Darkness Girl: Trickster God

Chapter Twenty-Three: Shock Tactics

If Bastian was being honest with himself, this pale girl with the blue hair made him extremely uncomfortable. Being near her was like standing too close to a bonfire. There was a ball of barely contained rage burning in her chest that leaped out and scorched anyone who came within range. From the looks of her wounds, he suspected she had already sustained the kind of damage that would have left anyone else on the floor, but her attack on the guard had come with such shocking ferocity. There was no sense of weakness or hesitation in the moment she struck. It was as if there was a well of violence inside her that lifted her up and drove her beyond the limits of her body. Now the fight was over though, she seemed half dead. Her face was ashen, like she'd dragged herself up from the depths of hell, and her clothes were coated with blood and grime. From time to time she swayed unsteadily and looked like she was going to pass out.  

'We can help each other,' he told the girl seriously. 'We won't slow you down. We can hold our own.' 

A grey haired woman next to him nodded. 'You're not the only one that's been tortured here,' she said. 

'How many of you have combat experience?' asked the girl. 

Bastian and a few others tentatively raised their hands. 

'I used the forward reconnaissance unarmed style when I was a transporter, but it was a long time ago,' Bastian admitted. 

'I've done some work as a protector,' said the woman beside him shortly. 

The girl shrugged dismissively. 

Bastian found himself feeling mildly offended. In one movement she had assessed them all and dismissed them as nothing. He felt the tiny needle like pricks on his skin as his spines emerged with his irritation. He'd never quite got the hang of separating their appearance from his emotions. 

'It makes sense for us to ally ourselves,' he said. 'Why did you let us out if you didn't want the help?' 

'I said you can do whatever the hell you want!' the girl swayed and placed a hand on the wall to steady herself. 

'You talk big for someone who can barely stand.' 

'Worry about your own problems.' 

Bastian turned to the other prisoners. 

'This is going to be dangerous,' he told them. 'I don't know how many enemies we have on this ship, but I'll bet there are more of them than there are of us. Anyone who doesn't want to take their chances should go back to their cell.' 

He saw some worried looks as some of the other prisoners wavered. One threw a glance back at his cell. 

'You can go back to your cell and wait for them to come and kill you,' said the woman with grey hair derisively. 'But I'm going to fight. We're not unarmed; we have our crafts.' 

The prisoners stood up a little straighter, and Bastian shot her a look of gratitude. 

'Okay,' he said. 'We need to come up with a plan to make sure we keep them running to catch up.' 

'Shock tactics,' said the girl with blue hair. 

Bastian turned and looked back at her in surprise. He hadn't thought that she was even listening. She had her back to the wall and her eyes closed. The hand strapped to her sword dangled limply at her side like a broken toy. 

'You're useless to me if you all die within the first ten seconds,' she said. 'You don't stand a chance in a head on fight. Your only option is to hit your enemy's weak spots and disappear before they have a chance to retaliate.'