Skyrun

Chapter 37; In which the pirates obtain bloody knuckles.

With a crack that sounded as though it might have been a steam-powered pistol firing off, the metal faced man's head snapped back with a strong enough force to make him stagger back a pace.

And well... it was all rather downhill from there.

With motions quick as a viper's the man's crew sprang from their seats and slowly advanced upon Valentine, no doubt annoyed at the fact that she seemed amused by the entire ordeal, Liam thought.

Nevertheless, when they sprang upon her his own companions jumped to action; meaning mostly that Tophsy swore under her breath and took on the pirate closest to her, while Coin simply muttered, "Bloody heck, not again." and decked the opponent closest to him.

Liam in the meanwhile, seeing very quickly that chaos was beginning to roil about him, quickly sought out an enemy nearest in size to him-- a woman of roughly Valentine's age-- and quickly drew his sword.

Much to her credit, however, the woman did not flinch as he let out a war cry and drove his blade at her. Rather, she simply knocked his blade aside with her own and returned the attack with a thrusting stroke, catching Liam squarely on the chest.

Hissing in pain and feeling as though he would be happy if he never had to fight ever again in his life, he ignored the warm trickle of blood steadily flowing down his skin, soaking the front of his shirt.

Lunging forward once more, he was again blocked and thrust at, this time receiving a shallow cut just below his collar bone.

"By Threndas' woolly knickers!" he swore, a prick of annoyance spiking within him as his opponent smirked.

"You're from the Citadel, then?" she said, dipping forward in one smooth motion to slash a cut at his face. "I've only ever heard people in the Citadel swear like that."

Parrying the attack, Liam frowned slightly, "My cousin taught me how to swear."

"My mother taught me." Sidestepping another one of his blows, the woman hooked her blade under the guard on Liam's sword and in a motion faster than he would have liked, ripped the weapon from his grasp, flinging it across the room to where the thick of the fighting was.

Blinking in astonishment for a moment, Liam muttered, "Blimey. Did your mother teach you how to fight with a sword and all?"

"As a matter of fact, she did." Leveling her sword at his throat and pressing the point of her blade into the soft flesh there, the pirate assessed him once more, her dark eyes flashing. 

"A shame, really," she purred, "You're almost too pretty to kill... and yet your head will look spectacular on my wall."

Feeling his knees begin to buckle, Liam swallowed roughly, feeling the cold prick of steel brush against his skin as he awaited death.

Well. He supposed there were worse ways to go.

He had heard death via a giant, mechanical sky-dragon was quite awful.

Yet just as he watched the pirate woman level her blade for the killing blow, a sword suddenly sprouted from her chest with a horrid, wet thud, and she peered down in shock,

Without waiting for another chance, Liam sprang forward and planted his foot on her body, sending her sprawling backward to the floor where she lay, unmoving.

Behind her, a bloody blade in hand, stood Tophsy, her chest heaving, her dark cheeks looking as though they were speckled with blood.

"Right then, will you be needing any more saving or can I get back to helping the captain?" she said.