Cursed Draw

Chapter 33: The Galley

Alabaster

Alley had hoped for a chance to take a few breaths and maybe take his soaking wet cloak off after he scrambled over the side of the galley’s railing. He got the opportunity for neither as even before his feet hit the deck of the ship a hail of darts launched from a Manifested frogman’s blow gun flew at him.

Alley got a glimpse of the creature's stats as he threw himself flat against the wooden planks of the deck.

‘1800 power, 1 Vitality, Water, Venom, Pursuit’

Turning his rise into a sprint, Alley rushed for the monster. It stood just below one of the huge sails on the lowered deck. The creature was a little shorter than Alley, though its abdomen was much wider, and its spindly limbs were much longer.

He had been a little too busy trying not to get eaten to notice while in the water but his cloak didn’t seem to actually weigh anything more while wet. The garment was thin, but he should have noticed some loss of maneuverability. He hadn’t in the water and he wasn’t while charging the frog man. Come to think of it, did the cloak weigh anything at all? Alley threw himself into a knee slide to avoid another volley of the darts and reminded himself to focus.

His hook was still latched to the ship’s railing but the chain looped around his belt had plenty of slack. Surging to his feet again Alley grabbed the chain as he ran. When the frog creature raised its blow gun again he whipped the length of CoreSteel out to knock the creature’s primitive weapon aside.

It let out a series of agitated croaks when the blowgun was sent flying. Alley didn’t give the monster a chance to recover, grabbing the chain with both hands; He made a chain loop and slipped it over the monster’s head as he dashed past. Yanking the creature off its feet, Alley stomped one foot down on the chain and pulled against it with his whole body. The croaking turned desperate as the monster fought the chain, but after only a few seconds its Vitality dropped to zero and the creature vanished in an explosion of blue light.

As always the light turned into a beam and returned to the owner's Dealer. In this particular case that was a jeweled cutlass held to the side and slightly behind the long-haired pirate captain, who was in the midst of charging down the center of the galley barely fifteen feet away from Alley.

The captain had made the wise move to discard his heavy coat before beginning his assault. It made Alley feel extra stupid for diving into the water whilst wearing his own.

The charging man was fast. Really fast, Darius running something down while empowered by Pursuit cards fast. Alley tried to whip the chain at the man in the same manner as he had the frog monster, but the pirate was simply too fast. The pirate captain didn’t even try to dodge, Alley just plain missed. Eyes wide with surprise the teen barely managed to get a length of the chain in the way of a cutting slash.

While the chain held, Alley didn't; he wasn't vivisected but the force of the blow launched him off his feet and slammed him into the ship railing. Alley let out a grunt and then groaned in pain.

‘That was one-handed….I really need to get a rank or two already.’

The way the man had so easily sent Alley flying made him wonder about his encounter with Soren. The other boy was 5th rank and yet it wasn’t like he had simply run over and ripped Alley’s head off. Why not? Something to ponder when he wasn’t fighting for his life with a man who was willfully sacrificing an entire town.

Scrambling to his feet and grabbing his hook as he did Alley made ready for another attack. It didn’t come, at least not right away. The long-haired raider was watching something taking place on the pier.

“Hyrdochains!” He declared and a card vanished from in front of him. Whatever Darius was doing out there it was going well enough that the captain felt the need to intervene. It wasn’t much of a chance but Alley didn’t think he was going to get another one. Flinging the hook at the man’s face Alley came in behind the projectile, hoping to use the distraction of the flying weapon to cover his advance.

Alley considered himself a fairly strategic person, especially compared to his best friend. His inherited mantra had always been ‘Use every resource.’ The problem was that was easy to do in a Challenge, and almost impossible to do on an unfamiliar ship with an extremely strong and fast opponent presently threatening your life and the life of your friends.

So throw something at the man and following it was what he was left with. It went better than Alley had predicted but not by much. With contemptuous ease, the raider leader’s cutlass flashed and knocked the hook aside. The plan was a little better than running directly at the man, Alley had hoped to pass the man and tangle him in the CoreSteel much as he had the frog thing.

Instead, the pirate reached out and slapped the running Alley with an open palm. The world span and Alley found himself lying on the deck unable to hear anything but the ringing in his ears. The boy blinked a few times trying to recover his wits. Above him, the long-haired man was getting angry about something. Alley couldn’t tell what over the ringing but the raider was definitely ranting.

‘Either Darius has beaten that girl, or the old man destroyed the shark monster.’ Alley thought to himself in groggy cheerfulness. That had to be it, what other reason could there be?

‘Well, I really have to live up to my end of the deal now.’

The man tilted his head inspecting his cards and walking with a little swagger towards the railing. Whatever it was he was about to do, Alley needed to stop it. With an effort of will he forced himself to his feet. Still woozy he stumbled towards the man, who faced Alley with a look of contempt.

‘Okay objective one: get the guy’s attention so he doesn’t kill Darius or whatever. Complete. Objective two: Survive.’

“Your friend just took something very valuable to me.” He said with obvious anger.

‘Darius killed the girl. That has to be it.’

Alley paused and offered the man his best shit-eating grin.

“Play stupid games and win stupid prizes I guess,” replied Alley, still smiling.

“Oh, you think it’s funny that I had to watch almost my entire crew die do you?” The look of contempt was quickly being supplanted with a weird shining-eyed fervor.

“Maybe not funny.” Said Alley with a shrug. “ more like deserved?”

The captain blinked a few times and then smiled perhaps the least friendly grin of all time. With exaggerated slowness, he pressed the tip of his cutlass into the deck till even the curved sword could stand on its own.

‘Alright this is working now I just need to-’. The Captain was on him in a flash sweeping Alley’s legs out from beneath him with a kick. Before the boy could hit the deck again the raider caught him by the hair suspending Alley with a jolt.

‘Oww’

Outwardly Alley hissed then yelped as he was thrown sliding across the deck by his hair. Getting tossed around like a chew toy in the clutches of the Knots family hound was getting old very quickly. Fortunately, the Pirate was once again on Alley before he could react, shoving the boy down with a bone-creaking press of his booted foot. Everything was going perfectly according to his quickly improvised plan.

Grasping the man’s calf in a desperate attempt to relieve some of the pressure Alley winced as the downward force only increased.

“Well, I” Said the captain, bending slightly to look Alley in the eyes. “ Think it’s deserved that I crush your chest into a bloody pulp and then watch Ranek Pho Devour! Your little red-headed friend.”

Alley gritted his teeth against the pain. He knew a Card command when he heard one, and it didn’t take a genius to realize the pirate was sending the shark monster to attack Darius.

“He’s still trapped by my Hydrochains, easy prey.” The man taunted. “ Ranek will explode up from beneath him and swallow him whole along with a chunk of the pier, then I will continue the feast. Do you have something cute to say about that?”

Alley’s gritted teeth turned right back into that ‘shit-eating grin’.

“ I do, but I don’t think you are going to like it very much.” Alley wheezed out, tightening his grip on the man’s leg.

“ I Challenge you.”