Desires of Men ~SEQUEL TO THE LIFE I LIVE~

Ultima Bellum

Law finished tying off the bandage of Shachi's arm, helping him to his feet to stand beside Penguin and himself. The two engineers were worse for wear, but he was pleased to see them both victorious in their battles. Especially so when he'd seen the fate of one such annoying redhead. The result was even more gruesome than he could have imagined, and he felt a bit of pride that his crewmen could handle their own and were seemingly unaffected by the sadism.

"Thanks, Captain." Shachi said, helping Penguin walk through the doors. His multiple blunt force trauma wounds were taxing on his stamina, and so had trouble walking. Thankfully one of their injuries were life threatening, the only thing concerning Law was some of Penguin's minor internal bleeding, but they would both make a full recovery. Even Shachi's shoulder hadn't sustained permanent damage.

"We must get back to the sitting room." There was a rumble, and the pirates glanced between one another.

"Those spirits must still be fighting." Shachi guessed as another tremor shook the manor. They headed back towards the way they'd come, hoping that Bepo and Summer were still alright.

~~~

Bepo was relieved when Law and the others emerged from the hallway. He sighed out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, and helped the Captain sit the engineers against the wall in relative safety.

Immediately, Law's gaze scanned the area behind one of the sofas where Bepo had taken up hiding. "Where is Summer-ya?" Bepo swallowed. Then, he glanced at the two spirits.

"She...joined the fight."

His eyes widened. "What?" Looking over, he could see the blonde standing on the side with the violet-haired woman with her dagger out. The two spirits continued to battle, with Summer dealing blows at the man's feet. They were so much taller than her, and any wrong step could crush her instantly.

The man landed a particularly heavy blow, and the woman dropped to one knee. Summer saw this and ran to her side, apparently trying to bring her back to her own feet. The blue-haired man had stepped back and stood waiting, as if anticipating for her to give up. The woman looked exhausted, down on one knee with blood dripping down her face.

Still, the fact that his cook would put her life in such danger without his knowledge didn't help his mood.

'I will surely get her back for this.' He thought.

"Stay here." He muttered to the men, ignoring his injured arm as he picked up his sword and jumped over the sofa to join her side.

~~~

"You have to get up!" Summer said, pulling at Nemesis' arm with as much strength as she could. It had surprised her when she could touch the woman in the first place. They looked so ethereal, so ghostly, she was sure her hand would pass through their bodies.

Despite her continued efforts, Nemesis gently shook her head. "It is no use, child. My strength is leaving me. Iapetus is the stronger of us both." Her breathing was labored, her body struggling for every breath.

Angrily, Summer pushed harder at the woman. "Shut up! You've never let me give up, not once! Whenever I was weak you pulled me up, you made me get stronger, push myself harder. You can't die on me, dammit!"

The woman looked at her blankly. "I've come this far, after 400 years of searching, only to fail. I've fought. I've lost. What more could I do?" She asked with a sigh. Summer bared her teeth and punched her arm.

"You can stand up and keep going!" She moved in front of the woman's view, demanding her attention. "You told me you were doing this all for Laurel. That your unborn daughter was the reason you moved forward. Giving up means you are throwing away her value. You have to keep fighting. You have to win. You can't give up. Honor her memory."