Direful Motivations...
It was truly difficult for Lonios to grasp the situation. So many thoughts were swirling in his head, Nimbus developing a Curse, and now the interrogations. It was the third officer taken to a room adjacent to the cave, returning severely injured, and now they were going back to get one more.
— He died in vain — Valeros spoke in one corner of the cell; his eyes were filled with tears. Lonios had never seen that boy show the slightest sign of losing control; he was always impassive, quiet, and observant. Now he seemed like a different person, dejected and demoralized, unconcerned about what others thought of him, quite different from the determined man he had known.
— Are you okay, Valeros?
— Sir Lonios, it was in vain. My master died in vain. — More tears ran down the apprentice knight's face, who now showed his more fragile side, like a child who had lost what he cherished most.
— Never say that, Valeros. Your master was a knight. Knights do not sacrifice themselves in vain. Are you judging your master's actions? If that's true, he was indeed a fool to sacrifice himself for a lost cause. You're right; he should have waited for us to take control of the situation and then bring down the enemy bridge. He was a fool and should have died.
This shock of reality would bring the squire back to his normal state; fury was the best substitute for self-pity.
— No! — A dark look appeared on the boy who now stared at Lonios. — Are you saying my master was a fool, wandering knight?
— That's right — Lonios smiled; it was happening.
— Never, my master was wise, much more than you! — He stood up and pushed Lonios against the cell bars.
It was done; this was the Valeros that Lonios had known.
— Easy, boy, we should focus our anger on the enemy.
— When all this is over, we will settle this matter. — Valeros poked the knight's chest with his index finger.
At that moment, the guard was bringing one of the officers from the Brand and placed her, severely injured, in the women's cell. Elisis supported her when they threw her on the dirty floor; she seemed to be quite injured, undoubtedly having taken a beating. With the girl in her arms, Elisis asked:
— Why are they interrogating us?
— I don't... I don't know. They wanted to know about the appearance of the Great Leader's daughter, what she was like. — Elisis wiped the tears from her cellmate's face and held her in her arms.
This was important information; this interrogation indicated that they suspected one of the girls there was the heir of the Great Leader. Or worse, they were the ones who had kidnapped her in the previous expedition, but they were unsure which of the prisoners she was. But where could the daughter of the Great Leader be? Was there another cave serving as a prison? In that case, Lonios turned to Valeros, who watched him with a hateful look.
— It is to them that we have to direct our fury, Valeros.
— You're right. — Even before the pirate approached the cell, Valeros addressed him. — Hey, weren't you looking for volunteers for the interrogation? Well, here I am.
— Well, well, we have a brave one here. Think you can withstand an interrogation with us? — The guard pointed to his two friends.
— Want to bet?
— Let's take this one; maybe he'll be useful. Besides, I want to see how much he can endure before lowering his cocky attitude. — The pirate laughed loudly.
Valeros put his hands out of the bars to be handcuffed, exactly as in the procedure they were using.
— Obedient boy. — The pirate handcuffed him and took him out of the cell. — We'll take good care of you.
— What's he doing? — Elisis asked from the cell next door.
— I think he wants to try to handle the situation on his own — Lonios replied. — Do you think they have the Great Leader's daughter? — Lonios took the opportunity to ask.
— I'm almost sure, but they must have doubts about who she is. They probably have several prisoners from the other expedition.
— We have a chance to save her then. I think Valeros will try something, direct his fury against the soldiers. He'll knock some of them down, but I don't believe he can go very far, just impose fear against the enemy.
— He should wait for us to use the element of surprise. They might kill him.
— I don't think they'll do that. He's a squire, worth a lot of money for them to charge a ransom.
— Men, always doing things without thinking. — Elisis returned to the back of the cell and the conversation she had been having with the nurse Cristiane for a while.
This time, Lonios imagined that she was following the cliché of women, gossiping even in that situation. The two seemed absorbed in the conversation, and Cristiane seemed to deny while they argued.
After leaving the cell, the boy followed the pirates, being kept between them. But halfway through, with a quick move, the boy pushed one of the guards onto the other with his shoulder and at the same time grabbed a weapon from one of them. Now he was armed, despite being handcuffed; he didn't seem to care much.
— This one wants to get beaten. — Another of the guards unsheathed his sword, followed by one more nearby. The last one, unarmed, just pulled out a knife, and that was concerning; buccaneers are known for their skill with the knife and attacks from behind. And that's what was happening—Valeros was surrounded by the three pirates, but he still smiled. — We'll wipe that smile off your face soon; we are the best warriors among Lord's pirates...
One of the pirates tried to hit Valeros from behind, but he easily dodged it. However, that was just a distraction. The pirate with the knife approached to stab the boy in the back, but with a somersault, he avoided the attack. Lonios was surprised; not even he, armed with the powers of the Curse of Vision, could dodge that blow with such dexterity. The senses of that squire bordered on premonition; only that could explain that supernatural evasion.
All the prisoners were leaning over the bars, trying to follow the show put on by the squire. — It happens, pirate, that I am the best warrior on this ship. — The buccaneers exchanged glances and lunged at the boy.
Again, he miraculously dodged the first one, and even with his hands chained, he managed to maintain balance, impaling the enemy. With the same movement of pulling the sword from the enemy's chest, he attacked the second, injuring his hand and disarming him. With a kick, he pushed away the pirate using the knife. Before the injured enemy had time to react, he was impaled by the squire's sword. — Were you saying you were the best warriors among the pirates? I don't even want to meet the worst; they'll wet themselves when they see me.
— Why is it taking so long? — a voice echoed from behind the squire. It was the pirate lord, escorted by five more buccaneers. — It seems you're having trouble. Step aside, Dinles.
— As you wish, my lord. — The pirate bowed and made way for his lord.
— What were you saying, soldier?
— I was saying that if all your soldiers are like these, they'll all wet themselves when they come to face me.
— It seems we have a fighter among the cowards of the merchant ship. I love a good fight. — The pirate lord unsheathed his sword. A magnificent weapon, and its gleam revealed that it had a streak of Diamond Steel in its edge, nothing too elaborate, maybe an amateurish work, just a piece of blade embedded in the metal of the weapon, about two centimeters long, but it made it very sharp. Lonios now thanked that the pirates were very stupid and had placed all the weapons of the Brand's crew in an adjacent room, protected by bars—perhaps the armory of the hideout. But it was likely that his sword wouldn't remain secret for much longer.
— What a coincidence, I love a good fight too, even though I think you're not up to it. I'll give you a chance to try your luck with me. — Due to the boy's excessive confidence, he hadn't noticed the detail of the enemy's weapon.
— Valeros, pay attention to his weapon — Lonios shouted from the cell.
— Shut up, knight errant, you have no right to give me advice. Who do you think you are? You don't even come close to my master. — He turned back to the enemy. — Shall we begin? — Lonios must have touched a nerve in the boy's pride; to hate him so much, now he understood how incisive his motivation had been. Valeros was blinded by hatred.
Without a second invitation, the pirate attacked the squire, who majestically dodged the blow.
— This will be easier than I imagined — he exclaimed, tossing the sword into the air. It arced through the air and cut through the chains of the handcuffs that bound his hands before the weapon even hit the ground. He caught it in mid-air. I also love low-quality metal.
Now he rushed toward the pirate, who this time didn't move and simply blocked the sword strike with his own. The force drove Valeros' blade deep into the pirate's sword, but he didn't notice. He stepped back for another strike. Again, the pirate lord defended the blow. And with a shoulder movement, he pushed Valeros away. When he stepped back, the boy noticed a trickle of blood from his leg—the pirate had wounded him the moment he pushed him away.
Lonios observed a lot of technique in that pirate; he certainly wasn't someone normal. He had training equal, if not superior, to that of a knight.
— You're not as foolish as the others. — Valeros ignored his injured leg and took a combat stance again.
— You know, little soldier, you talk too much.
This time the pirate lord charged at Valeros. As usual, the boy dodged the enemy's strike with acrobatics, leapt over him, and cut his arm with the sword. The pirate writhed in pain, and before receiving another blow, he rolled away from the squire, who only struck the ground.
— I was wrong; you are as useless in combat as your subordinates. You know what they say, don't you? That subordinates, over time, acquire the characteristics of their leaders.
— You little soldier!
The pirate lord rushed at Valeros again, who defended the strike with his sword. Once again, the enemy's blade jammed into the boy's sword, and again, he didn't notice. Overconfidence was too great; you could see in his eyes that he was sure he would win the fight. Valeros attacked and stopped at the enemy's defense. For a few more minutes, — I think you've given me enough trouble, boy; it's time to end this fight.
— And how do you intend to do that? Will you send your soldiers to interfere?
The pirate smiled and headed toward the squire. When their blades met, Valeros' sword was split in half, right where the pirate's blade had embedded twice during the fight, and the boy hadn't noticed. When the blade broke, Valeros couldn't parry the enemy's strike, who stopped his sword's blade an inch before cutting the squire's throat. Defeated, Valeros let what was left of the sword fall to the ground.
— Did you think I was going to kill you? No, not today. I can make good money ransoming you, and an apprentice like you can earn me an extra. Hold him — He ordered, and several pirates restrained the boy.
— Coward, leaving the fight like this? You only beat me because my sword was trash. If I had a worthy blade, you know the result of this duel.
— You're right; you're one of the best I've ever faced. But you lack the wisdom I possess; you would never defeat me.
Valeros didn't know, but the Pirate Lord was right. He had proven to be an excellent strategist, and the fight didn't even make him break a sweat, unlike Valeros, who was bathed in sweat. The pirate was hiding his true ability, a wise move. Revealing his secrets in a game like that would lose the element of surprise in a real situation. If he were taking all of that seriously, he would have used his soldiers to defeat Valeros instead of doing it himself.
— Coward, hiding behind your little pirates! — Valeros spoke as the man turned to leave.
— You know — he turned to Valeros again — I remembered that you injured me. It's been a long time since I was hurt in combat, even in a game like this. Don't you think I should return the favor? What do you think?
Valeros remained silent while the soldiers held him, and the Pirate Lord approached him again.
— An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, isn't it? I think that's how your knights use diplomacy. I'm sure of it.
This time, Valeros chose not to provoke the enemy.
— I think I should give you a little cut on your arm to reciprocate — The Pirate Lord pointed his injured right arm to his subordinates, and they held Valeros' arm. — I think it was here, right? Right here where you cut me — He pointed his sword at the boy's left arm while looking at where his was injured, on the forearm, very close to the wrist. At the same time, the pirates placed the boy's arm on the table. — I'll return the favor.
The pirate raised his sword in the air and let it fall with all his strength onto the boy's dominant arm. The sword hit Valeros' wrist and immediately severed his hand. Valeros didn't seem to believe it; at first, he stared incredulously at it. The lord pulled the sword from the table, and Valeros' hand hung there, beside a wrist that started bleeding profusely. Only at that moment did he begin to scream and clutch his wrist with his right hand.
— Oops! I think I cut a little too deep, but I don't think this will devalue the price for your ransom. After all, you're almost intact. — The pirate left the room laughing a lot, and the guards threw a screaming and kicking Valeros back into the cell.
Immediately, Dr. Leonardo rushed to his aid.
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