Chapter 44. Death's Retaliation
Just as the Narwhale was close to being overrun by the Papyrians, a ear-piercing screech echoed from the distance as the paper silhouettes halt in their tracks.
Charles focused his gaze and looked into the distance. Audric had already transformed into a gigantic bat and hovered in the expanse above the wooden ship. The waxen sails shook fiercely under the bat's sonic assault and the entire wooden ship trembled.
Seeing that the tides had turned, Charles couldn't endure any longer. His strength faded from him as he slid down against the ship's hull and fell to the ground.
The captain's abnormality instantly caught the attention of his crew. They gathered with tense expressions on their faces.
"Cap-captain! Who did this?" Second Mate Conor stared at the protruding blade on Charles' chest. His face was filled with panic.
"Never mind me...Quick. Get rid of those paper..." Charles spoke in fading whispers as the world around him seemed to grow increasingly darker.
Conor nodded vigorously and hurried off. He led the sailors to charge at their disoriented enemies.
Charles' vision was blacking out, and the sounds around him became muffled noises.
As the torches were lit across the deck, a sudden thought emerged in Charles' mind. Am I going to die?
Suddenly, he felt as if his world was getting brighter and brighter. The pain he felt was also slowly fading away. In the face of his impending death, Charles realized he was more calm than he'd imagined himself to be. Ah, I'm finally dying...I wonder if I will be able to return back to my old body..."
The First Mate who was nowhere to be seen just now pushed through the people surrounding Charles to reach him. He was dragging two figures with him. One of them was a novice sailor with a gash on his neck, and the other was Dipp, who had been shot. Both injuries weren't lethal. The cut on the novice missed his vital arteries, while Charles had avoided aiming at any vital organs when he shot Dipp. Hence, they were both still alive.
Charles could vaguely make out the two men to be saying something to Bandages with evident fear. However, he couldn't hear a word they were saying.
Bandages set the two men down side by side on the deck. He threw a profound look at Charles before taking the black knife from the latter's hand.
Charles wanted to ask Bandages what he was planning to do but his bloodless lip merely trembled and couldn't move to mouth any words.
With the blade, Bandages swiftly drew a trident blood array on the wooden deck. In the spaces of the array, he inscribed twisted glyphs.
A moment later, he turned around, and the sharp blade pierced the chest of the novice sailor. Disbelief and shock filled the eyes of Charles and the crew surrounding them.
Bandages then dragged the sailor's corpse to the center of the array before he raised the dagger up once more. This time, his target was Dipp.
Swoosh.
A ship nail landed on Bandages' hand that was wielding the blade.
Noticing Charles' eyes burning with fury, Bandages silently put the blade down. He then crouched over the deck and muttered incantations under his breath.
As Bandages chanted, the blood of the sailor seeped into the array etched on the deck.
A transparent tentacle made from seawater extended from over the ship' hull. Bandages’ chanting grew louder.
The tentacle briefly tapped on the sailor in the middle of the array. The body, with its eyes wide open, slid through the liquid tentacle and out into the sea.
Dyed red from the blood, the appendage then swiftly turned toward Charles beside. It manifested into a pool of bloody water and splashed over Charles.
The sudden drenching had Charles letting out a gut-wrenching scream when he had barely been holding onto life just a moment before.
Wisps of white smoke emitted from his body as he writhed and contorted like a snake. The knife lodged in his back was rapidly expelled and the wound began to heal.
At this moment, Charles felt as though thousands of knives were stabbing into him. He felt like he was going to faint from the excruciating pain.
A couple of seconds later, Charles looked as though he was never injured as he lay in the pool of seawater.
Bandages approached him calmly and helped the drenched Charles to his feet. "Captain...We only paid half the sacrifice...Your wounds are not completely healed."
Gasping for breath, Charles looked at Bandages with complex emotions. He didn't utter a single world and turned his attention back toward the ongoing battle in the distance.
By now, the sonic screech had already faded. What remained was Audric flying in mid-air while being assaulted by a horde of inky paper-thin figures. His body was already battered with wounds.
Charles dashed toward the deck cannons and took aim at the wooden ship. He fired without hesitation. However, due to the distance between them, his shots consecutively missed the target.
Charles turned toward his crew, "Bandages, man the helm! James, overload the turbines! Everyone else, take your weapons! We have to get it!"
Everyone sprang into action and the bustling atmosphere returned to the Narwhale.
Charles's dark hair fluttered with the wind. Behind the mask, he had an icy expression as his gaze burned with visible hatred.
Seeing the Narwhale closing the distance between them, the wooden ship wanted to escape. However, it was at a disadvantage when it came to speed. The gap between both ships rapidly narrowed.
Under Charles' control, the deck turrets were tilted once more as projectiles rained down around the wooden ship. Geysers of water shot up into the air when the cannon balls missed their target.
Crack!
The mast of the wooden ship was hit and it collapsed onto the deck with its sail. The speed of the wooden ship deteriorated even further.
"Don't slow down! Ram into them!" Charles' roar of fury echoed from the deck.
The Narwhale's speed increased by another notch. Under everyone's gazes, the ship's prow plunged into the hull of the wooden ship like a lance.
With no regard for the silhouettes on the wooden ship, Charles turned the cannon to fire away at its deck. The deafening sound of cannon fire filled the air and projectiles rained on the ship, riddling the ship's body with holes while bloody tissues exploded and splattered everywhere.
Charles was certain that he just needed a few more hits to sink the ship. However, he restrained himself. He had to find out who was behind this ship.
"Jump aboard!" Leading his crew, Charles leaped onto the opposite deck.
Making their way across the hole-riddled deck, Charles and his crew arrived at the cabin entrance.
The moment they descended the stairs, a cold glint sliced toward Charles' face. With a swift duck and movements, he used the black blade in his hand to swiftly cleave the Papyrian into shreds.
But this was only just the beginning. An incessant swarm of the black paper-thin figures surged toward them. They were like mad dogs, attacking with frenzied fervor.
"These things seemed to be controlled by someone. Hold them back! Let me pass through and get rid of their puppeteer!"
Charles shouted and dashed toward the Papyrians. Like a slippery eel, he rapidly slid through the paper crowd while evading their attacks.
Seemingly desperate, the Papyrians swarmed toward Charles, trying to stop him from moving forward. Charles was like a small boat in the middle of the vast turbulent ocean, on the edge of capsizing but never did. As the number of enemies increased, his human agility was pushed to its limits but was even more effective. Due to the number of Papyrians in the small area, they often end up striking at their own kind the moment they swung their weapons.
After a couple of seconds, the area before him cleared. In the dimly lit cabin, a human donned in a black captain's uniform was chanting to himself. Four azure candles flickered next to him.
The moment the man saw Charles with his mask, a look of fear appeared on his face. He swiftly blew out the candles and darkness consumed the cabin. He then tried to follow along the cabin's edge to run toward the nearby window.
Unfortunately, his tricks were futile before Charles, who possessed night vision when he wore the Clown Mask. He raised his revolver and pulled the trigger.
Blood splattered from the man's limbs. Before he could even react, Charles' blade was already pressed against his throat.
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