43: Midnight Wrangle

"Not literally a monster. That's how I describe it. Something I can't easily control. Like a monster"

"Mmm... it's okay. Even me, I haven't fully polished my gift."

He smile. And all this time, the captain is reciting multiple and random names. Talking to himself like mentally broken. Sounds creepy.

"When I was an infant, Mr Holland planted this purple hair strand I have." He wipe his hair to reveal the bizarre one. It can't be easily recognize without giving the fullest focus.

"The power conveyed throughout my veins, and my eyes adapted its color. Same goes for the power itself."

"Whoa! Which means you could be more powerful than today?!" I made it sound so exciting like Mishu. I'm almost imitating her demeanor.

"Same for you."

"Hm?"

"Hiskey! Dolce! Briego and Zaldo! All of you will survive!!"

Screamed the captain then took a gulp from the cup of contaminated water.

"Hey you mask boy."

"Call me Haris," he replied right away.

That made him laugh again. "The answer comes first before the question! And speaking of the devil, you're not fully immobilized, aren't yah~?"

I look at Haris. And he said that he had no idea. He move a little away from the stone and smashed it.

He bit his lip and partially wince. Then moans. "Oouww~!" touching his injured fist and I touch it too. I don't want to admit to myself that he act kinda childish with that.

"How stupid, why would you do that?!" Still in a small voice. Those sleepers are having so much fun with the journey in their dream.

"I tried if my body turned back to steelness." I laugh solely.

Later on, three knights barged in the cell to take the two of us. They're armed with brass and spears. And we, compelled to comply.

"Haris, right? Don't worry. Your gift cannot be immobilized anymore."

Then he laugh. Of course those knights barged in the dream with those dreamers. It woke them but didn't waiver. Could be because they're hungry and sleepy.

They took us here in the middle of the hall of throne. The Queen is there, caressing the same cat before while sitting on her throne. At first she didn't gave us her attention, but to those knights and mound of treasures and processions. And she's really having a hard temper instead of beauty rest. I don't think the night was too deep for everyone to sleep anyway.

She's ranting. Scolding the frightened knights rectifying the stuffs. I suddenly pity how that exultant sailor end up guilty along the way back to their islands. The sharp furrow on the Queen's forehead is quite predictable. One among the knights who led us here cleared his throat to steal the gaze of their majesty.

"Oh dear! Come here, don't be scared," she speaks benign. Another person with random personality! We came closer, she stood abruptly and the cat fell, again, and mew. Both of her elbows going to her hands are labelled to her waist as she walk approaching us. Smiling with eyes fierce.

"Don't be scared. I don't kill anyone right away. I convoked you here to express my happiness with your relationship. I guess it is absolutely a difficult task to build love, right?"

My jaw drop solely. Another appointment with misunderstanding. "Uhm, you mean... this chain?" I said.

"Yes! That treasure came from my ancestors, I wish I could keep it but I don't want to ruin your affair."

"No—well, we're not—"

"Thank you very much your highness, I will cherish this for the rest of my life or eternity." Haris said with a smile on his face.

"What?! No! Really. This chain was just a coincidence, we don't have any kind of relationship."

The Queen was startled. I glare at Haris, "You're such a liar."

"And you're so honest."

"No existing love?" the Queen whispered. Then smile widely even her eyes does. "Then I guess I can kill you to obtain that chain."

Those words trembled me. I'm starting to realize my bad. The way of her speech is demure, more release of breathe than the vibration of her voice, close to a feminine murderer.

"Among all numbers, which is the end of the cycle?"

I answered nine. She pinpointed us starting the count at me then Haris then me and him again and again up to nine. And her point concluded at me. She's staring at me when Haris took me from my shoulder across him and an arrow sunk its head to the ground, where I was standing before.

"Kill her," the Queen ordered.

More arrows to dodge! Those archers are coming from the second floor terrace in this hall. As we abide with fortune, only a few archers are present. And because those are arrows, I can't follow its agility. Haris caught the arrow with his right shoulder then arm. He pulled me again through my waist to make the arrow miss.

Still, one slip through my arm and torn my sleeve. We spin and turn around once more, then again, and over and over again. Haris released his cane from his sleeve and during that process he fend me from the arrow parried by the cane and it spin upward. Haris pushed my nape down to stoop and he caught an arrow with his barehand.

For the last shot, when the cane fell it bump with the cane's tip and thud, dragged to the floor. The cane is standing above that arrow on its own. And to think about my bad, my honesty took our fate in this situation.

"So? If we lied before, then—"

"Then we could still reach the Quede nation."

"Don't tell me that death is our only option!"

"Then I won't tell you."

I groan. The blame is on me. But I haven't heard a single word of grumble from him. And eventually, he's not wounded. That's a relief! It simply lessen my obligation as a failure. Every now and then I believe that some honesty are flop. We both look at the chain, and the most difficult situation to encounter, the chain is tangled.

"How? How can't I nullify your gift?"

I turn around then flinch, we're both thinking for the way to resolve this chain knot.

"Kill them both!!"

My heart quivers and drums louder from the Queen's order. The knights with their spears are coming. It took us only a few seconds to solve this. The arrow Haris caught before, he threw it like dart and land exactly on a knight's chest. He kick the cane upward and it spins up then down and catch. What he caught is a hilt, a sword. The cane changed to a sword again and he gave it me to.

I don't feel fighting right now, or should I say, I don't want to hurt such innocent knights who are simply following the commands. We run forward, jump and trample down the first two knights as we sway aside their weapon. I stood and Haris remained down. I swing the sword and the blade slid on the knight's tummy in front of me going to another pointed spear on me, it was cut.

Haris stole the spear from the knight under him to hit the knight in front of him through the tip then bash the one on his right. Another knight coming in front of me, I bend down and cut his spear from below and slash him from shoulder down to his opposite hip. A tilted cut, but I don't want to hurt them so I apologize.

I nudge the knight on my left using the hilt, raised my elbow up to his chin then I twist around. I recognize that Haris and I both twisted at the same to kick an enemy. Consequently, the chain tangled again but the fight must go on. I was barely able to avoid the spear when I twitch my head back a little. This knight bent my arms and I loosed the hold of my sword because of pain.

I grasp the spear and pull it away from him, Haris socked that man to knock him down. He pick up the sword from the floor with his toe, raised it in the air and quickly catch to slash the knight approaching. And currently, I am gripping one's arm through my forearm. Haris reinforced me as he kink the chain around the knight's neck and wring the chain down. The knight twisted and fell.

Some of them are hesitating to siege. And during their halt, we took the advantage to resolve the tangle again. That mocked them, so they decided to attack once more. They are few anyway. Haris spins the sword and turned back to a cane.

"Cling on me," he said. I'm still trying to analyse in my head what he meant when I press my hand to his shoulder. He pulled it across his nape, he held me on my waist to raise me high, I step on a knight's face and boot the one beside him. Haris supported my landing and I delivered my apology again through utterance.

We turned our back with each other and cling on though our elbows. He leaned on my back to kick the knight in front of him exactly to its face. I can't support his weight so we fell and our butt fail. That's how other knights' attack missed with our sudden and coincidental dodge. We crawl and use the chain to stumble a knight.

Another one is coming, I grasp on Haris arm for him to sway me, it's necessary for him to break the motion of his sole and I to smash my feet on the knight. I lost balance but Haris caught me. I stare at his eyes. I'm holding on him then scowl.

"Are we some sort of dancing?"

"I don't know."

We made our stance properly, back turned to each other again. A staggering knight is coming at me, still trying his hardest to obey the Queen, I slap him. "I forgot, you hate music, right?" Then I slap the knight again on the other side. Knocked down. And on his own battle, he kneed the enemy to the tummy, "Not really," he answered and slap the knight too.

All of them lose. I never thought we could still defeat them, but perhaps they're just a small group of knights around here. The Queen is sitting on her throne, caressing that cat, again.

"You had this power of prudent, Queen Salbeth." Haris praised her after all these mess.

"I told you, I don't kill anyone right away. And I was just wondering, my gift isn't responding against you. Is it my gift? Or, should I try it with the woman's heart."

He was intimidated, and especially me! She's grinning at me. Talking about how an evil phantasm look like. Haris pulled me closer again to him and for a single blink, the wall collapse. I'm hiding myself behind Haris from the impact and scattered steel that rustles. And the cause of that was a ship. One of the pirate ship we've seen before.

"W-Wha—how could this ship—?" I'm having problem from speaking due to intense stunned.

Heavy ropes from the deck are laid down, pirates slid their hands there, leaving the duty to the gravity on pulling them down from the ship. These pirates are desperate for not neglecting the name of this place unwritten from the list of their victims for infiltration and robbery.

"It's been years since I last stand on earth!" then he chortle. "Find the Captain! And all of our brethren, find them!! Steal every single gold you see and kill all nonpirate mankind, except for maidens." Then he wink at me.

"Ugh freak," I murmur. Then the Queen is clapping her hands.

"What an unpleasant surprise! Well perhaps you made an astounding entrance! You deserve a compliment. And rest assured, I made the prison conveniently wide for visitors, so I presume all of you could stay there for the night."

"Boasting your pride will not work on me! And you can say those words because of your selfish prosperity."

"Should I pity the vulgar thief for coveting their neighbor's property?"

This kind of controversy, the mocked shall lose.

"That's how the world runs," the pirate mutter.

"The door! We can't open the door!!" Some of the pirates griped. The door was stuck, seems like immobilized. But not for long, two ten feet humanoid equine with prestigious armor slammed the door to give way for Jexica. She's in a hurry, calling for Haris. Those pirates beside the door fling away.

"Oh Princess Ashti!" Davih is waving at me again.

"Whoahahaha!! A ship?!"

The marveled kid reacted. They came closer to us, chasing their breathe. "Are you both safe?" Jexica inquired. And we simply nodded. When the Captain found his henchmen, they bump their fist and made a loud drunk guffaw.

"Haris? Then my apprehension was correct. You are Mr. Holland's child."

"You finally identified me."

"How could I do that easily with that mask." She laugh in a high pitch. Then stood leisurely. The cat moans.

She unplugged her chainmail cape and wave it in the air, it's fascinating to how it transformed to a huge, steel, and elegant scythe. The head itself has beads and clinks when she stomp the tip vigorously, and the sound echos across the hall. Then I was petrified by fear!

"If your intention is to traverse my kingdom, then you may."