Eila leapt to the side as the pirate flung a card at her. The [Whirling Gust] exploded on the floor, sending her flying to the side. She landed against an old man laying limp, eyes staring lifelessly at the ceiling.

She scrambled to her feet and plunged into the fray, trying to avoid the pirate. The dining room was a fractured, screaming mess of hostages and pirates and Summons and cards. She caught glimpses of familiar faces fighting desperately: Mashi with two other women dragging an unconscious man to safety, Forgemaster Gerund holding back the arms of a snarling pirate as a couple attacked him, Junner clutching Amanthi’s limp body and crying.

A hand gripped on the shoulder and roughly spun her about. The pirate planted a boot on her chest and raised her arm, card in hand.

A figure tackled into her, sending her flying. Rivingtol. He helped Eila up, bleeding profusely from his left arm. He nodded to her and shouted for some other people to come help him as he charged at the pirate.

Eila gripped her item tight and charged forward, helping a group of teenagers cowering as a [Sky Harpy] screeched at them. She grabbed its taloned foot and pulled it down; the beast squawked and fell, and she stabbed it with the [Devilfish Spine]. It shrieked then flapped its wings hard, creating a gust of wind that had her tumbling backwards. She came to a halt against another prone body, a pirate this time, and stood.

Her eyes saw him then. First Mate Boll gleefully launching card after card at the hostages rallying against him.

She ran.

—🃁—

Tristan pulled his last cast of [Shadow Step] and threw it forward, right at the three pirates. Their eyes showed surprise as he formed in front of the pirate with the exposed head; thankfully, as he was in the middle of combat, he was unable to equip a new one.

Tristan grabbed him by the shirt, then casted his second charge of [Shadow Step] through the gap in the crystals. He pulled the pirate with him, who let out a yelp, and they reformed on the other side beside Funguy. The Summon had managed to impale the [Sky Harpy] and end it, though ithe harpy had taken out Polter before it died. Tristan nodded to the monster, and the Lancer stomped on the exposed pirate’s head, ending him.

Go around the side, Tristan commanded Funguy, who still had a little over a minute left on his duration. As he went the other way, Tristan used his last [Sinking Sands] underneath the two pirates’ feet; Trap cards laid directly under a person activated after five seconds, which made them easily avoidable if thrown that way.

Tristan didn’t care; he just needed them to move.

The pirates did. They scrambled forward, seeing Funguy to their left and Tristan to their right. He rounded the corner and cast [Predator’s Mark] at the pirate closest to him, tagging her on the head, while Funguy lunged at the other pirate.

Funguy’s pirate cast [Wind Shield], which blocked the monster’s lance. Tristan’s pirate panicked and flung an easily dodgeable Attack at him. He ducked underneath the [Whirling Gust] and cast [Predator’s Mark] at the shielded pirate on the head.

An [Aerolance] tore through Funguy, making him dissipate. Both pirates turned to him, and he curve-cast [Nightmare Cleave] at the woman, who [Air Dashed]

at an angle away in a blur of wind.

The curve, however, meant the shielded pirate behind her was still in the line of Attack. The Attack struck the surprised pirate on the head, breaking the rest of his shield, popping the Mark and shattering his helmet.

You have been afflicted with 1x. stack of [Gravity]. 5/5 procs remaining.

Air energy clung to his cards with a symbol of an anvil. A Perk activating from breaking the shield—he couldn’t remember which one at the moment.

He cast [Bleeding Hamstring] at the exposed pirate, but [Gravity] made the card angle down to the ground. The Attack dented the floor in front of the man as he scrambled to the side back to his pirate.

Tristan cast [Bleeding Hamstring] higher up at him, and the female pirate pushed the man out of the way, saving his life.

The female pirate cast a shield on herself. To her side, the other pirate tried to do the same, but Tristan stopped him with a [Dark Kunai] flung high again. He turned to the other pirate as she cast a [Whirling Gust] on him. It collided, and he tumbled backwards, his torso flashing red.

You have been afflicted with 1x. stack of [Bleed].

White energy arced across his deck. Now, whenever he cast a card, it would deal damage to him.

He leapt to his feet and used his last cast of [Wolf’s Grace], and cast another [Dark Kunai] high at the exposed pirate, causing minor damage to his equipment.

The Attack fell to the ground before it hit. Unfortunately, this [Gravity] debuff was more troublesome than he’d expected; the cards seemed to plummet straight to the ground once it hit a certain distance, making it hard to simply adjust by casting higher.

The man hissed and went on the offensive, launching an [Aerolance]. Tristan made to roll out of the way, but the Attack landed, shattering his top and sending him backwards.

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Tristan got his feet, snarling. He was pissed now. This was taking too long. He rolled out of the way as the woman cast a [Slicing Wind] at him; he smoothly got to his feet and used his last cast of [Devourer’s Shriek] between the two pirates. They split, going to either side.

The woman landed on the still active [Sinking Sands], clearly having forgotten it was still active.

With a cry, she sank down to her knees; he threw [Dark Kunai]

at the male pirate, disrupting his Attack, but [Bleed] arced thin lines across his exposed top.

[Gravity] has expired.

The anvil symbol disappeared from his cards. He cast the now normal [Bleeding Hamstring] at the female pirate’s head, the Attack and the still-lingering [Predator’s Mark] breaking her helmet. A quick follow-up with another [Dark Kunai] ended her.

Leaving only one.

The male pirate shook. “Look, man,” he said, raising his hands, “I’m—”

Tristan cast [Nightmare Cleave], slicing his head clean off.

You have defeated 4x. Adept | High cardbearers.

You have acquired 48x. [Adept Perkshards].

Breathing heavily, Tristan went around and scooped up their [Binders]. He absorbed them, then flipped through and replaced all his equipment with fresh ones.

He walked around the crystals and stopped at the two in the end. These were the [Lockdown Crystals], judging by the Order energy flowing through them

He pulled a card from his deck and cast.

—🃁—

Eila wove between the struggling bodies, her eyes on her target. Boll’s beady eyes were wide with bloodlust; the man seemed to be genuinely enjoying this, as if he was a mad dog that had finally broken his leash. His tall, hulking stature made him easy to pick out amongst the carnage as he grabbed a struggling older man with and cast an Attack right at his head.

With their overwhelming numbers, the hostages were winning. There were only three pirates left now, including Boll—but the price paid was steep. Eila couldn’t take a single step without stepping on someone.

All of that left her mind as she drew closer to Boll. The pirate roared at the gathered hostages to come at him, his mouth spread in a crazed grin.

The hostages shouted and rushed forward. On the other side, closer to the buffet, the remaining two pirates were swarmed. Scattered about her were the injured, the fallen, the broken.

Eila sped up. She slipped on blood, scrambled, and straightened. She couldn’t let anybody else take his [Binder]. It had to be her; she wouldn’t let anyone else have Aidas’s cards.

Bodies were flung back as Boll cast a card. People slammed into the window with a sickening crunch. The man laughed as two men grabbed his arms; he swung them around like ragdolls, sending them flying, and ripped another card from his deck.

Eila sprinted forward and jumped, grabbing Boll’s arm and weighing it down. The man grunted in surprise as his card—an [Air Blast]--cast at the ground.

Eila and Boll went flying from the force of the Attack. She flew and landed painfully on her side, gasping as something cracked within her. Her [Air Source] flew out of her hand. She scrambled towards it, tears of pain in her eyes. A little away from her, Boll growled and got to his feet.

“You,” he snarled at Eila, stomping towards her. “You did this. You’re the bitch who wanted to parlay. This was all your doing.” He swept his hand around at the bloody massacre. “It was you,” he whispered. “You killed all these people. Not me.”

Eila ignored him. She dragged herself through blood and gore, the [Item Card] just a bit away from her. She saw a few more hostages, Rivingtol at their head, running towards them. Boll threw a card at them, and they were forced to scatter.

Just… a little… more… She reached out and grabbed the [Air Source].

Boll’s foot stomped on her back. More shatters, more screams. Was that her voice?

“No cards,” Boll breathed. He stepped on her wrist, breaking it, and she let go of the [Air Source] with a scream. He grabbed her and flipped her over on her back. “I want this to last.”

He raised a fist.

Aidas, she thought, darkness swallowing her vision. I’m sorry.

Suddenly, a feeling washed over her. A feeling of freedom, as if she’d been holding her breath this whole time.

Eila summoned her deck. Boll blinked in surprise as Eila thrust her hand through [Water Bolt]; the card cast as it pulled away from her deck, striking the pirate in the head. The weak Novice Attack barely registered against his helmet, but it was enough for him to stumble back, in shock.

Eila reached out, grabbed the [Air Source] and converted it. She forced thoughts of storms and maelstroms into the struggling energy and slammed it into Boll’s chest

The source exploded, sending the pirate soaring backwards. He landed with a grunt but quickly recovered and pulled a card, growling.

A bolt of lightning struck him on the side, sending him flying away. A storm of cards cast onto Eila; heals rushed through her, setting her body right, on top of buffs and shields.

Gasping, the pain fleeing from the waves of Support cards cast on her, she stood up and saw the remaining hostages—such a few amount!—standing with their decks out.

She smiled, though she felt no joy, and turned to Boll. He was desperately defending himself from the Attacks of the passengers.

Multi-colored light swirled around her deck. She walked over to the Boll as the man’s equipment shattered, leaving him defenceless. A [Lightlance] tore into his torso, dropping him onto the ground.

She stood over the dying man. She saw fear in his eyes; he saw no pity in hers.

Eila pulled [Water Bolt] and drilled it into his exposed chest. The buffs the others cast on her empowered the Attack, and it went straight through his heart and into the floor on the other side.

You have defeated 1x. Adept | High cardbearer.

You are unable to acquire [Perkshards] as you are too low rank.

That’s going to change soon, Eila thought to herself as she bent down and grabbed Boll’s [Binder]. She was tired of feeling weak. She’d neglected the cardbearer side of her for too long.

Eila absorbed Boll’s cards, then summoned her [Binder]. She was shaking profusely now, but she had to do it. She turned to the [Absorbed Cards] tab and searched for her name. She found it and pulled every card there into her general tabs.

She bent her head. Aidas was back.

The doors to the dining room slammed open. More pirates swarmed through followed by a figure in the back.

Captain Dennier had returned.