring at her. "Your Legion killed one of my Neddy's friends! I'll be by Infinus' side as they cushion their boots over your ashes!!"
She grinned, impressed by the sudden response. "You are full of pride, but also lacking in strength. Come out so I can finish you, creature."
Everything that belonged to Orako sparked to agonal life as he rose from his grave. His breathing was still steady, heartbeats kept their beat going, but he felt something was horribly off about a leg.
He couldn't properly walk. So he glanced down at it to reveal it got dislocated from the encounter. Orako clamped his mouth shut as he forced himself out.
Nobody cheered when the sun touched his badly damaged body. The defenders cringed at the sight. They were starting to believe this was overkill, especially for him.
Orako hopped on one leg towards the side of the ship, causing the shipmaster to storm towards him. She believed he was going to escape, only to nearly fall off herself as he collapsed on a cannon.
The heavy artillery weapon was difficult to move, but his good leg and decent upper body strength still had use. He turned around and thrusted her back with his good leg.
Causing the ship master to fall on one knee, but still be almost completely unharmed. She curiously watched Orako test his strength while moving the cannon towards her.
"I see you're trying to use my own weapons against me? Well, go on. I know creatures like you don't know how to operate a cannon," she taunted.
Only for Orako to reach beneath the cannon where a rope was. He instinctively yanked it, hoping that would do something. Upon feeling the sudden pull, the rope released enough hit to charge the cannon inside.
Everybody that was nearby fell off balance, stunned by it actually working. What remained of the shipmaster were tattered pieces of her outfit. Softly baking in the sun as their owner got instantly killed by the impact.
Seeing this as an opportunity to flee, Orako crawled over the post, causing other defenders to rush in to kill him. But before they arrived, he had lept off. A piece of board left open over a window was in his path.
Orako embraced for impact, only to feel a sudden shatter in his right arm. He instantly recognized it as it breaking. Regardless, he still landed in the sea. Happy to drown than to die by their enemies.
Creatures from below emerged like torpedos, cutting through the aquatic underworld like Sky Beasts. Their webbed hands carefully held Orako as they stormed towards the beach.
He glanced at one of these beings, only to realize what they were. These naturally armored, aquatic predators were Open Ocean Ferals. They swam to a distant part of the shore, hoping to save a life.
One of them leaned closer to Orako. "Please hold on for a while longer, we'll get you to shore and let you recover. But what happens from there is yours."
In response, Orako wanted to talk back. Ask them why they were saving him and what exactly they were. But he knew if he opened his mouth he would drown quicker.
Vibrant yellow sands came into view not long after. Orako felt himself get weaker as his wounds continued to ache horribly. Everything was painful now.
All options of escaping seemed impossible. He couldn't run, fight, he was bleeding and felt weaker than ever. But he had to keep hope, something was going to happen.