121 The Boy from the Li Clan (1/2)

Li Qiuyu, the white-haired guard of Mistress Francesca Couture, tightly gripped his shoulder. His entire existence was reduced to agony, the pain spasming throughout his entire right side. The only other sensation besides the pure agony was the warmth of his blood spilling onto the floor.

Who were these people? How could they shrug off deadly and life-threatening injuries so easily?

The dark-skinned man, Hammer, bellowed and raised his weapon up. Qiuyu watched his incoming death with open eyes.

A sword clattered along the floor. The person the thugs referred to as Captain had kicked Qiuyu's sword to within arm's reach...

He didn't have the spare time to think about it.

Seizing it quickly with his good hand, Qiuyu rolled forward, narrowly dodging the heavy impact of Hammer's swing. He grounded his feet. He twisted his body and swung his sword upward. The thin blade cut through the flesh of the man's biceps, stopping at the bones.

The tendons in the dark-skinned man's arms were severed. Qiuyu pulled the sword out as quickly as he struck, spilling blood all around.

”It's me,” he whispered in a small voice.

Ignoring Hammer's pain-filled screams, Qiuyu staggered upright, wincing in pain. He took a red cloth tied around his sword and tied it tightly around his shoulder wound.

Qiuyu wiped the blood off of his face, eyes full of confidence, ”I am Li Qiuyu.”

He slashed the blood off of his blade, painting the floor red, ”I serve the mistress of my own volition...”

He held his blade out with his off-hand in a defensive stance, ”I don't need a savior.”

”It's like a rainbow!” Rico exclaimed.

Qiuyu turned behind him, witnessing the cheerful brunette running in a circle around the bleeding Hammer. An arc of blood spurted majestically from Hammer's arm, slicking the floor... Qiuyu thought he was fast, but the girl was on a different level.

Thnk. Hammer finally fell without grace, smashing his nose and chin against the adjacent wall, his rear pointed at the ceiling. Without her fountain of blood, Rico lost interest. She casually picked up the heavy, long-handled metal hammer with her fingers and transitioned to poking the dying man's face.

The slightly taller boy, the Captain, shook his head shamefully, ”Hammer, you literally could not have disappointed me any more than you have.”

”Can I have his share of rations?” Rico cunningly inquired.

The Captain continued, ignoring her, ”I'm not looking to save anyone, Little Yu. But your Li family is a branch family of my Lang family... And I'm just trying to take care of my own.”

Captain Lang motioned to his crew, ”This is it. The hated. The downtrodden. The oppressed and the lacking. I've gathered them together to fight against the sea, against the cold steel of men... Against the monsters residing within ourselves.”

Qiuyu narrowed his eyes. The monsters? Finally, Li Qiuyu sheathed his sword. He was willing to listen.

The dark-blue haired Captain closed his eyes and crossed his arms. A smirk crossed his face, a look of utter arrogance, ”We're cursed, Little Yu. The man on the floor behind you? He won't die from just that.”

The Captain opened his eyes, revealing inhuman black sclera, ”We're monsters, cursed to transform into great and terrible scaled creatures from the abyssal depths.”

A chill ran Qiuyu's spine. He loosed a cursed whisper, ”Sea Wolf Hidden Sect...”

Lang shrugged, breathing a deep, defeated sigh, ”We're just as cursed as you, Little Yu. We heard you're enslaved by a crotchety old hag with... unhealthy tastes.”

He flicked the metal slave collar with his fingers, causing a dull *ting* noise. Qiuyu frowned but resisted the urge to cut the man's arm off. The similarities in Lang's face and his made him uneasy.

”Olesya is dead,” Qiuyu muttered.