Hiss.


    Steam rose from Sayed''s shoulders as the snow continued falling on him. Tiny flakes danced through the sky before his eyes, obscuring his vision as he took the final step from the spiraling staircase to the open fields below.


    Sayed looked back up the mountain, taking in the stone structure that snaked back and forth. The path had been wide and built of stone, with each step covered by a stone roof, but now that he was out in the fields, the path disappeared.


    In the distance, he saw the tall grey tower rising over the hovels of small homes around it. The fields were long fallow, and the relentless winter had replaced any wheat that might have grown with only hardy weeds that shot up through the layer of snow.


    "A land long abandoned, guarded by the ghosts of the past," Sayed whispered as he strode through the snow, melting the white sheet around his ankles with the heat of his blessing.


    His blessing gave him an advantage that none of the others could enjoy. He had already stripped off his heavy coat and only had his normal clothes on. The raging fire of his gate fueled his body, sending heat through his limbs, which fought back the cold with ease.


    Sayed pushed forward through the snow as quickly as he could, pushing through the breaks in the tall weeds to find what he thought was the path toward the town and the tower. It took him only a short time to reach the ruined buildings at the tower''s base.


    Like the port, the town''s buildings were full of holes, caved-in roofs, and no signs of life. The only sign of the roads that once existed were the standing walls of the buildings. Sayed stopped at the center of the town and looked up at the looming tower. It cast a shadow over the village and was as tall as the mountain. It reminded him of the giants of old stories, standing taller than could ever be believed.


    "But there should be a guardian, should there not?" he asked the silent town, receiving nothing but the cracking snow to answer his question.


    At first, he thought there would be no fight. Maybe the guardian had long rusted away, like the machines back in the mines. However, as he stood in the center of the town, a shaking sensation rose in his spine. Something was watching him.


    Crack-boom.


    Purple lightning shot across the sky, instantly illuminating the area in violet light and erasing all the shadows of the tower and the buildings. Sayed caught a blur of motion as a man stepped out from one of the buildings.


    No, it wasn''t a man. Instead of two arms and two legs, like he would have expected, it had six arms coming off its metallic torso. Each one ended with a long, straight blade. Aside from its singular red eye on its oval metallic head, Sayed would have mistaken it for a man.


    "Ah, I see you shall be my opponent." Sayed smiled, reaching up and drawing both swords from his back.


    If his opponent had just one sword, he would have brought out the same number, but he felt justified in drawing two with his opponent wielding six. He even kept his blessing active. It definitely was not because he was worried about the cold.


    Click-ksh.


    Steam rushed out from the machine''s torso as its hands blurred. The top two blades on its body began to spin, and it held the other four blades pointed forward, ready to strike out with piercing strikes. It walked toward Sayed, its red eye filled with one single purpose.


    It was ready to kill the intruder, of that much Sayed was sure.


    Whirr.


    Sayed took a wide stance as the machine approached. His gate was already open, and his swords soon burned with an orange-hot light as he focused his mind on his opponent. He would not falter. He took a deep breath as he charged forward.


    "Devil''s Thrust!"


    When he used only one blade and his gauntlet, his techniques were called'' Demon''s.'' However, his gauntlet was broken on the last island, and he could not repair it. When he used Abed''s blade with his own, his techniques changed, and he used the name ''Devil''s'' to denote that in his mind.


    He thrust forward with one blade, right toward the machine''s chest. He threw his entire weight behind the blow but was stopped when the machine brought up one sword to parry. His sword rang out as the machine diverted the force.


    Ting.


    Two blades came for his throat, but Sayed was not done. Each of his ''Devil''s'' techniques had two parts. Shifting to his left foot, he thrust forward with his second blade. Metal met metal as he pushed into the machine''s chest enough to throw it off balance. Sayed jumped back before the machine could recover.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    He needed distance to assess his opponent.


    "You are certainly complicated." Sayed shook his head as the machine continued to advance after recovering its balance. "You are not fast, but any attack presents a problem. One blade will bind, and the others will attack with full force. No mere mortal would be able to pull off such a skill."


    This was fine since it was a machine, but Sayed didn''t dwell on it.


    "I will have to go all out." Sayed nodded, bringing his blades down to his side and standing full-on facing the machine. "Not a single strike, but several, quick as lightning itself."


    The machine pressed onward, ignoring his words as it advanced with a stride that only a witless creature could manage. Sayed closed his eyes. If the machine would not speak to him, that was fine. He would instead focus on the precise timing. The machine was not fast, so it was not a threat beyond its defenses. So long as he struck his swings correctly, he would win the day.


    Whirr. Click-ksh.


    The machine advanced unrelentingly on Sayed, but Sayed stood unmoving. He focused on his breathing. In his mind, he could see the blades spinning above, ready to come down and hack away at his body. He could see the long points of the swords, ready to stab the moment his blades were bound. The machine was good. He just needed to be better.


    Click-ksh.


    "Devil''s Wind!"


    Crack-boom.


    Lightning struck across the sky, illuminating the area in a flash of purple light. Sayed let out his breath in one blast, throwing steam around his face as he shot forward. Twelve slashes, arcing with an orange glow from the heat of his blades, lashed out at the creature, striking twelve points in a circle around the machine''s body. The cuts arced in the circles, drawing lines across the machine''s body. Six blades blocked and parried. Six strikes went through.


    Shing.


    Sayed appeared behind the machine, and his attack finished. He closed his eyes as he let go of the tension in his muscles and looked up at the tower. The shadow of it fell over him again as the lightning''s glow faded.


    "You were an interesting fighter," he whispered as the machine crumbled to the ground behind him, sparks spurting out from six open cuts across it. "But you were not worthy to continue this tale."


    He sheathed his blades on his back again, trudging forward into the snow toward the tower. He knew he needed to find a lever. He knew he must use it to turn it off. Everything else was beyond his thoughts as he entered the door.


    Grayson kept his eyes down as the Arbiter approached Diamond Peak. He stood still on the ship''s prow and could not leave it as they searched the local area for any recent disturbances. A ship in the distance entering the island had called their attention to Diamond Peak. It had taken them precious time to catch up and explore the quarantined island. Even if it didn''t turn out to be Ortega, they were duty-bound to investigate a ship breaking quarantine.


    Pop.


    The air pressure in Grayson''s ear changed like a popping balloon as they entered the island''s bubble, and Grayson opened his eyes to take in his surroundings. In the distance, he could see the mountainous island out on the sea, shaped like a crescent moon. He couldn''t make out much in the distance beyond the cloudy skies that clung around the island''s mountains and the occasional purple lightning strike that shot across the sky.


    Whoosh.


    Grayson pulled his black coat tight around his shoulders, buttoning it for the first time in a long time. A cold wind bit him as the ship descended onto the island rapidly, and soon, he could make out the port below.


    "We''ll check out the ship." Drake came out of the cabin and approached him on the deck, his lieutenant and Grayson''s lieutenant in tow.


    Lieutenant Cade was Grayson''s lieutenant and was more of a ball than a man. He was cursed with the power to make his body like dough and could shape it to his will. He also knew the Path of Grit, which made his skin as strong as iron to blunt attacks. While it was a potent combination, the man''s personality was a problem. He was a lazy, fat ball with a head as bald and round as the rest of him. Even now, his uniform was in disarray, though Grayson didn''t have much room to talk on that front.


    Lieutenant Brunhild was a woman, which wasn''t exactly rare in the Military Police, but it was rare enough. She was as pale as snow with long blonde hair and stark blue eyes. Her face had three lined scars, but the rest of her body was so covered in her uniform that he couldn''t tell if there were more. Considering her personality, he didn''t doubt there were more. She was as hard as steel, though he knew little about her capabilities.


    "We''ll be ready just in case this is Ortega," Drake said as he approached the prow. "If we see the Robin at the dock, we''ll know immediately. If there is another ship, we''ll force them off the island for their own safety."


    "We''d be overkill for the second one." Grayson snorted. "I''m not sure if I hope it''s Ortega, though. I want the chase to end and my ship back, but he''s kept ahead of us."


    "Well, look down." Drake nodded. "We''re getting close."


    There were two ships in the iced-over docks down below. One was a typical wooden construction, with normal light sails extending up from a single mast and a long design. That, however, was not what caught Grayson''s attention. He clenched his teeth as he saw the second ship and the smoke rising out of it.


    The Robin, a cruiser in the Military Police, wasn''t the greatest ship he had ever set foot on. It was alright and did the job it was meant to do—the kind of ship that would do its job and not ask too many questions at the end of the day. It didn''t deserve to sit on an abandoned island, spilling black smoke out from inside from a massive hole torn in its side.


    "Is that it?" Drake asked, his forked tongue slipping out from his serpentine jaw.


    "It is," Grayson whispered.


    He closed his eyes as he put his hands on the Arbiter''s railing. He wasn''t one to mourn a ship. They were just ships, but that was his chance for his reputation to escape the situation unscathed washed down the toilet. That was his chance to retire with his pension just gone. Grayson licked his lips before he opened his eyes and looked down at the ship again. It was still there. He wasn''t dreaming. His ship was lying in a smoking ruin on Diamond Peak.


    "We need to check," Grayson mumbled, turning away. "We need to check the other ship for cannons. See if they shot it."


    A clawed hand rested on his shoulder, and Grayson paused, looking into Drake''s yellow eyes. They were serpentine, but there was an emotion hiding in them that Grayson couldn''t quite read. It might have been pity. It might have been understanding.


    "We''ll get on it." Drake nodded. "And we''ll bring the people who did it to justice. That''s the way of the Military Police. Everyone. Move out!