Emerging from the ship’s lower deck, I was greeted by a wash of sunlight. It was a stark contrast to the dimly lit quarters below, a fact that hadn’t registered until now. The shift from darkness to light was so sudden that it felt like walking out of a cave into the brilliance of day. I steeled myself, forcing my eyes to adjust, and took in the chaotic scene around me. The deck was strewn with bodies from both sides, most of them clinging to life. It seemed they hadn’t had the chance to finish what they started below.

  The ship rocked beneath me, a rhythmic dance with the ocean. Squinting into the sunlight, I could see figures clashing on the opposite side, their forms black against the glare of the sun. It reminded me of a sunset, the day’s final act before the curtain of night falls.

  I plunged into the fray, taking note of our forces’ dynamics. Our advantage was in numbers, and theirs was in skill. Jack was handling two enemies with ease, trading blows in a powerful dance. Kaylie, wreathed in flames, was engaging with a sword, a surprising choice over her fire-wielding abilities.

  The rest of our group, a combination of Dwya and Humans, was tactically taking on the slavers. They were outnumbered but not outmatched. Each slaver was faced by a pair: one Human, one Dwya. The Humans, though less skilled, tried their best to match the slavers’ combat abilities. The Dwya, small but agile, darted in whenever an opening presented itself. Their teamwork was a risky gamble, as evidenced by the fallen Dwya around us. They were hampered by their short stature and the limited reach of their knives.

  In the brief moment of observation, I made my decision on where I could be most effective. I sprinted toward Kaylie, who was locked in combat with a single enemy. He saw me coming and attempted a hasty swipe. Stopping just in time, I watched as Kaylie capitalized on his distracted state, striking a deep cut through his armor. I leaped back into action, following up on her move. He stepped back, quickly realizing that he was cornered and that any further combat would only result in more wounds and his demise.

  I threatened, “Give up or die.”

  The slaver looked around for a moment, considering. He knew he was going to lose, seeing the odds, and looked me straight in the eyes and said, “Never to a filthy slave.” Then he leaned back over the rail and fell into the ocean.

  Surprised as I was, I still didn’t let this distract me. He was gone, and there were people around me still fighting. “What are you waiting for? Why don’t you fireball some of these people?” I asked, wondering why she was restraining her power.

  “I barely have enough mana for one left, and it’s a good chance I’ll miss unless I get close,” Kaylie replied, looking tired through the haze of blue flame.

  “Gotcha. I’ll distract Jack’s attackers, and you give them what you got,” I said. Veering away from the scene of combat, I dashed toward the ship’s center where Jack was engaged in battle, approaching from a different angle than where Kaylie stood. I raised my sword high and bellowed in their language, “Come to Daddy! I’m going to drink your blood.” My declaration immediately drew the attention of not only Jack’s assailants, but everyone on the deck. While most merely glanced my way before returning to their fights, Jack’s attackers pivoted toward me, drawn by my direct challenge. In that instant, a fireball struck one of the attackers squarely, sending him sprawling to the deck.

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  The other one saw this and said, “Coward. You fight dirty and without honor.”

  I replied with a shrug and said, “You are the ones fighting two on one. Wait, now it’s three on one.”

  Kaylie began to advance, her flames flickering and fading, as I too inched forward. However, our intervention wasn’t needed. Seeing his opponent off-balance and vulnerable, Jack took advantage of the situation. The soldier, surrounded by enemies, made a desperate half-circle maneuver in an attempt to defend himself. His awkward movement only left him more exposed. Jack, with his superior strength and speed, needed just a single swift swing of his ax to knock the soldier to the deck. Another decisive chop ensured that the man would not be getting up anytime soon.

  “Alf, aren’t you supposed to be slowly bleeding to death? Thank you, but I had them,” Jack said, wiping sweat from his forehead and panting for breath.

  “Well, I didn’t. I’m out of mana, and if you can tell, I’m not the best with a sword,” Kaylie added.

  “I know you both had them, but they don’t.” I gestured to the others, still fighting. “How about we talk about this later? Kaylie, with me.” I paused because I always wanted to say this in real life, so I spoke it slowly, “Jack Smash!”

  He looked at me like I was crazy, but joined a group and quickly made a ruckus. That made me smile.

  “Same thing this time. I’ll distract, and you and the rest stab,” I said, running to a group.

  “I don’t think that will work a second time,” Kaylie said, right behind me. However, she had no clue what I was planning.

  The group I’d targeted for assistance was losing ground, comprising just one Dwya and one human, who was visibly faltering. Having extra fighters to lend support could tip the balance in our favor, and I wasn’t about to allow the enemy the same luxury. As I charged toward the slaver, he anticipated my move, ready to deflect my attack and sidestep any additional blows from his opponents. Given our armor, his strategy made sense, as it would take time to wear him down. But my plan was different, less refined, and significantly quicker.

  I kept charging, sword swinging. He parried my strike, and in response, I barreled into him. We both took hits from the blades, but my wound was deeper. My extended swing had allowed his sword to sink deep into my abdomen, but the impact had knocked us both to the ground, his blade still lodged in me. Instantly, Kaylie, the Dwya, and the Human descended upon the slaver, jabbing their weapons into any part of him they could reach.

  He was overwhelmed, barely managing to defend himself and unable to launch any counterattack. Despite his attempts to roll and shift, I held him firmly in place. In less than ten seconds, he was beyond saving. His body was covered in wounds, making it seem like a swarm had attacked him instead of individual enemies.

  “That was an idiotic idea. Now you won't be able to help in the fight,” Kaylie said.

  “You know, I’m not the best fighter here. I’m only the best healer. Go help everyone else,” I said in a considerable amount of pain. Kaylie and the others went to help the other groups, but with Jack in the fight, the day would soon become ours.

  I rolled onto my side and pulled the sword out. It hurt more than you would expect. At least when the sword was put in, it was straight in. When I pulled it out, I had to keep moving my hand down to keep it in place. It hurt a lot more than the stab itself. When I got it out, the pain didn’t stop, and I got the impression that this wasn’t a good idea, like Kaylie mentioned.

  I put my hand on the corpse and activated Soul Absorption, and my wound started to heal. I got up on my knees and then onto my feet. The only real injury I had was the wound in my stomach, so it was not nearly as bad as the shape I was in earlier. I stumbled over to the two dead bodies, Jack, Kaylie, and I took out and absorbed both souls at once. It was a rush. I had my vision blocked out by light for a second as the sensation flooded me.

  I was feeling okay enough to fight again. Not quite right, but I was back in the fight. I looked up to find that there was one person left, and he was on his last leg. Someone stabbed him in the back, and then the next person would go and stab him too. I walked over as Jack took a clean sweep at the barely-alive enemy’s head.