WHY DO YOU WAIT? STRIKE YOUR FOES WHILE THEY ARE WEAK.

  Shut up.

  Jules and Thorn locked eyes again and rolled them.

  "This is taking too long," Jules mouthed to the old geezer.

  Rukia crushed John in a bout of rock paper scissors behind Maddie's back.

  “No, Maddie,” Zeke said. “You are under our employment and therefore our command—”

  “I complete my missions how I see fit. If I let you capture him, I forfeit half the Bounty, and what a Bounty she is.”

  Should I mention he’s out for Virtues, too? It’d be too obvious now, wait for the right moment.

  “If you wish, you can answer to The Maiden for insubordination.”

  “Like I give a damn about Her outlook on things.”

  “Treasonous words,” Zeke cautioned.

  “I have a bone to pick with this one. Let me duel him, one-on-one. If I fail, then you—”

  “You think you have more a right to him than me? Me!? He destroyed my home, killed my family and everyone I grew up with."

  “Again," Rukia halted her winning streak, "that was my pleasure." John took advantage of the moment, while Rukia's hand was locked in a fist, and through out an open hand. "Dammit! Bastard Pastor cost me a round…"

  Zeke twitched.

  “Their bounties are ours.” Maddie approached Zeke. She glared up at him, he looked down on her. Thorn and the rest of their crew drew their blades. A strange expression crossed Zeke’s face. Does he suspect her, too? Does he fear her—or both?

  Zeke looked at the shrouded moon. “Five minutes. Then I take over."

  “Aye, if that’s the best you can do. I'm paid in full—triple, because that bastard Spider—if I defeat him here.”

  “You won’t, so I agree to your terms.”

  Maddie scoffed and approached Jules. She muttered curses about Zeke and his mother, then drew her blade. She charged Jules and pushed him away from Zeke’s earshot.

  Rukia held her ground to separate the two groups. Only John seemed afraid of her.

  Wary that it might further shatter after breaking in two, Jules reinforced the Sound with a Ryoku Shield.

  

  [?90,910 // ?174,501]

  “What have you learned, Wrath?” Maddie asked when they were far enough away.

  “She is after all Arcanics—You’re really not holding back these attacks, are you?”

  “Virtues included?” Jules parried a thrust and deflected two slashes.

  "Familiars, too.”

  “That’s all you have.” Block, deflect, duck. Jules kicked her in the chest to knock her back. She dusted off her billowing frills. “I knew that much already. What a shame, Jules.”

  Jules, not Wrath. That’s an invitation. I can still turn her back to my side.

  Maddie stopped her assault and allowed him distance. “I respect you, so I give you this courtesy—Playtime is over.”

  “Maddie, they’re coming for all of us…Salty Pete, Rukia.”

  “And yet you haven’t defeated him.” Jules’ eye twitched. He thrust the broken Sound, which was now the length between a dagger and short sword, at her face.

  “Wrath took—” Jules cut himself off. Better not say anything that could be used against me. Zeke is better off ignorant.

  Maddie frowned. “Our friendship ends here and now."

  Jules squeezed the Sound. All our shared trauma is out the fucking window?

  Maddie closed in on him in a sweep and flurry of attacks. High, low, below-the-belt, arm, head—nothing was off limits now. Jules’ anger and betrayal tempered his battle prowess, and he halted each strike. Every one of her attacks enraged him further. Jules slid under a slash and snuck past her defenses. The Sound connected with her cheek and sparked a massive explosion that flung her back. Once again, the Sound was aflame, this time with dark, crimson red fire. Maddie landed all the way near Zeke and her crew. Zeke gazed down on her crumpled body.

  "Your time has expired.”

  Maddie got up and spat blood at his boots. “Men, attack!”

  

  YOU LOOK IN NEED OF AN ALLY.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Rukia intercepted John right away. He hurled his spear at her desperately.

  August’s tattoos and eyes lit up, and he invoked a Script that conjured a water spout, like a tornado. The twister scraped and ripped Jules' flesh in a flash.

  Where's all that water even coming from? Need to stop it at the source before it douses the Sound.

  

  ? Activate ? [?90,900 // ?174,501]

  Jules burned an Inked Art to blow the twister away into mist. Boots scuffed behind him. He twisted himself down and around to face Thorn. How'd he sneak up on me? The cutlass flew past Jules' hair, and he elbowed Thorn in the jaw. The resonating crack didn’t slow the old man down. Thorn in my side…

  Thorn thrust his cutlass at Jules with supersonic speed. Jules kept up with the man and blocked each strike as he saw it, but the sound cracks after each strike confused him, and each attack hit him in three places at once. Droplets of Jules’ blood stained the mist around him and mixed with the twister.

  Is this Thorn's Vessel, or a Script? Raw Skill?

  Maddie closed in on Jules’ left. She maintained the forefront of the assault and targeted Jules’ chest and arms. Thorn continued his powered thrusts between Maddie’s slashes. The water spout reformed and sped toward him again. They work well together as a team.

  Except John, of course.

  Zeke approached on the right, opposite of Maddie, and now Jules fought three fronts at once while August chucked water spouts and ice spears at him from afar. Jules was soaked from the mixture of water spouts and his own blood. Only his defensive Skills and the Sound’s flame kept him alive as minor injuries piled on.

  Zeke heaved his hammer down. Jules dodged to the side, and Thorn blocked Zeke's wild strike from hitting Maddie. He’s not fighting me, he’s watching Maddie—

  

  YOU BORE ME, JULES TIDESHAPER.

  How are you doing, Jules? Rukia asked.

  Maddie’s cutlass ripped through Jules’ right pectoral muscle.

  Dying, help me. Finish Mermaidboy off and—

  Use me. Thorn stabbed through Jules’ left upper arm.

  How?

  Spirit Integration.

  Zeke’s hammer cracked down onto Jules’ hands, gripping the Sound. Fury and rage welled up inside Jules. Into my body!?

  No, the Sound.

  Haven’t—ugh—tried that before.

  Now seems like an appropriate time.

  Risky. Jules felt the absence of his powers—no fire erupted at his eyes, no searing sensation of his Seal.

  Then don’t muck it up, Julesie.

  Thorn stabbed Jules in the arm again.

  “Agghh!” Jules fell to his knees.

  

  ? Pressure ? [?82,900 // ?174,501]

  Jules blasted away all of his opponents. Another Inked Art burned. In those few precious moments afforded him, Jules concentrated on Rukia and the Sound. He lined up the patterns and laid down their meshes on top of each other.

  Only three wavelengths. No sign of Kaizen or Wrath.

  Jules pressed down Rukia’s soul into the Sound of Fury. His vision went black from the staggering amount of Ryoku it required.

  

  ? Integrate ? [?52,900 // ?174,501]

  A blinding light erupted around him, and Jules held a sword of white ashen wood. The broken Sound of Fury again extended to its full length and smoldered beneath contained, white flames. It spoke to him with a much deeper version of Rukia’s voice.

  I sealed your wounds.

  Interesting choice of words.

  Best I can do for now. Focus our energy on combat.

  “Our energy. Right.”

  Zeke, Maddie, Thorn, and August stood on their feet again. John was knocked out, likely from Rukia. August stayed behind while the other three charged Jules.

  Try out our new speed on August.

  When his opponents were close, Jules dashed behind them all in an instant and struck down August first.

  “Easy,” Jules said. Adrenaline and speed shot his confidence high, perhaps too high. Thorn’s eyes lit up. Time for your Vessel?

  Rukia jerked the Sound up just in time. Maddie crashed into them. Their weapons shook as they tried to push the other one back.

  Pay attention, Thorn used a spell to push her forward.

  Yes, Ma’am.

  Jules increased the Sound's heat and flicked Maddie’s cutlass away. He struck her in the head with the butt of his hilt. Maddie staggered back a step, and Jules slashed at her stomach. Maddie had no time to raise her sword, and Jules’ strike connected.

  Thorn was upon him—before him.

  Jules' pupils expanded out to the edges of his irises. The point of Thorn’s sword was almost invisible, it was so perfectly straight, like a piece of paper held up just right. The blade accelerated at Jules' face. The Sound fueled Jules, and he grabbed Thorn's blade with a bare hand, inches from his eye. He squeezed until the metal deformed and twisted it out of the old man’s grip. Jules swung the Sound, bent Thorn in half, and launched that geezer into the air.

  Thorn rolled a few times on the ground and stopped, knocked out.

  So this is your power, Rukia…

  No. This is our power. Look, Jules. I smell fear.

  Sweat poured down Zeke’s brow. No, not fear. He looks…reluctant.

  

  TRUST ME, JULES. YOU DO NOT WANT TO DISCOVER WHY HE HESITATES.

  A sliver of the full moon peeked out behind the clouds.

  Jules, kill him now!

  With a mind of its own, the Sound pulled Jules toward Zeke—

  Jules collapsed forward to the ground. Pain erupted across his back. He rolled over and saw the second shower rain down on him—of arrows and magic projectiles. Jules raised up the Sound and emitted a heat wave that melted anything that could have fallen remotely near him.

  

  [?48,400 // ?174,501]

  “Damn military. I forgot Whiskers is in the Shrine.” Jules ripped out arrows from his back, from wounds that wouldn't heal.

  Jones' Pirates ascended the steps to the Fountain. They were chased by Soldiers from two different sides. Jules deflected whatever weaponry flew his way. All three Factions—the Hydromages, the Navigators, and the Royal Navy—surrounded him and the Pirates—And who knows whose side they’re on.

  Chaos engulfed the Fountain. Blades sparked, arrows rushed through the air. People fell left and right.

  "Halt!"

  The voice boomed over all else, like it had near the Fountain of the Virtues in Aquilantis. Jules whipped around, to face Pastor Zeke. The fighting around him slowed to a stall, and everyone's faces, shrouded in darkness to start, illuminated under the moonlight.

  “It has come to the final hour. I hoped not to use it. I truly, honestly did…”

  Zeke gazed at all the men who surrounded him. He studied each of their faces individually for a while until he gave up and scanned what remained. His face dropped, his frown deepened, his eyebrows curled in pity.

  Rukia… Why does he look like a man sending sheep to the slaughter?

  “Alas, it is past time that I must take Communion.”

  Zeke yanked the black medallion from his neck and ripped its chain. He pressed the crude and jagged metal into his forehead until it drew blood, then he closed his eyes and looked at the moon.

  

  ? ? Black Sacrament ? ?

  Dark mist surrounded Zeke and swirled around him until it was so thick that he was lost to the naked eye. The full moon's light faded away, and the mist grew darker, until the night could have been a new moon.

  

  SO, JULES… HOW ABOUT THAT DEAL?

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