Princess of Silver Sands - Chapter 29
Posted by: Kura in Writing, Princess of Silver SandsPrincess of Silver Sands
Book 01
Chapter - 29 - Attack at Sea
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Attack at Sea
The second day on the ship passes by smoothly with Hitsumi and Li separated from one another, Angel spending the day with Li; when the lazy blonde was awake anyway, and Hitsumi with Echo; who spent most of the day trying to explain to the bandit that wizards were not a complicated species and that humans were in fact the ones that were, the young wizard not having much luck in convincing Hitsumi with the amount of explaining he had to do.
Soon night falls and the group gathers once again to attend the last dinner they would be having on the ship, both Angel and Echo giving Hitsumi and Li firm warnings on how they expected their behaviour to be this evening.
The group is seated at their table by the waitress once again to eat their meal, the bantering within the group kept at a minimum with Echo and Angel being extra attentive in making sure that Hitsumi and Li kept in check, the fear of being demoted from first place a very unwelcoming concept.
After their meal is finished the guests are guided to a large room open room ball room where a quartet of strings are playing, Angel swooning as she watches them play. “The dance!” She turns around facing the others once more. “This is absolutely lovely!” She gets to her feet placing her hands on both Hitsumi and Li’s shoulders. “Hitsumi this is the perfect time for you to start learning how to dance! All the first class people on the ship already think you’re weird so they won’t be shocked when you mess up!”
Hitsumi frowns at the comment not really thinking it was as great a situation as Angel did that the other passengers thought he was weird. “Great… wouldn’t want to change anyone’s opinion on me.”
Li gets to her feet grabbing onto Hitsumi’s arm and pulling him up out of his chair and with her onto the dance floor. “Come on Hitsumi, the sooner I get this over with the better.”
Hitsumi grabs onto his chair trying to hold onto something to get Li to stop, only succeeding in pulling it along with him. “Wait! Wait!”
Li stops for a moment to pull the chair and Hitsumi apart before going back to dragging him towards the dance floor. The two of them coming to a stop as Li started positioning Hitsumi by placing her hand in his and other hand on her hips. “It’s really easy, just follow my footing and don’t screw up.”
Hitsumi glares at her. “Not screw up!? If you’ve forgotten that’s why you’re teaching me! Apparently I can’t stop screwing up!”
Li starts moving, Hitsumi having to act quickly to keep from falling, he only managing to follow Li for a few steps before messing up and freezing on spot. “I can’t do this…”
Li yanks him out of his spot forcing him to continue moving. “Don’t freeze! If you freeze everyone will notice… you’ll be able to get away with small mistakes if you just keep moving.”
Hitsumi looks annoyed with Li’s forceful method of teaching him. “Okay, okay! You’re so bossy!”
Hitsumi messes up again, instantly freezing in his spot like he did before, Li sure to put him and keep him in his place, throughout the entire duration of the song the bandit would often mess up, Li having to constantly correct him.
The song soon comes to an end, the two standing at the side during the one being started up as they waited for the next one to play. Giving Hitsumi a break to try and compose himself.
Li shakes her head unsure of how she was supposed to kill the nervousness that was causing Hitsumi to constantly screw up and then completely freeze on spot. “You’re impossible…”
Hitsumi glares over at her. “Shut up… bandits aren’t meant to dance!”
Li looks over at Angel. “Princess aren’t meant to fight, and teaching Angel to fight is easier then teaching you to dance.”
Hitsumi glares at her unable to come up with a response to her insult.
Li watches both Angel and Echo who were by now in a conversation with one another, Li remembering the mood Angel had been in for most of the day. “Hitsumi… are you really that dense?”
Hitsumi sighs a little disappointed. “Dense? I thought my dancing improved from the last time… but that might just be from you dragging me along with you by force”
Li shakes her head as she turns back to Hitsumi, he being completely off the topic she was starting on. “No…is there a reason you’re ignoring the attention the princess is giving you?”
Hitsumi stares at Li in silence surprised to hear her ask him about it, let alone even get involved with it. Hitsumi smirks slightly shaking his head and turning away from Li, liking it better when she didn’t stick her nose in his own personal life. “That Li… is absolutely none of your business.”
Li looks back at Hitsumi staring at him with a look that said she knew exactly what was wrong with him. “It’s a past experience that’s getting in the way… isn’t it? Something happened to you, and you don’t want to relive it.”
Hitsumi stares at her with an annoyed gaze. “Li, if I wanted your personal opinion I would have asked for it. As I told you only a few seconds ago… it’s absolutely none of your business. So drop it.”
Li shakes her head, keeping her voice at a normal level not wanting to fight back with Hitsumi. “How is it that you don’t let anyone especially me drag you down… yet you let yourself drag you even lower then I ever could.”
Hitsumi looks annoyed to have the conversation continuing as long as it had. “I’m not dragging myself down! And really, don’t you think that you would be the last person in the world that has the right to lecture ME about avoiding unpleasant experiences in the past?!”
Li glares back at him. “We’re not talking about me Hitsumi. This is your problem not mine.”
Hitsumi banters back with her, this obviously not something he believed that he needed any help with, especially by someone like her. “I’ve been lectured enough on the topic by Ashton, I don’t need you to start telling me what to do either!”
Li looks back at him pointing out something that Hitsumi had obviously missed. “Maybe there’s a reason your best friend who cares and worries about you like to two are brothers lectures you so much on it.”
Hitsumi is about to snap back but the discussion between the two is abruptly interrupted when the ship suddenly lurches to the side, the force shocking the passengers aboard and knocking everyone to the ground.
Angel pushes herself off of the ground a little surprised by the sudden jerk the ship had made. “What was that?”
Echo looks up holding the side of his head, having hit it when he hit the floor. “It felt like the ship hit something…”
Hitsumi turns towards the entrance of the dinning room, spotting several people run by in panic. “What going on?”
The ship lurches again this time with more force then before, a strange eerie scream filling the air accompanying the frightening motion of the ship.
Li narrows her eyes as she push her self to her feet and runs past Hitsumi, dropping his problem and preparing to deal with the problem that had just show it face, Li knowing well by now what creature produced such a spin tingling cry. “The call of a demon.”
Hitsumi jumps to his feet as he begins to follow Li out of the room. “What?”
The two quickly run out of the room, Echo and Angel noticing their leave and quickly getting up to follow them.
Angel calls out for them to wait for her. “Wait you two! What’s going on!? Where are you going!?”
The group runs on deck so they can see exactly what was happening to the ship, all of them staring at the waters surrounding them and spotting a creature within the sea, the large monster swimming through the waters circling the ship with its large long body. The large beast’s head occasionally cutting from its winding course as he directed itself toward and rams into the side of the ship in an attempt to throw it over, the creature then returning to its circle around the vessel.
Li stands at the side of the ship holding tightly to the railing to keep from falling when the demon hit it, she watching the massive creatures movements as she tried to figure out the best way to deal with this nuisance.
Angel runs up next to Li looking over at the creature in the waters, her face turning white from what she saw having never before seen a demon of such a size. “It’s huge…”
The demon again lunges towards the ship, but instead of hitting the ship comes to a sudden stop when it sees the two girls staring at him over the side of the ship, the demon able to see that one of the two was the key he and his kind were searching for. He lifts his head from the water his long eel like body towering high over the ship. “You…”
Angel narrows her eyes as her grip on the railing growing tighter. Everyone on the ship was now in danger because of her and it was her responsibility to deal with this creature before any more people got hurt.
The waves grow more violent as the demon acts more restless, the demon ignoring the warning he had received earlier from his peer, now that he had seen her there was no way he would possibly leave the ship be without getting what he and his kind desired. “Give her to me… you vile, disgusting humans!”
Hitsumi worriedly takes his eyes off of the demons turning to the young wizard who was at his side trying his best to keep his balance. “How the hell are we supposed to fight back against something like that?”
Echo shakes his head unsure of how they were supposed to fight either, the wizard able to tell that his skills would not be enough to even consider fighting it. “Water was one of the things I cannot control well at all. In fact right now earth is my most powerful attack, and there isn’t any of that as far as the eye can see!”
Hitsumi continues to question him, there other spells that Echo knew as well. “What about wind? You were controlling that pretty good when I last saw.”
Echo nods his head. “Yes… I can control it but not to the extent needed to use it as an attack.”
Li runs over to Echo and Hitsumi yelling down at the wizard. “You took my dagger from me, where did you put it!”
Echo looks back at her answering her question. “I left it in my room in the drawer of a desk, I didn’t think you would need it at dinner.”
Li sighs in relief, as long as Echo knew precisely where it was she wouldn’t have anything to worry about. “Go and get it for me.”
Echo nods quickly turning around and leaving to do as he was told.
Hitsumi looks over at Li unsure of how her having her weapon would be in any way useful. “What use is a dagger going to do against THAT thing?”
Li turns back to the demon she could easily spot it’s weakness after watching it attack them. “The demon lives in the water… its skin is like a fish, it soft and not thick like the other demons that live outside of the water, if we get close enough to it we’ll be able to cut through it and kill it.”
Hitsumi frowns, although Li was probably right there was one thing she had neglected to realize. “Right, it’s good to know that we know a possible way to kill it, but how the hell are we supposed to get close enough to attack it!? The only time its close enough is when it ramming into the side of the ship trying to sink us! And even then it passes by too quickly and is still out of our weapon’s reach!”
Li turns from Hitsumi looking back at the demon, having realized this a long time ago. “I can handle this situation on my own.”
Hitsumi stares at her not really liking the idea Li had presented him. “On your own?”
Li nods her head holding her hand to her chest. “Just leave this fight to me, I know what I need to do.”
Angel stares at Li a little shocked not sure of what Li could possibly have in mind to win a battle like this on her own. “Leave it to you?”
Echo soon returns to the group handing Li her dagger, Li nodded to him in thanks before turning back to the demon. “Thank you.” She takes the shoes and stockings off of her feet kicking them to the side before climbing up onto the railing of the ship in her bare feet.
Angel grabs onto Li’s skirt to keep her from falling. “Li what are you doing!? The waves are too strong! If you fall you’ll never be able to pull yourself above the water and you’ll drown!”
Li pulls Angel’s hand off of her clothing assuring the princess that she was alright on her own. “I’ll be fine.”
Hitsumi watches Li as she stands up placing the dagger in her mouth and taking her jacket off and handing it to the princess to hold. Hitsumi continues to watch Li a little unsure of this idea, not at all liking how things were beginning to look. “Hey… you’re not thinking of jumping are you?”
Li kneels down bracing her legs and pushing herself forward jumping off of the side of the ship, Hitsumi reacting quickly as he tries to grab and catch her before she is able to leap but isn’t quick enough to reach her in time.
Echo runs to the side of the ship worriedly looking over the side. “Li!”
A panicked look fills Angel’s face, she had never doubted Li’s actions before but something like this was just suicidal. “What is she doing!? Why would she do something like that!? She can’t swim when the waters are like this she’ll be pulled under!”
Hitsumi is staring over the side of the boat in a shocked silence, he unable to find the words he wanted to say, the bandit stuttering when he finally was able to speak. “How is she… that’s impossible…”
Echo and Angel look over the side of the ship to see what Hitsumi was so shocked about, the two of them spotting Li balancing herself atop the unsteady waves.
Angel eyes widen at the sight, the princess having never before seen something like this in her life. “No way… I didn’t know people could do that…” She turns back to Echo. “How can she do that?”
Echo watches in shock as Li gets to her feet, keeping her balance well enough to begin making her way towards the demon across the water. The wizard continues to stare at her his voice shaky, as he was unsure if he was really seeing what he thought he saw or if his eyes were just playing ticks on him. “What is she doing…?”
Angel franticly answers him not in the mood for stupidity. “She’s walking on the water isn’t it obvious!?”
Echo shakes his head correcting his question. “That’s not what I mean! I mean what art or technique is she using! I’ve never heard of anyone being able to possess an ability or skill like or even remotely similar to this… even people that are able to controlled water can not walk on top of it.”
Li stumbles from one of the waves, stubbornly pushing herself back up to her feet, she had already gone as far as to doing something like this she was not going to end up falling to the unpredictable movements of the waves the demon was causing.
Angel continues to watch her unsure of what to make out of everything that was happening. “There really are many things you’re still hiding from us…”
On of the staff members approaches the group grabbing onto them and trying to pull them off of the deck and back within the safety of the ship. “Please everyone get back within the ship! It’s too dangerous for you to be standing out here, we will soon have this situation under control.”
Hitsumi glares back at him unable to believe a word the man was telling him. “Under control!? How the hell is a situation like this controllable!?”
The staff member continues to try and persway them. “Do not worry! Everything will be dealt with momentarily. Please return to your quarters.”
Hitsumi shakes his head no, unable to leave when his companion was right now in the heart of danger. “I can’t go!”
Echo turns back to Hitsumi siding with the staff as he too begins trying to convince Hitsumi that it would be better for them within the safety of the ship. “Hitsumi we should listen! If we stay up here we’ll only be endangering Angel’s life! That thing is after her remember, she will be safer below inside of the ship!”
Hitsumi points back out to Li unable to let Echo forget that she was still out there. “What about Li?”
Echo turns back to Li knowing from the moment Li had touched the water that there was nothing he could do to help her. “Even if we did stay up here there’s nothing we can do!”
Hitsumi clenches his teeth not wanting to believe that he was turning out to be useless in this battle as dire at this. “There has to be something-”
Echo glares up at him he not having the time to deal with the Hitsumi’s stubbornness. “Well unless you too can walk on water to join her in fighting the demon there’s nothing that can be done!”
Angel grabs onto Hitsumi’s sleeve, she too trying to convince him to go below the deck. “Hitsumi please! Li said to leave it to her! Don’t you trust that she’ll be able to complete this task?”
Hitsumi clenches his teeth, he the only one out of the group that seemed to realize that Li wasn’t as strong as she acted, he couldn’t just leave her alone. “You go down without me then.”
Echo doesn’t look willing to leave Hitsumi behind. “But Hitsumi…”
Hitsumi points over to Li refusing to move as long as she was out there. “Even if I can’t do anything to help her… I can’t just leave her alone! The least I can do is watch her fight. Just worry about protecting Angel, I’ll be fine on my own!”
Angel takes hold of Echo’s hand. “Echo it’s okay leave him be, if Hitsumi says that he’ll be fine then he will be fine.”
The wizard reluctantly turns away from Hitsumi to follow the princess’s request.
Angel speaks to Hitsumi once more before following Echo into the ship and out of harms way. “Hitsumi please be careful… I don’t want to loose you.” She turns from him following Echo down to the area below the deck of the ship.
Hitsumi turns back to Li who was getting closer and closer to the demon by the moment, the bandit hoping that Li would be able to pull through this battle and return to the ship safely.
The demon watches Li approach it with her weapon drawn, the creature understanding that she had come intending to attack and kill him.
The demon lets out an eerie whimper as it backs away from her unwilling to attack one of his own kind. “Why do you come towards me in such a manner…? My blood runs through your veins! We are the same! The fact that you have been able to reach me proof of this lineage!”
Li narrows her eyes hatefully at the demon’s comment, he was wrong, they were all wrong, she was not such a creature. “We are not the same! I am human!”
The demon hisses at her as it glides through the water circling her. “If you are human then how is it you able to approach me? Only angels and the descendants of the fallen souls can walk upon the waters. You are a fallen soul… a demon…”
Li watches the demon not letting her eyes leave it as it slowly began to circle her with its large body. “Demon’s do not betray their own kind… and I have come here with the intention of killing you. How can I be a demon when I so willingly and quickly kill your people?”
The demon screeches in disbelief, its ear piercing scream filling the air for miles. “You… you are the betrayer!?”
Li’s dagger follows the creature as it glides smoothly through the water while circling her. “How can I betray you when I have never seen you as my companions to begin with?”
Li runs up to the demon attacking it as soon as it glides close enough to her, the demon screeching as it twists out of the way to avoid her attack diving into the water and out of her reach.
The creature surfaces once more its bone chilling scream once again filling the air around it, Li recognizing it’s cry as a cry of battle, the large creature signaling to her that it was now willing and ready to try and kill her.
The demon again dives into the water swiftly moving towards Li to attack, moving under her figure and twisting it body upwards surfacing beneath her, Li managing to get out of the way of it’s open mouth, thrusting and digging her dagger into the demon as it’s body slid past her, the demon screaming in pain as it again pushes through the waters diving back where Li was unable of reaching it.
Li runs along the waters following the shadow underneath her as she waiting for it to surface once more to attack her. “I can’t slice deep enough into it with this weapon.” She glances back at the ship knowing that there was most likely someone that could see her from it. “As long as I’m being watched I can’t do anything… I have to go somewhere they can’t see
The demon lurches again breaking through the surface of the water, Li attacking and slicing into it when its body again slides past her, the demon’s blood mixing into the water and turning it into a dark red.
The demon twists its body back in Li’s direction, rushing and diving forward towards her, hitting and digging its teeth into her forcing her beneath the water with it.
Hitsumi watches in horror as his companion is forced into the water and out of his sight. “Li!” Hitsumi leans over the side of the boat trying to spot her. “Where is she!?”
He pauses when a cold eerie chanting fills the air, his skin standing on end when he heard it, his body beginning to shake this fearful sound being one that he had heard before. He looks back at the water, a strange dark purple glowing dimly and lighting the dark crimson waters. “What’s going on!?” Several strange lights slash through the water followed by the demon’s scream as its blood begins to flow thicker through the waves.
Hitsumi watches in disbelief as the demon surfaces, dozens of deep gashes now lining its entire body, the creature crying out in unbelievable pain as blood spilled out from every cut it had received.
Hitsumi watches the creature twist its body wildly from the pain, screaming as it continuously slammed its body into the waves the stinging driving the large creature mad. “Did… Li do that to it…?”
Hitsumi feels a hand being place upon his shoulder, the bandit turning around to find himself now staring face to face with Rena, a shocked expression filling his face when her recognizes her as the girl that had gone missing after the victory celebration in the last town they were in. “You…”
Rena grabs onto Hitsumi’s arm, her grip tight as she forcefully pulled Hitsumi away from the ledge, dragging him along with her and throwing him into the entrance of the ship.
Hitsumi gets to his feet wincing as he held onto the soar red mark on his arm that she had just given him from grabbing onto him. “Wait! What are you doing!?”
He gets to his feet and tries to run back up but Rena holds her hands in front of her, scraping the rings she wore on her fingers against one another, the sparks growing and falling to the ground, quickly turning into high and powerful flames. The thick fire now blocking the entrance and forcing Hitsumi to stay below where he was unable to see what was happening.
Hitsumi looks from the flames and back to his arm. “How does she have such a strong grip? She’s a magic user isn’t she?” He holds onto his arm trying to calm the stinging down. “What’s going on?”
The black wizard stands on the other side of the flames watching Rena as she used her flames to keep all the other passengers within the ship.
He turns away from her walking over to the side of the ship and looking down into the water below him where Li was right now fighting the large and angered demon.
The wizard narrows his eyes as his vision focuses, he trying to look within the water where the two right now fought, the demon hunter soon spotting Li’s figure. He frowns to himself as he holds his hand in front of him. “She is having a lot of trouble… it was very foolish of her to wait until she was under the waves to attack.”
A strange black mist starts to form around him and the skies begin to grow dark, thick black cloud starting to form in the skies above him the mist surrounding the wizard growing thicker and thicker and the shadows that were upon the ground begin to lift into the air and circle around him.
Li watches the demon while she is under the water. The large demon was now wounded badly, it’s body filled with large cuts deeper then Li’s dagger was capable of. Li holds her side in pain, the demon having gouged through her flesh when attacking her to push her under the water, she winces but forces her eyes to stay open the salt water stinging them, the pain from both making it difficult for her to fight the demon.
She begins to panic as the water begins growing darker making it more and more difficult for her to see around her, Li franticly looking around her and searching for the cause of the sudden darkness.
The demon lunges towards her when he sees that Li was preoccupied with the sudden darkness that had blanketed the sky above them, Li not having enough time to react turning back to the demon only second before it it’s large gaping jaws were upon her, Li tightly shutting her eyes and bracing herself.
Li stays completely still, she slowly opening her eyes in confusion when the blow she had been expecting from the demon never hit her. She turns back to the demon to find it had been stopped only inches away from her, a strange and twisted shadow surrounding it and holding it firmly in place.
Li fearfully backs away from the demon her eyes wide in fright when she recognizes the black shadow, Li gasping and swallowing water, this mistake of hers forcing her to quickly begin making her way to the surface for air.
Once Li surfaces she can hear the demon screaming from not being unable to move, the demon franticly trying to twist its way free of the shadow that held tightly onto it, the creature crying out in an insane rage when it finds it is not able to.
She looks away from the demon and around her realizing that the shadows that were holding the demon in place were now approaching her as well, she tries to dive under the water to try and escape it but it catches hold of her as it did the demon, wrapping itself around her and halting all of her movement before beginning to pulling her out of the water and into the air.
Li struggles to move her limbs before screaming out in a frightened voice when she finds that she cannot. “Stop it!”
The black demon hunter glares down over the side of the boat once Li is within his sights, he speaking to her in an angered tone. “Are you that willing to die?”
As soon as Li is within reach the shadows leave letting Li go, the wizard grabbing onto the back of her neck before she is able to fall back down into the water and pulling her back aboard the ship.
The wizard lets go of her dropping her on the deck as he continues talking to her in his angered tone. “Why did you not simply leave the demon to me? It is clear that you saw that I was on this ship! You should have known that I would have come to deal with a problem like this!”
He holds his hand up a strange shadow that resembled the demons within the water twisting in his palm, an eerie moan coming from the shadow as it twisted as if trying to get out of his reach. The wizard closes his hand crushing the shadow that he held, the shadow and both the demon creature screaming in pain, as the demon’s body crushes in the same manner of the shadow. The wizard’s strange and frightening attack killing the creature and leaving the demon’s mangled body still within the blood red waters.
Li tries to get to her feet but stumbles falling back to the ground, Li in too much pain to stand.
The wizard narrows his eyes unpleased with the lack of response he was getting from her. “Answer me!”
Li turns away from the wizard looking behind her at the figure that stood still in front of the flames that prevented anyone but the three of them from coming onto deck. The girl that had once been Li’s lively opponent was now standing cold and emotionless on spot. “Rena…”
Li turns away from Rena looking back at the wizard with a hateful glare. “You’re controlling her… aren’t you…?”
The wizard looks past Li to the girl he knew Li to be speaking of. “Of course I am, as you can see she can be useful if used to me.”
Li narrows her eyes angered that he had done such a thing. “Murderer…”
The wizard narrows his eyes. “I did not have a choice… you know that I can only control the bodies of those who are dead. Her death was necessary if I was to acquire her strength.”
Li continues to glare at him unable to accept that him not having a choice in the matter was the truth. “You’ve broken one of your stupid laws! Wizards can not kill humans!”
The wizard shakes his head reassuring Li that he had broken none of the laws she was referring to. “I will receive no punishment for killing this human. I have permission from the royalty to collect any tools I may need on his journey, the word of the royalty is above the law… even the wizard’s laws.”
Li doesn’t look happy, that not being a good enough excuse for her. “You don’t need Rena… you’re powerful enough to travel on your own!”
The black robed wizard points down to Li. “You should be thanking me for doing you a favour, Rena was getting in your way and was threatening to expose you.”
Li clenches her teeth angered that the wizard was now pinning Rena’s misfortune onto her. “If she would have proved to be a problem then I would have dealt with her myself!”
The wizard smiles to himself, he knowing by now that Li was never one to accept when a favour is given to her. “The last thing you need is yet another person hunting you down. Do you not think you already have enough enemies trying to kill you? You could not even defeat Fade, if you cannot kill the enemies you already have then you have no business acquiring more.”
Li keeps her eyes on the wizard. “How do you know about Fade?”
The wizard laughs to himself finding Li’s question amusing. “It has been a while I admit but I did not believe that you would be that forgetful. It will do you good to keep in mind that many people believe that I know everything there is to know. Fade came to me desiring information on and how to find you, how could I not know about him?” He looks back at her with a smile. “Even if I did not know about Fade there are still many more powerful people that want you dead.”
The strange shadows again begin to rise and surround the wizard before twisting away from and beginning to move along the side of the ship, circling around a small escape boat on the side of the ship, pulling and lifting a cloth cover off that was being used to keep the small boat from filling it water, the mist lifting and ripping it off.
Li narrows her eyes as she keeps her eyes on the wizard. “I know you’re one of the people trying to kill me.”
The wizard remains silent the amused look now gone from his face. Li raises her voice demanding an answer from him. “Is that what you have come to do now?”
The wizard angrily yells down at her insulted by the accusation Li was placing upon him. “I will not kill you, and I never intended to kill you… not once!”
Li clenches her teeth, the wizard having said the same thing once to her before, she still understanding it as much as the other times he head said it. “Why… why won’t you kill me?”
The wizard closes his eyes a little hurt that Li would always see him as a cold killer. “I am a hunter of demons, not of humans. You are the one who is always trying to convince everyone including yourself that you are human and not a demon. So why do you find it so strange that I look at you in the way you desire to be seen?” He opens his eyes looking over to the side. “Besides… I made a promise… I promised him that I would not harm you…”
He holds his hand out the shadows he controlled dropping the cloth it had lifted from the small boat into the wizard’s open hand. The wizard then walking up to and kneeling down next to Li wrapping the cloth around her cold wet body to protect her from being beaten by the wind as well as to hide the large wound she had on her body from sight.
The wizard smiles down at her placing his hand on her wet hair. “It is the White Demon Hunter that wishes most to pass judgment upon you, I will not deny him his request.”
Li narrows her eyes the mention of the White Demon Hunter more troubling to her then hearing anything else.
*******
Echo runs up next to Hitsumi, having left his room once the strong waves and the screams of the demon had died down, the wizard taking a moment to stares up at the fire before turning back to Hitsumi and questioning him on the situation. “What’s going on? The fighting has stopped right? What happened to Li!?”
Hitsumi shakes his head the bandit completely oblivious to anything that had happened as soon as the fire had cause a barricade in front of him. “I don’t know… Li disappeared under the water and before I could see if she was going to surface Rena forced me down here…”
Echo looks socked to hear the name of who had once been Li’s opponent seemingly come out of nowhere. “Rena…?”
Hitsumi looks back at the flames ahead of him. “The fire that’s keeping me down here is because of her!”
Echo lifts his staff towards the flames a confusing look filling his face when nothing happens. “That’s impossible… they won’t part… her magic is more powerful then mine?”
Hitsumi turns back to question Echo not entirely comfortable with the comment he had just made. “What do you mean?”
Echo looks back at Hitsumi. “I can’t control fire well but I can at least cause it to weaken… but my spell… her spell is stronger then mine so I can’t get rid of it.”
Hitsumi narrows his eyes the whole situation getting more and more confusing by the minuet. “I thought wizards were the authority on magic… how is she able to over power you?”
Echo shakes his head not sure himself. “It’s impossible for a human to be able to control magic better then a wizard, even a wizard as unskilled as me…”
Hitsumi looks back at the flames. “So then… both her physical and magic strength has increased…”
Echo’s staff disappears as the wizard lifts his hand around his mouth calling through the flames. “Li!!”
The Black Demon hunter turns from Li staring in the direction Echo’s voice is coming from, an uneasy look filling his face as Echo’s voice continued to call out to Li. “Li can you hear me!?”
The wizard gets to his feet taking several fearful steeps back, a painful expression on his face as he kept his eyes upon the flames he knew Echo to be behind. “Echo…”
Li turns back in the direction of Echo’s voice. “Echo…” She looks back at the wizard clearly seeing that he was acting very differently now that Echo had come into the picture. “That’s right…” She raises her voice calling out to Echo. “Yes I can hear you…”
A sigh of relief can be heard before Echo continues yelling to her. “You’re alive! You’re not hurt are you?”
Li clutches the wound in her body, knowing that if she admitted that she was wounded this badly that none of her companions would want her to continue travelling with them. “No… I’m fine…”
The wizard looks back down to Li. “Li… that is the name you are known by now…?” He smiles when he hears it. “It is a good name… it suits you well.” The wizard’s eyes widen when he comes to realize something. “Echo… you are one of the people travelling with Echo!?”
Li doesn’t look back at him her silence answering his question, the wizard speaking to her in a worried tone. “If you are traveling with Echo… that means you are taking the Princess of East to the
“Yes…”
The wizard shakes his head knowing that he could not allow Li to do such a thing. “You must not do that! You cannot go to the Castle of West! If you do you will be killed! I know you are not stupid so why would you willingly go there?”
Li turns back to him a stern look on her face. “I am going there because it is my decision to go.”
The wizard reaches down towards her. “I cannot let you do that!”
Before he is able to lay finger on her an eerie scream fills the air as a strange symbol of a dark red colour cuts through the deck of the ship, the blood red symbol cutting through the ship at an angle and disappearing once it had finished, the side holding Rena falling apart from the ship, Rena and the piece of the ship crashing down into the waves below them.
The wizard watches in horror before turning back to Li looking down at her hand that she held firmly against the deck of the ship, blood that pored from Li’s body having run down her arm, to her hand and along the entire length of the cut that had recently been made into the ship.
The wizard narrows his eyes at her enraged by the actions she had just taken. “What do you think you are doing?!”
Li looks back at the fire that was now beginning to rise and burn stronger, feeding quickly on the wood of the ship. “Without Rena the fire cannot be controlled… everyone on this ship will die unless you do something.”
The wizard backs away from Li. “You will regret your decision…” He approaches the flames walking up to one of the two exits waving his arm to the side, a low screaming filling the air as the flames freeze and die out, the fire screaming as if it were being killed.
The wizard walks back down below through the entrances of the ship that he had approached while Echo and Hitsumi run onto the deck through the other now that the fire had gone.
Hitsumi stops for a moment to stare in shock at the part of the boat that was missing, the piece of the ship having been cut clean off of it. “What the hell happened?”
Echo leans down next to Li worried over her wellbeing. “Li… what happened!? Are you alright?”
Li smiles back at him relived that the Black Demon Hunter was now gone. “I’m fine… it was an easy battle.” She gets to her feet keeping the cloth the wizard had given her wrapped tightly around you. “You all worry too much about me…” She begins walking back to the entrance of the ship as if nothing all that important had happened. “I’m going to go change into some dry clothes… I’m freezing…”
Echo looks away from Li and back to the place she had been sitting, spotting the red stain that had been soaked deeply into the wood. “Blood…”
*******
The night continues, this time Hitsumi is not the only guest on the ship unable to get to sleep, pretty much every passenger unable to relax after the attack that had occurred, a rather lengthy and reassuring speech having to be given to them by the caption of the ship in order to at least calm the passengers down.
Eventually most of the passengers are able to get their sleep, though some were unable to get calm enough to sleep even after sunrise the next day.
It’s early in the morning when Hitsumi is woken by a knocking at his door. He at first ignores the knocking wanting to get more sleep, but eventually gets up to answer it when the knocking refuses to stop.
Hitsumi opens the door finding himself face to face with the smiling princess. He smiles back at her glade to see her in good spirits especially after what had done to her the night before. “Oh Angel! Good morning.”
Angel pats Hitsumi’s face laughing slightly when she realized that he was he was still dead tired from lack of sleep. “You really can’t sleep well on ships can you?”
Hitsumi nods his head as he steps aside to let her in. “I sleep better on land… when a ship isn’t swaying in the waves.”
Angel walks past him pulling a tray of food behind her. “Are you hungry?”
Hitsumi smiles happily at her. “You brought me food!”
Angel laughs to herself. “I brought you your breakfast!” She grabs onto Hitsumi’s arm pulling him over to and seating him on his bed. “Sit down! Relax! Enjoy your meal!”
Hitsumi nervously looks up at her feeling a little foolish with having the princess do this to him. “Really Angel, you don’t have to spoil me like this.”
Angel frowns unwilling to let Hitsumi try and talk her out of it. “But you deserve it! After everything that you’ve done for me, you even stayed behind to fight that demon that attacked our ship! I must show you my gratitude.”
Hitsumi shakes his head correcting the princess. “I didn’t do anything… Li’s the one that did all the work, why don’t you go and spoil her?”
Angel slouches her shoulder a little disappointed. “I knocked on her door but she said she was too busy right then… she said it in a really scary voice too, I didn’t want to end up getting a black eye from bothering her…” She looks back at Hitsumi. “You’re not going to chase me away too are you?”
Hitsumi shakes his head. “No I would never think of doing such a thing, you don’t see me complaining do you?”
Angel laughs happy to see that Hitsumi didn’t mind her being there. She opens the tray beside her taking some food out and offering it to Hitsumi. “Say ah!”
Hitsumi looks at the food not jumping at the princess’s request. “No thanks, I don’t really like fancy food all that much…”
Angel looks a little disappointed. “But you’ll like this one I promise, come on! Open up!”
Hitsumi laughs to himself really not seeing any harm in it. “Just one bit then, ah!”
The door to the room opens Echo walking in and interrupting the two. “Excuse me for-” The wizard pauses for a moment as he looks the scene over. “…interrupting” He lifts his staff threateningly towards Hitsumi. “Why are you making the princess feed you!?”
Hitsumi frowns as he turns over to the wizard. “Why do you always think I’m performing evil and horrible things with the lowest of intentions!? You’re such an overprotective little squirt!”
Echo glares over at him Angel quick to interrupt them and stop the bickering before it even began. “Good morning Echo!”
Echo brightens up as he cheerfully replies to the princess as if he had never raised his voice in the first place. “Good morning princes! I hope you managed to get some sleep last night despite everything that was happening.”
Angel nods her head. “I didn’t have a problem… I should be used to things like this happening to me right? So I didn’t let it bother me.”
Hitsumi looks over at Echo. “So, what did you barge into my room for?”
Echo looks back at Hitsumi his expression still all smiles. “We’re almost at our destination. If you look to the west, you’ll already be able to see the West Continent.”
And excited look fills Angel’s face when she hears this. “Really!?” She quickly runs past Echo out of the room. “I must see what it looks like! It must look wonderful!”
Hitsumi looks over at Echo a little annoyed. “You know… she was just about to feed me.”
Echo laughs pointing at Hitsumi. “Yeah, I know!”
Hitsumi glares at him. “You are a horrible and evil little brat you know that?”
Echo crosses his arms stubbornly. “Why would it matter to you? You don’t like her anyway?”
Hitsumi looks to the side it not being like that at all. “Who said I didn’t like her…”
Echo gives him a threatening glare. “I’ said… you don’t like her.”
Hitsumi laughs to himself as he gets to his feet patting Echo on the head before walking past him. “Come on, she’ll be upset if we don’t come with her to see.”
Echo’s face turns cheerful once again as he follows Hitsumi out. “They set up a barricade around the part of the ship the demon destroyed, it looks really funny because it’s a bunch of chairs and tables.”
Hitsumi laughs as he continues on his way, Echo stopping for a moment to knock on Li’s door. “Hey Li, we can see the continent of West now, do you want to come see?”
Li’s tired and muffled voice answers Echo through the door. “I’ll be there soon… I’m busy right now…”
Echo leaves following Hitsumi. “Alright.”
*******
Li is staring at herself in a mirror inside of her room with a worried look on her face, her skin clearly a lot whiter then it normally would be. “I’m too pail… they’re going to notice…”
She looks down at her torso a cloth wrap tied tightly around her, the floor of her room filled with blood soaked clothes, cloths, sheets and wraps from her trying to stop the blood flow from the wound she had received that night, Li not being able to stop the flow of blood until earlier in the morning.
She holds her head feeling a little light headed, she trying hard to ignore it and refusing to let it overcome her. “I’m more of an idiot then Hitsumi… what was I thinking?”
She pushes herself away from the mirror walking back over to her beside and picking up her clothing beginning to get dressed, wincing when she moves to quickly. Attempting to convince the rest of her group that there was nothing wrong was obviously going to be a challenge.
*******
Angel is standing near the edge of the ship looking over excitedly at the land that could be seen in the distance. “This is great! Will you look at that!”
Hitsumi smiles to himself as he looks over in the direction Angel was so excitedly jumping around in. “The West Continent. We’re half way there.”
Echo smiles up at Hitsumi as he begins talking to him in a very respectful voice. “I must thank you for your help. Without you and Li helping us we could have not have gotten this far.”
Hitsumi looks back at Echo hardly thinking that Echo should be thanking him just yet. “But I barley did anything, I’m almost positive that anything I did you could have done on your own.”
Echo turns back in the direction of the West Continent, now that it was in sight the end of the journey felt so close. “Things will only get harder from here on you know.”
Hitsumi nods his head having been well aware of that when he had first agreed to partake on the journey. “Yeah… I know… this is the part we needed Li for, if it wasn’t for her we would have probably been killed by that demon last night… I’m glad she’s decided to continue sticking with us… it’s going to take all of our strengths to make it to the castle.”
Echo lowers his head he aware that Li had not returned from the fight without being wounded.
Hitsumi sighs to himself as he thinks the situation over. “I hope it will be enough… depending on what we run into… the three of us may not be strong enough to continue protecting her on our own…”
Angel turns back to the two of them calling out to them to get their attention. “Hitsumi, Echo, have you seen it! It’s wonderful!”
Hitsumi smiles as he looks past her at the land they would sound docking at. “Yes, it’s great, by the looks of it we’ll have you in the safety of the
Angel smiles as she turns back to the continent. “I can’t wait.”
Hitsumi turns around spotting Li now just arriving on the deck of the ship. “Hey you slept in again.”
Li doesn’t answer him as she walks over to the edge of the ship staring over in the direction of the west continent, her face growing even more serious now that she was able to see it.
Hitsumi walks up next to Li curious as to why she had not thrown him an insult for commenting on her sleeping habits. “Li?”
Li doesn’t look back at him as she continues to stare ahead of her. She closes her eyes, not at all looking forward to their arrival in the west continent.
Angel notices Li’s glum attitude as well, she walks over to Hitsumi questioning him about it. “Is something bothering her? She looks pail…”
Hitsumi looks back a Li a little miffed as to why she was acting so strange. “Yeah… but I don’t think that she would tell me if I asked her… you know how well the two of us get along.”
Echo smiles nervously over to them. “I’m sure she’s just a little soar from the fight last night… you know how it is when you get into a fight, you feel perfectly fine the day of the fight but then the day after everything hurts.”
Hitsumi crosses his arms as he looks down at Echo. “I guess I know what you’re talking about…”
*******
The ship arrives at the West Continent and the journey overseas comes to an end, the group disembarking the ship and preparing to travel by land once again.
Hitsumi and Echo are packing the horses up and getting them ready to start their travelling once more while Li sits at the side watching them pack everything up instead of helping them.
Hitsumi stops in the middle of his work glaring over at the member of the group that was watching them do everything while she lay around. “Hey!! A little help would be nice!”
Li looks over at him with an annoyed expression. “Stop whining and do it yourself.”
Hitsumi starts walking in her direction Echo stopping him before he is even able to get two steps. “Let her rest for the day, she did get rid of the demon for us you know.”
Li nods her head. “Yes that’s right… you better treat me like a damn god now.”
Hitsumi growls under his breath. “Ya that’s it, when I kill a demon without your help I’m going to make you my personal slave!”
Li glares over at him. “You’ll never kill a demon on your own you know, you suck too badly.”
“Shut the hell up! What would you know!?”
Angel’s voice interrupts the argument the princess running back over to the group. “I’m back!” She stands in front of Hitsumi showing him the new clothes she had gone to change in, it being a simple shirt and pants that would not hinder her if she were to run or try and fight. “You haven’t seen me in anything but a dress right? What do you think?!”
Hitsumi smiles down at her. “I think that you’re still as cute as you were before.”
Echo swings his staff into Hitsumi’s knee taking him down, the bandit whining in pain.
Angel turns towards Li. “So I’ll be able to fight better in this right? We can have longer training sessions then!”
Li nods her head. “Yes… hopefully you’ll be screwing up much less now.”
Angel looks back to Hitsumi and Echo. “That boat ride was so much fun! Well… aside from being attacked near the end… It’s too bad that’s the only boat we get to go on.”
Li looks relived to be off of the ship. “I don’t mind…”
Hitsumi too didn’t look too excited over the idea going on another ship, the demon attack leaving a life long impression on him. “I don’t want to travel on another boat for a very long time…”
The others quickly agree as they begin to mount their horses to leave.
Li gets to her feet and begins making her way to her horse grabbing onto it’s harness to mount it when the howl of a wolf sounds in the air, Li jumping and quickly turning in the direction of the sound as she begin backing away from it without thinking, pushing into and startling the horses behind her.
Hitsumi tries to manoeuvre his horse out of Li’s way as he stares down at her a little shocked by what she was doing. “Hey Li… what’s wrong?”
Li doesn’t look to realize that Hitsumi is talking to her at all as she continues quickly backing away running into both people and things until she backs into pile of empty food crates that were being unloaded from the ship knocking them over and having them crash down on her, Li screaming in surprise as she quickly holds her hands over her head to protect herself as they bury her beneath them.
Hitsumi quickly dismounts his horse running over to the pile of fallen debris. “Li! What happened!? Are you alright?” He pushes several pieces of the crates out of his way, reviling Li crouched on the ground with her arms held over her head. He lift’s Li’s arm away from her a little confused as to why Li had gone through such a sudden panic attack. “What was that about?”
The wolf howl again sounds Li trying to pull free of Hitsumi and she tries to back further away from the sound pushing herself deeper into the fallen rubble. “Leave me!”
Hitsumi stares down at his unusually frantic companion, he having never seen her like this before. He turns back in the direction the wolf’s howl had come from. “It’s just a wolf…” He looks back at Li when he doesn’t get a response. “Li… Hey… Li…”
He stands up looking away from Li and back over at the others with a worried look on his face.
Echo looks over at him curiously. “What’s wrong?”
Hitsumi shrugs his shoulders, feeling a little awkward with saying this, he having never thought that Li would end up doing something like this. “She… passed out…”
