Sayed watched as William produced a strange shield from the air and grasped hold of it, taking a stance and ready to fight. They were not weapons of a variety that Sayed knew, but he had already proven capable of fending off Sayed''s thrust. Sayed knew that he would need to go another step beyond if he wanted to beat the slaver despite his strange powers. He reached back, drawing his second blade and letting the heat of his blessing flow through it.


    He would take on the slaver with almost everything he had. He didn''t have much time left if they were worried about the Port Authority''s arrival.


    "You lessers really know how to make it difficult," William said, holding up his shield with his oddly shaped axe ready to strike the moment Sayed attacked. "It looks like I must show you your place in the world."


    "My place." Sayed laughed, shaking his head as he held one sword up high and one sword low while widening his stance. "My place is that of any man, any brother, who walks this world free. No person deserves to be in chains. Devil''s Thrust!"


    Ting.


    In an instant, Sayed rocketed forward, thrusting out with one blade while he brought the second up in reserve. William watched his move and interposed his shield, the red metal of the object deflecting Sayed''s thrust up and away. Sayed came around with his second sword, but William came out with his axe, pivoting with it and sending Sayed''s blade slicing through the ground. Hot metal cut through the hard floor below, leaving a gouge as wide as Sayed''s arm.


    "That''s the problem with people like you." William shook his head. "You don''t understand the way things are. Block Cut!"


    He slammed forward with his shield, and it crashed against Sayed before he could recover. He only managed to get one blade in the way of the attack before the shield pushed him back. William drew a line around his person, making an almost perfect rectangle in his swing over his head and around his side. A line vibrated in the air before crashing down over his head, and Sayed had to throw himself back to keep from being caught in the attack.


    As he stepped back and recovered, the line hit the ground, cutting into the hard floor the same way Sayed''s strike had. It settled, forming a rectangle around the man''s body. Sayed took a deep breath, holding his blades ready at his sides. He had never seen a technique like that before. It might have been a part of the man''s blessing, or it might have been something wholly new and unique. Sayed didn''t know.


    However, he knew he had God''s strength on his side, and that would see him through. He took in a deep breath as William took on his stance. If Sayed couldn''t blow through the man''s shield with a thrust, he would have to be creative. He focused on the timing, holding both hands at his side with his swords pointed at the walls. Willaim''s foot dragged for a moment, and Sayed embraced the opportunity.


    "Devil''s Divide!"


    Shing.


    His muscles bulged as he swung both blades at the same time on the shield, catching it from two different directions, up and down. The metal cracked with the force of his blow, and he had the shield trapped in an instant. Sayed grunted as he forced the loop to close, bringing both heated blades together and cutting the shield in half. It clattered to the ground in two pieces before disappearing in a puff of smoke.


    Then the axe came around.


    It wasn''t the sharp end of the axe but the blunt tip that caught Sayed in the stomach. Sayed doubled over as the wind blew out of him, and William leaned forward on the handle. He had thrown everything he could in the strike, and Sayed felt it. Not even his leather jerkin had been enough to blunt much of the force of the thrust. The attack would have disemboweled Sayed if it had been a spear instead of an axe.


    Instead, he dropped one of his blades to the ground, the metal quickly cooling as it lay on the floor without the power of his blessing to fuel it.


    "You lessers always ruin everything," William said, pushing Sayed up and throwing him to the ground. "You have to know that there is an order to this Erth. There are the ones who rule and those who must serve. There are those ignorant of the order and those who know. That is the world the Scions have created for us all. They rule with the absolute authority of divinity itself!"


    He raised his axe, ready to bring it down on Sayed''s head. Sayed gritted his teeth, closing his eyes against the wave of dizziness that ran through his body. The hit should not have been that much for his body, but he had already pushed himself so hard that day. The reality was that he was tired, and he needed proper rest to be able to fight at his best once again. However, he also could not let William speak such lies. He cast around for his second blade, Abed''s blade, and grasped its hilt tight in his fingers.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "Block Cut!"


    Ting.


    A line extended up and behind the axe, forming a rectangle in the air around the blade. The air around it hummed with energy as William held it high before bringing it down toward Sayed''s head. Sayed threw both swords up to defend himself. His muscles ached as he pushed against the strike, but he held it firm. Sayed would not die today, not at the hands of some slaver. He pushed against the strike with all his might.


    "You will not spread these lies further," Sayed whispered. "Divinity never seeks to rule over others. God wants nothing of such petty things. It wants each person to fulfill their purpose, to create their best story with what they have! God wants nothing but freedom for every brother under the sun!"


    <hr>


    Erin stood with her hand on Artur''s mouth in the closet as the sounds faded and the shadow moved away. She couldn''t tell what happened. One moment, Roy had been at the door, and she had been ready to throw out a spray of seeds. The next was a series of loud noises, yelling, and metal ringing against metal. She kept her hand against Artur''s mouth as she debated what to do, even though the sensation of her skin against his lips was growing ever more uncomfortable.


    "Hmmph," Artur said through her hand. "Mrmph."


    He had to make it rhyme, of course.


    "I know," Erin hissed. "I just want to make sure they''re gone."


    Slowly, she released his mouth, reaching down to the door handle and opening it. She opened the door slowly, revealing the room through a crack that she let expand in short movements. The room was now empty. Something had caught the slaver''s attention, and they were now gone. She finished opening the door, stepping out of the pantry, and allowing Artur to follow after her. They stood in the kitchen for a few moments, both listening to the room around them.


    Shing. Ting.


    The noise came from down the hall, and Erin guessed it was the distraction that had occupied the slavers. Whatever it was, it had come at the perfect moment. If they had been in that pantry another second, they would have been fighting both men. Artur immediately rushed towards his items, and Erin did the same. They didn''t have time to waste.


    "We cannot delay," Artur said as he dropped the chain over his chest and put on a pair of gloves nearby. "The others need aid today!"


    "Yeah, yeah," Erin said as she strapped her various bags back under her cloak and slid her dagger into her belt.


    All in all, she hadn''t lost anything but time and dignity with her capture. Now, she just needed to settle what to do with Artur and the trapped slaves. She could easily escape without them—the door was just around the corner. If she went back to help Artur free them, they would just be captured again. They were trapped on an island with nowhere to run and no money to escape. They wouldn''t escape Dry Turtle unless she wanted to take them to the ship.


    However, she was a member of the People''s Revolution. It was wrong to leave them in those cages, and she knew it. So long as she could still escape, she was bound to help them. Anything less would be a mark on the revolution''s principles. She turned to Artur as he sheathed his sword on his belt and strapped his shield to his left arm. Though he still wore only tatters, she might believe him now if he said he was a knight.


    "Let''s go," Erin said, starting toward the door. "Be ready to fight. If those slavers step out, we need to hit them hard and run if they don''t go down."


    It was the harsh reality, but it was the best she could do.


    Together, they made their way back to the door, and Erin peered around the corner again. Down the hall, she saw two figures fighting in the darkness. However, one of the figures gave off enough light from his blades for her to recognize him. It was Sayed, wielding both of his swords as he fought against William. William had an odd axe in his hand, shaped like a lowercase ''k,'' and was pushing down against Sayed''s blades as he lay on the ground. Sayed held the axe at bay but was clearly struggling against the strength of the attack.


    "A fight between two men," Artur said, drawing his blade. "I draw my blade yet again."


    "Wait." Erin put her hand on his sword, stopping him from fully drawing it.


    She was doing the math. Sayed wouldn''t have come alone. That meant others were somewhere in the building. She didn''t see Roy either. If she was right, they were operating on limited time. If they wanted to free any of the slaves, they would need to hurry. She peered into the darkness and saw an open door further down the hall. Anyone else that had come would probably have gone down there. The question was if Roy had run to get help or if they were fighting him now.


    Either way, she knew Sayed could handle himself.


    "Come on," she said, rushing down the hall toward the door. "Let him handle William. We need to get them out of the cages!"


    "Grah!" Sayed yelled as she sprinted toward the door, throwing off the axe and kicking hard between William''s legs.


    William let out a scream as she ducked in the door. However, Sayed''s fight was going in the moment, and Erin was certain he would win. Artur followed after her, sword drawn and shield out as he hurried in front of her. He was ready to protect her, though she wasn''t as sure she needed the protection. The room around them was dark and larger than the one she had been held in. That one was further down the hall.


    They walked into a large room that Erin immediately guessed was a warehouse area. Several crates lined the walls, and even in the darkness, she could see a sort of order in the crates. In the next moment, she realized that they weren''t alone. Something lurked in the darkness.


    Pant. Pant.


    A large shadow padded through the darkness, glowing eyes gleaming in the faint light from the door. Erin''s breath caught in her chest. Whatever it was, it had to be at least twice as large as a house. She reached out, grabbing hold of Artur''s collar before he could go further into the room. He nearly fell backward from the force of her pull and quickly glared back at her while pointing his sword forward.


    "Don''t," she hissed. "There''s something in there."


    Aroo!


    From the darkness, the creature raised one large canine head, and Erin shuddered. It rose up over them, quickly padding in their direction in the darkness. She opened her gate and embraced the twinning energy of life inside her body. Prickles ran across her skin as vines grew out from beneath her cloak. If the creature wanted a fight, she would give it one.