"CANNONS!!!" a thunderous voice bellowed across the deck, echoing through the timbers of the ship and rousing every soul aboard.
"ALL HANDS ON DECK! LOAD THE BLEEDIN' CANNONS!" came the next command, barked with urgency.
Syrena jerked her gaze upward just in time to see Captain Sawyer storm onto the deck, spyglass in hand, wild eyes scanning the horizon. He snapped the glass shut with a grim smile.
"They're closin' fast... Four ships. Flyin' the cursed colors o' the Aeros clan..." he growled, voice like gravel.
Syrena's heart hammered. "Four ships?! You can't mean to face 'em head on?" she cried, half expecting the mad crew to turn tail and flee.
Sawyer threw his head back with a bark of laughter. "Flee?! Ha! Is that why they call me the Mad Captain, lass?!"
"NO, CAPTAIN!" the crew roared in unison, several of them casting amused glances at Syrena's wide eyes.
"Looks like I'm gonna die..." she muttered under her breath.
Sawyer overheard, grinning fiercely. "Aye, mayhap we all die this day—but we do it with blades in our hands an' fire in our bellies! We don't run, girl!" He fully expected her to break into tears, but instead—Syrena met his gaze and nodded.
"Where do I go? How can I fight?" she asked firmly. "I can handle a blade."
One of the sailors nearby let out a bark of laughter, but Sawyer merely arched a brow. With a sharp wave of his hand, he shouted, "You heard 'er! Give the lass a blade!"
A cutlass flew through the air, which Syrena caught deftly.
"Stay close t' me," Sawyer ordered, steel flashing in his grip as he readied for battle.
The first barrage came swift—BOOM! The cannons roared to life. Smoke billowed, the ship shuddered as cannonballs struck its hull. Wood splintered.
A line of grappling ropes whistled through the air, latching onto the enemy vessels.
"Board 'em! To the decks, ya dogs!" Sawyer shouted, and with a wild cackle, he swung across on a rope, blade drawn.
Syrena sucked in a sharp breath, muttered a quick prayer to the sea gods, and followed, soaring through the smoke-filled sky to the enemy's deck.
The moment her boots struck wood, chaos erupted. The decks swarmed with snarling pirates—Aeros clan men, faces twisted with bloodlust.
Sawyer waded into the fray like a storm given flesh. His cutlass danced—swift, brutal, unstoppable. In moments, the deck was slick with blood, his laughter ringing through the screams.
Syrena froze, staring in awe—a madman... no, an artist, she thought grimly. An artist in a canvas of red.
Her reverie shattered as a blade came slashing at her. Instinct took over—CLANG! Steel met steel. She parried, struck back, moving with all the grace and grit she could muster.
A corpse dropped at her feet, blood pooling. No time to think. Another attacker lunged—she was fighting for her life now, blade to blade, heart pounding like a war drum.
Steel clanged and rang out in every direction—pirates roared, blades flashed, blood splattered the deck. Syrena gritted her teeth as she fought, parrying blow after blow. Her arms burned, lungs heaved—this was no training match. This was life or death.
Through the chaos, her gaze snapped toward Captain Sawyer.
He was deep in the heart of the fight now, surrounded—half a dozen Aeros cutthroats closing in, blades slashing, trying to wear him down. For all his mad skill, even Sawyer's strikes were slowing. Blood streaked his side, and his laughter had turned to harsh, ragged breaths.
"Cap'n...!" Syrena gasped, heart hammering. She had to reach him. But there was no way through the snarling mob of enemies between them.
Her eyes darted to the ship's edge. The sea churned below, cold and dark. Without another thought, she ran, ducked under a swinging blade—and leapt overboard.
SPLASH! The cold bit into her like knives.
Sawyer, locked in deadly combat, didn't notice. A blade nicked his arm, another sliced his shoulder. He stumbled, teeth bared in a snarl as the pirates closed in.
And then—
"RAAAHHH!!"
A fierce cry rang out from behind. From the shadows of the enemy ship's hull, Syrena hauled herself up—drenched and dripping—using the thick anchor ropes. How she'd managed to climb the sheer sides of the massive ship, none could say.
Steel in hand, she charged into the fray from behind. Slash! Stab! A pirate went down with a scream. Another turned too slow—her blade found his gut.
"The girl?!" one of the Aeros shouted, too late. Syrena was a whirlwind now, her fear burned away, fighting with a ferocity born of desperation.
Sawyer blinked in stunned disbelief, barely ducking a blade as Syrena's sword swung past him, cutting down another foe.
"How in the blazes—?!" he started.
"Later, Captain! FIGHT!" she barked back, eyes flashing.
With renewed fire, Sawyer let out a wild laugh and rallied. Together, the two of them tore through the remaining foes—cutting, dodging, striking in tandem.
The tide turned. The Aeros pirates faltered, seeing their numbers dwindling. One after another, they began to fall back, dragging wounded comrades with them.
Sawyer planted his boot on a fallen foe, raising his bloodied blade high. "Victory, ye cowards! Run back to yer holes!"
The enemy ships began pulling away, their decks in chaos. Tattered sails caught the wind as they retreated into the gray horizon.
Breathless, soaked, blade in hand, Syrena looked to Sawyer. He grinned through blood and sweat, giving her a nod of fierce approval.
"A fine fight, girl. A fine fight indeed... remind me not t' underestimate ye again."
She managed a tired smirk. "Told you I could fight."
The crew cheered as the pirates swung back to their own ship, victorious. Sails unfurled, and they made haste to put distance between them and the battered enemy fleet.
"Back to our own decks! Let's away, before the winds shift!" Sawyer shouted.
The sea still churned, the ship creaked and groaned beneath them—but for now, the Mad Captain and his fierce crew had won the day.