Tristan fell through the air, letting go of Dennier. They plummeted down, the world spinning dizzily around them, the hull of the Serenity flashing by. From the broken window above, Tristan heard shouts and the sounds of cards triggering, followed by Funguy disappearing as he was killed by something. He hoped he’d helped enough for the hostages to be able to fight back, especially now that he’d taken Dennier out of the equation.

The fifth floor walkway loomed. He reached out at the last moment and snatched the railing with his hand; something wrenched in his shoulder, and he screamed, but his grip held strong. Dennier fell past him, too far away to grab onto the walkway herself.

Tristan hoisted himself up and fell on the metallic surface, breathing heavily. A quick cast [Earthen Concoction] set his shoulder back to normal, and he stood, looking over the edge.

He jerked his head back just in time as a blast of icy wind shot past. Cursing, he cast [Jetstream], his cards infused with white Air energy and loops of air swirling around his body. He sprinted down the walkway at shocking speed as a giant [Sky Wyrm] flew up, Dennier on its back. The winged beast roared and arced towards him.

Shit, shit, shit. Tristan sped up, every nerve screaming with the sensation of being chased. The end of the walkway was just ahead, the corner rounding out towards the balcony of the Aerial.

Again, he heard that same, slowed down reverberation through the air. He quickly cast [Mountain’s Embrace] and leapt forward.

A powerful Attack slammed into the walkway behind him; the force of it was strong enough to completely smush the walkway against the hull of the ship and dent a hole in it. Tristan was sent flying forward from the impact, his shield flaring red but staying strong. He landed roughly just before the corner and scrambled forward onto the widened balcony. Thank you, Polter. The [Slow] from the shade’s skill had saved his life twice now.

He ran for the exit. The large doors were flung wide, revealing the interior of the Entertainment Floor.

Instinct made him throw himself to the side without reason. Another Attack screamed by, this one in the shape of a dragon’s visage. It continued through the open doors before popping in an explosion of wind that decimated the hall. An ear-splitting roar followed the explosion, shattering windows up and down the hall.

The force of her Attacks were unbelievable. The leap in strength between Expert and Adept cards was making itself readily apparent. I need to know what cards she has, Tristan thought, ducking into the meditation garden. [Jetstream] faded, leaving him feeling sluggish in comparison. He quickly knelt behind a large hedge wall, heart thumping.

Tristan poked his head out. The wyrm flew down and landed in front of the doors, blocking the path. Dennier slid off and thumped down onto the ground.

He curve-cast Funguy, his last cast of the monster. The card arced through the air and appeared on the other side of the [Sky Wyrm]. His summon looked almost pitifully small compared to the beast, which reared up and roared. Funguy brandished its lance in response and charged.

Dennier turned to Tristan with a savage grin, then blinked as [Enforce: Reveal] struck her on the chest.

He ducked back behind the hedge and moved deeper in. A list of the captain’s cards and their current remaining casts appeared in his vision. Unfortunately, at Adept, he couldn’t see her Perks as well. He mentally moved the menu to the side, noting with confusion that she had Novice and Apprentice Order Attacks.

Then he saw her Field card, and it clicked.

I need to end this quickly before my casts run out, he thought. He kept his last cast of Polter in reserve and manually controlled Funguy, trying to draw the monster away from the doors.

A rush of wind made him spin around. Dennier appeared in the air, Air energy trailing her back, a sheen of Order energy surrounding her body. With [Enforce: Reveal] active, the System told him the cards she used: it was [Windwalk], her dash, and [Enforce: Defend], her shield.

She landed and immediately cast [Command: Rupture] at him. The Order Attack flew through the air in the shape of a complex rune glowing with gray Order energy. Tristan plunged to the side, forcing his way through a topiary of a [Great Eagle].

The Attack landed on the ground; a moment later, a giant crater exploded into being, showering him with dirt and grass.

“You can’t run forever, rat!” Dennier shouted, her voice brimming with anger. Whatever she was about to say next was cut off by a buzzing noise.

Tristan scurried through the garden then popped out around another topiary, casting [Dark Kunai]. Dennier had her [Short Distance Communicator] up to her ear. His Attack landed on the machine, breaking it.

She stared at him, then snorted in derision. She summoned her [Binder] and pulled out another one.

“Kill them all,” she said curtly, before dropping the machine and advancing on Tristan.

—🃁—

Eila barely noticed as Tristan and the pirate captain disappeared in a shroud of shadow outside the now-broken window.

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She was too busy dodging for her life. She’d drawn the attention of two of the pirates who’d been stunned by Tristan’s [Devourer’s Shriek]. They were focusing her now as she [Dashed] away from their Attacks, barely avoiding getting hit. She half-ran, half-slid down the dining room.

A quick glance over her shoulder showed the hostages in varying states. Some of them were fighting back as best they could with their arms tied behind their backs; in that state, they couldn’t summon their decks or [Binders] as the System designated them incapacitated. It was a strange quirk of the System. If they’d had their decks out before having their arms tied, they could have pulled their cards directly into their tied hands.

She saw that a few of the more aware ones were using the shards of glass from the window Tristan broke to cut the ropes. Funguy—who Tristan had clearly boosted with his gauntlets—had managed to even kill one of the pirates before eventually being slain.

But most of the remaining hostages were non-combatants. The elderly and the young, who hadn’t fought back in their initial revolt against Boll and the other pirates. They remained huddled and frightened in fractured groups, flinching and cowering at every scream and shout.

Eila cursed, spinning around. The pirates after her had turned back to help their crewmates. The four pirates Tristan had caught with [Monstrous Descent] had recovered, though one of them had been knocked unconscious by the following onslaught from the hostages.

They’d smartly circumvented the [Fear] inflicted on them by casting Support cards instead of Attacks; in this close-packed riot, their Attacks would likely inadvertently hit their own crewmates as well as the hostages. That meant some of the hostages had glowing buffs around them, but that was fading.

One pirate dead by Funguy. One knocked unconscious. One watching the non-combatants. One speaking into a shortcomm. The two chasing me running back to the others. Two kept down on the ground by hostages, though they’ll get free any moment. Two closer to the buffet, scared to launch Attacks in fear of hitting their own.

Hostages cutting the ropes with glass by the window. I need to buy them time.

Eila sprang into motion. She pulled [Strengthen Zone] in her hand, aimed, and cast it at the group of hostages keeping down the two pirates. The card burst into a bubble of yellow light that added a mild boost to their physical state as well as their currently locked decks. Then she pulled and cast [Water Bolt] back-to-back at the pirates running from her.

One of them landed on the torso, while the other missed entirely. They spun around, and the pirate she hit—an older man with a gray beard—nodded for the other to continue on. The man grinned and pulled a card from his deck, advancing on Eila.

Eila ran off to the side, then pulled out her [Binder]. She’d gotten all her cards back and then some from absorbing Boll’s cards. She hastily flipped to the [Item Cards] tab and pulled out a [Chaos Source].

An Attack clipped her on the arm, a [Whirling Gust]. The Armor of her weak [Leather Top] shattered immediately, and some of the damage got through. She screamed, her arm cut up in thin slices.

But she didn’t stop. She spun and cast [Dash] right at the charging pirate. She was pulled in that direction in a blur of motion; the pirate grunted in surprise as she appeared in front of him.

With a snarl, Eila converted the [Chaos Source] and slammed it into his face. His helmet slot flashed red as the violet, pulsating orb of Chaos energy dispersed into mist.

The pirate breathed it in.

He started screaming. Veins of Chaos energy rippled angrily across his face as the man stumbled backwards, thrashing his arms in the air as if he was fighting off invisible enemies. Eila hissed, looking down at her hand; that brief contact with the source had left tinier residuals of Chaos energy, and she had the sudden, terrifying thought that she’d just ruined her hand. A forger’s death sentence.

She cast [Healing Hands] on it desperately, and thankfully, it faded. Faded purple lines remained on her skin, however.

She turned her attention back to the pirate, who was fleeing out the room, continuing to scream nonsensically.

Eila grinned, feeling a sudden swell of savage glee, and opened her [Binder] again.

—🃁—

Tristan used his last cast of [Jetsteam] and dashed out from his hiding place towards Funguy desperately dodging the [Sky Wyrm’s] attacks. Dennier chased after him as he cast [Mountain’s Embrace] on his Summon and commanded it to stay still.

Tristan stopped, spun around and chain-cast [Devourer’s Shriek], [Predator’s Mark], and [Midnight Javelin].

Right as Dennier stepped into his Trap, the wyrm bit down on Funguy, shattering its shield and activating {Shatter Stun}.

[Sinking Sands] activated, and Dennier sank down to her knees with a grunt of surprise. [Slow] applied to her cards.

[Devourer’s Shriek] landed in a burst of sound, stunning her; Earth energy suffused her deck with the lock symbol, and her hand bounced off the card she’d been reaching for.

The [Predator’s Mark] and [Midnight Javelin] flew right at her head.

Suddenly, her jacket flashed bright. Like a magnet, his two cards were drawn downwards to it. They landed and burst in a flare of dark energy. When it faded, he saw the [Armor] of the jacket remained intact, though another stack of [Slow] and two stacks of [Bleed] applied to her cards.

An [Equipment Perk]? He activated {Sanguination}. The [Bleed] on her cards disappeared, and his own Attacks glowed a menacing red-black. He pulled [Nightmare Cleave] and threw it.

Two things happened at once.

Dennier somehow bent fully backwards, her back flat to the ground, and the empowered Attack whizzed by harmlessly over her head.

And through his connection with Funguy, he saw the wyrm break his stun early. It turned its head towards him with its jaws open wide, frosted Air energy forming in its maw.

The same icy breath skill that almost took his head off earlier blasted forward and hit him square on the chest.

His helmet, gauntlets, and boots all shattered. His top and legs flashed worryingly red, but they remained intact.

Until he hit the railing of the balcony with enough force to break straight through it, shattering the rest of his Armor.

Tristan plunged out into the air again.

But this time, there was no walkway or {Flight} to save him.