Eight Intertwined

13 - Pirates

Tressa felt the impact of Mikk's next attack rough and hard. It came at her with the force of an entire ship, and she realized that she was falling too late. Her head slammed against the ground below, her hat offering as sufficient cushion to keep her from getting too hurt. Tressa didn't realize how hard it was to breathe all of a sudden until after she tried to take in a pained inhale, and every part of her body seemed to complain at the mere implication that she would try. 

A warm sensation overcame Tressa a moment later, and she glanced up to see that Ophilia had raised her staff high above her head to heal Tressa's injuries. Tressa gave her a smile before she reached for her own spear and allowing it to lead her in Mikk's direction. She hit him in the stomach as hard as she could manage, and Mikk yelped in noisy agony. 

Tressa jumped backwards when she heard Cyrus murmuring beneath his breath, and a moment later, lightning magic pierced the air. It slammed into Mikk with immense force, and the pirate was almost sent sprawling against the ground all over again. Tressa followed the attack up with a windy blast of her own, and that was enough to knock Mikk off his feet. 

"Holy light, guide me forward!" Ophilia cried out. She raised her staff above her head, and white magic tinged with pale yellow and blue exploded away from the head of the staff before rocketing towards Mikk. The pirate was too dazed to fight back, and it was easy to see that Ophilia had managed to do significant damage even though the glow of her attack was strong enough that it nearly stole Tressa's vision for a few fleeting moments. 

Tressa was the next to act, and she sent one hand forward with as much force as she could muster. The wind of the cave immediately listened to her cries, and a series of green gales beat through the air before slamming fiercely into Mikk's body. He slammed against the edge of the cave, and when he slumped down once again, he was on one knee. His cutlass had been knocked far away from him somewhere in the scuffle, though Tressa wasn't quite sure when that had happened. She figured that it was unimportant and took a step closer to Mikk to make it clear to him that he had failed in his endeavors to try and succeed. 

Before Tressa was able to say a word though, Mikk threw himself to his feet and lunged towards her. His hands were outstretched, and Tressa realized too late that he was trying to get his fingers around her neck. Tressa ducked as soon as she could, though Mikk's hand still managed to clamp down against her wrist. He was much stronger than his lanky form would have suggested, and Tressa couldn't wrench her arm away from him no matter how hard she tried. 

Luckily, a quick flash of yellow thunder magic cut off Tressa from Mikk. The pirate stumbled backwards, and when Tressa looked back, she could see that Cyrus had one hand outstretched in Mikk's direction. The tips of his fingers were smoking, a sign that he had been the one to cast the spell. There hadn't been any doubt in the first place, but Tressa was grateful for the confirmation regardless. 

Tressa reclaimed her spear since it had fallen from her fingers when she was grabbed by Mikk a moment later. She charged towards Mikk, but this time, he was hit hard. She pierced his shoulder with the tip of her lance. Mikk screamed in pain before falling to his knees once again, held up with only one of his arms. His breathing was heavy, and his face was practically covered in sweat from the exertion that came with the difficult round of combat. 

Tressa took a step back so that she could point her spear at both Mikk and Makk. The pirates were clearly defeated, and their eyes were wild and desperate, making them seem more like caged animals than humans backed into a corner. "Now hand over those goods!" Tressa proclaimed. She became aware of Ophilia and Cyrus appearing over either of her shoulders, their staves also pointed in the direction of the pair of pirates. 

"Yer one tough barnacle to pick... But we're just gettin' started!" Mikk crowed with much more confidence than Tressa had anticipated. He and Makk both rose to their feet, and Tressa could tell by the smirks on their faces that there was more to this situation than she was seeing. "Mateys!"