A cold, stabbing pain pierced through Hopkins''s side. He hadn''t seen Sayed move behind him. The last thing he noticed was that the man was on the ground dying. How had he gotten behind Hopkins? He tried to concentrate, but the blood leaking out from his side made a great distraction. Below him, the body flickered, and he noticed it was more blurry than it should have been. He blinked, and the form wavered before disappearing.


    "How?" He coughed, and a kick to his back sent him falling to the ground and off the sword.


    "You were fighting an illusion," Sayed said as he towered over Hopkins, his shadow shielding Hopkin''s eyes from the sun. "God has more power than just the heat of its wrath. It is the flame, yes, but it is also the invisible heat of the desert sands that trick and distort the senses of men."


    Hopkins grimaced, rolling over in the snow and planting his sword down to help himself to his knees. He wasn''t done and opened his gate further to manipulate the shadows around his abdomen. He wrapped a layer of shadows around his side, coiling it tight until it would hold pressure to stop his bleeding.


    It didn''t take a lot in a sword fight to take down an opponent. One severe blow was enough to start your opponent toward death''s door. Sayed''s thrust had been that blow, and if Hopkins couldn''t rely on his curse, he would have bled out in the snow right then and there.


    A grin cracked across his face. He hadn''t fought like this in a long time.


    "Why do you fight?" Hopkins asked, taking in a steadying breath and forcing himself to stand.


    A sting of pain rocked through his side as he stood, but he clenched his teeth and let out some of his breath to cool it. He was an experienced bounty hunter. He wouldn''t let a mortal wound slow him down. It would ruin his reputation.


    "That is a hard question." Sayed shook his head, beginning to pace a circle around Hopkins. "I am a man seasoned by many battles. I fought in the war to protect my people from the heretics. When I came to the nightsea, I fought to free people from their bondage. In it all, the common thread is simple. I wish to bring honor to the fallen by creating a story so grand that they are brought up by being part of it."


    Hopkins coughed.


    "That''s it?"


    "It is."


    "Hah." Hopkins let out a low chuckle as he forced his shadow tighter around his chest.


    At this point, he was like a leaking barrel, and he wanted nothing more than to escape and wrap his wound. The question was if the ''Sword Saint'' would let him. Hopkins didn''t know the outlaw, but in his experience, they didn''t leave bounty hunters like himself alive. His business was fought to the death. His only option was to escape.


    "Then I''ll need to push myself even harder," Hopkins said, narrowing his eyes.


    He focused on the shadows around him. The first grade of his curse allowed him to use shadows as a method of attack. He used that to transfer the attack from his sword to his opponent in what was often the perfect sneak attack. The second grade of his curse allowed him to generate and manipulate shadows originating from his body freely. He could escape if he was willing to give up his bounty-hunting career. Bibi, he already knew, wouldn''t let him just walk away.


    Was he ready for a career change?


    He gathered a well of aether inside his chest, pushing it through his body with the cold, tingling sensation that accompanied his curse. Power coiled around him as he manipulated the dark tendrils, and he focused his mind on what he wanted to do.


    "Black Hole."


    A bubble of shadow erupted from the ground around him, the tendrils of darkness connecting together and consuming all the sunlight. It was about the size of the small village around the tower and would look to outsiders like a bubble of darkness blanketing the area. Inside, there was no sight or sound. There was no light. It was pitch black.


    Not even Hopkin''s could see inside of it.


    He staggered in what he thought was the right direction, holding his side as he did so. A jolt of pain accompanied every step, but he wouldn''t stop until the light hit his eyes again, and he was out of the bubble. Sayed would be just as blind, and Hopkins needed to trust that the confusion would be enough to allow him a head start.


    Whoosh.


    He sensed movement around him. While he couldn''t see, there was a flow to the aether he could feel in the dark. Instinctively, Hopkins threw himself to the side. Was it a blade that passed by his head? Not even he could tell. He pushed himself further away from where Sayed had been. He needed to escape. He walked until he hit the edge of the bubble.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    He grunted as he fell forward in the snow. He kept his gate open, focusing on keeping the bubble intact as he crawled away. He made it a few meters away when a bright orange ball exploded out of the bubble. Sayed stepped out with two swords, blazing as hot as two suns.


    "It''s a dastardly trick, but still a worthy one," Sayed said as he searched the snow. "Where have you gone, Hopkins? Come out so that we may finish our fight!"


    Hopkins drew the shadows to himself, adjusting the flow of his gate and spreading them out into long tendrils again. He had what he wanted: distance. All he needed to do now was get away from the swordsman.


    "Shadow Stride!"


    Using the shadows like limbs, he rose on eight of them, pushing through the snow and away from the town in quick, long strides. He walked like a spider, and he was certain that Sayed would not be able to catch him unless he stopped.


    He was already formulating his plan. He would make for the docks. He could take the ship and leave Bibi behind. He would throw his good name as a bounty hunter into the dirt, but that name was worth nothing if he died.


    As he ran over the fields, he chanced a look back. ''Sword Saint'' Sayed stood on the edge of the town, his swords still burning bright as he laughed. Hopkins would remember that laugh. He would remember that the ''Sword Saint'' had beaten him. One day, when he was stronger, he would turn the tables and beat him.


    That much, Hopkin''s promised himself to slake his shame.


    <hr>


    Sayed released the hold on his gate as the swordsman disappeared. Hopkins had chosen his life over death, and Sayed couldn''t blame him. Not every swordfight needed to be to the death. Sayed did not relish killing and would have offered mercy for Hopkins if he had asked for it.


    However, he was also fine letting him run away. Sayed sheathed his swords and reached behind his belt, pulling away the gauntlet from where he had secured it. Despite a scuff or two across the gold''s surface, he found it was still in good shape. It would make a grand trophy from the fight.


    He looked to the keep in the distance, and that was when he noticed the ship rising to the side of the mountain. A steel Military Police slipship rose against the stony side of the mountain. He could tell from the prominent mark of ''MP'' on the ship''s side. Sayed raised an eyebrow. With the storm gone, there was no reason to keep the ship below, but the ship''s shape did not quite match the Robin.


    Sayed ran toward the mountain, keeping track of the ship as it came to the keep. The closer he got to the ship, the more certain he was that it was not the Robin. That left Sayed with a question: Whose ship was it? He frowned as he ran toward the ramps that led up to the keep.


    There were limits to how fast he could run. However, Sayed was quick. He practically vaulted up each step, his breathing coming in short rasps as he ascended the mountain. The air was thin but full of aether, and it fueled him higher as he pushed himself harder.


    He came out on the top as he saw the ship making a wide pass across the keep.


    Several figures dropped from the ship, landing in the snow with solid impacts around the keep. Two figures were on Sayed''s side of the keep, and he knew there would be others surrounding the keep in a formation. Sayed rushed forward, drawing his khopesh from his back and pushing his gate open wider.


    He might have been denied a victory against Hopkins, but whoever these people were, he would stop them.


    "Stop! Put up your hands, or we''ll shoot!"


    Sayed ran on, pulling out his second sword.


    Bang. Bang. Ting. Ting.


    Two bullets shot out from their guns, and Sayed sliced twice. His swords rang out as they cut through the projectiles. Sayed was on the two men in red and black coats before they could track him for follow-up shots.


    "Devil''s Twister!"


    His swords cut in a circle around him, blowing up snow and dirt into the air and sending the two men flying with their rifles. They fell in the snow a distance away, and Sayed quickly assessed the ship''s position. It had gone a full circle around the keep before returning toward him.


    As it approached, a large figure dropped into the snow, sending more snow flying as it cratered into the ground. Sayed recognized Lieutenant Cade from when they had hijacked the ship on Lundao.


    "Oh, you have returned," Sayed said, a smile cracking his face. "The last end to your story had you falling into the sea!"


    "Don''t think I''m going to forgive you for that!" Cade''s face burned red as he threw his body forward, one hand stretching into a massive ball as he threw a punch. "Dough Hammer!"


    Thanks to his blessing, Cade''s body had the property of dough. When he combined that with the Path of Grit, he had a body that could withstand attacks but also stretch and mold itself into devastating strikes. Sayed brought up both blades, catching the arm as it came down on his head.


    Sayed blocked the attack with a grunt as he focused on his gate. He opened the gate wider, causing his swords to flicker with orange light while steam rose from his body. If Cade was here, the Military Police had caught up with them all. He couldn''t afford to hold back.


    "Then it is time for me to test my abilities," Sayed whispered, grunting as he pushed off the arm with his blades and jumped back to create distance. "Devil''s Wind!"


    Twelve slashes lashed out across the air between them as Sayed disappeared. Every attack hit because Cade wasn''t a nimble fighter. Sayed appeared on the other side of Cade, his blades flickering as he turned to face Cade''s back.


    "That ain''t going to work!" Cade spun on one heel, revealing twelve dark lines on his chest centered on a single point. "Dough Swing!"


    His strike came for Sayed, but Sayed didn''t appear to move. His form blurred slightly, and if the lieutenant had paused to check, it was a little more blurry than it should have been. Sayed''s mirage wasn''t an unimpeachable illusion. The massive handball passed through where Sayed had been, but Sayed''s body only flickered as Cade came around for another swing. The true Sayed appeared as Cade committed himself to the blow, standing in a wide stance off the side as he charged more heat into his blades.


    "Devil''s Thrust!"


    He charged into Cade''s back, throwing his sword forward in a long thrust. It slammed into Cade''s side but didn''t penetrate. Instead, Cade bounced off his sword, and Sayed threw his foot back as he thrust his second sword in a shorter thrust. With two solid hits, Cade was tossed away from Sayed, landing in the snow far away. He rolled to a stop in the snow, and Sayed began to run.


    He couldn''t truly defeat Cade as he was. He needed to get to his friends and help them escape.