Capítulo 12
Körper Picke
The redhead still held his short sword, but the blade trembled from the rigid tension in his arm. He panted without pause. The air hit his lungs in ragged, harsh gulps, his shoulders heaving as if something inside his chest was broken and wouldn't seal shut.
Water kept pouring through the breach in the hull. Each new wave forced more seawater through the gash.
The wind carried droplets of rain and salt spray that hammered the floor, sending ripples across the expanding liquid surfaces. The water spread further with each influx, submerging the deck under a single, thin, shifting layer.
The water and wind bit into the redhead's skin with a cold that sank deep into the bone.
A peal of thunder boomed outside, and the vibration shuddered through the metal plates beneath his feet.
Broken machinery vented hot steam in irregular, hissing bursts. The clash between that heat and the frigid current scorched his lungs with every attempted breath.
The floor vibrated with each impact of the sea against the hull. The steam kept swelling. The water kept rising.
The redhead coughed, barely leaning over, never releasing his sword. He clenched his jaw and dragged in another rough mouthful of air.
Blood streamed down his forehead in a thick rivulet. It crossed his eyebrow, then his eye, a searing pain that forced him to squint, finally tracing a red path down his cheek to drip from his chin.
His vision was split in two. On one side, the world just wavered. On the other, he saw everything stained red.
A sharp, wrenching pull seized the right side of his abdomen. The bruise, a sickening purple mottled with blue, sent a spike of agony through him, twisting his torso. The pain forced him to lean on the sword as if it were a crutch.
He closed his eyes for a moment. Just that. A second of complete darkness to let his chest fall and rise again without the immediate fear of collapse.
Another second to drag clean air from wherever a trace of it remained…
…And one more to remember why he was still on his feet.
Then, within that darkness… a point of light opened… and after opening, it expanded before him, a comforting warmth, a memorable breeze embracing him.
There was no more steam.
No more blood.
No metallic shrieking of the ship…only, and the only thing that existed… Before him stretched a golden field.
It wasn't wheat, nor sand… but tall flowers, bathed in a sun that made everything shine as if the whole world were liquid gold.
A girl with blonde hair ran there, her laughter cutting through the wind with a purity that made his chest ache. The breeze tossed her white dress as she leaped between the flowers, disappearing and reappearing, like a dancing sunbeam.
He—the redheaded man—stood in the middle of that field. Watching without moving, feeling the sun's warmth embrace him after so much cold and pain.
Suddenly, from behind him, another child appeared, running to catch the blonde girl. His expression was pure joy, as if play was the only thing that mattered.
And behind them both, a young couple walked at a relaxed pace, with the calm of those who fear no future. Their soft laughter mingled with the children's, like a single, harmonious echo.
The redhead felt a pull in his chest. As if he had seen it all before, but at the same time… as if it were slipping through his fingers.
Then, from the left side of his vision, a silhouette emerged.
A woman with hair as blonde and bright as the sun reflected on water.She turned slowly, her face illuminated by that golden light.
Her lips parted, and her voice was clear, firm, like an echo resonating from the deepest part of his being: —Körper Picke.
The woman's hand reached out to him, warm, open, waiting.
The redhead felt his heart explode with that name.
Hisname.
In that instant, his eyes snapped open.
The golden vision vanished like a blink. The field dissipated, the laughter disappeared, and the warmth transformed back into cold, steam, and blood.
The redhead clenched the hilt of his sword with fury.
—…Yes. —he murmured with a voice that was half sigh, half roar—. That's me.
The golden field was left behind. Now, only the enemy remained before him.
He drew a breath.
Clenched his teeth.
And released it slowly between them,a hiss that seemed to tear the very air.
Practically at the same time, a reddish aura began to emanate from his body. It wasn't clean, it wasn't elegant; it was uniform and chaotic, like fire burning in a jar about to shatter.
The steam twisted around him, pushed aside, as if that energy sought space to expand.
The dull yellow of his eyes changed. First a barely perceptible flash… until they became two yellow orbs, bright, like suns in the gloom.
He didn't move from his spot.
But beneath his feet,the water began to tremble.
It wasn't the surge of the sea coming in, nor the drip from the storm.
The origin was him.
Every ripple in the water vibrated as if obeying his pulse, concentric waves expanding from his boots to slam violently against the metal walls of the room.
A memory emerged with that tremor.
Not of the golden field.Not of the blonde woman.
It was another.
But just as fast and just as significant.
***
A familiar face appeared before him. A young man, perhaps in his twenties, with bright green eyes.
The young man raised his right hand in a broad, direct greeting, as if he'd found him after years.
—Körper Picke!—his voice boomed like a friendly cannon—. Long time!
The redhead couldn't help it. A smile broke out on his face unbidden.
The two of them were walking through a large hall lit by tall lamps that vibrated with the ship's motion. Around them, young soldiers occupied long tables. Some ate leisurely, others clinked glasses between bouts of disorderly laughter.
The murmur was constant, a mix of voices, footsteps, and the clatter of cutlery, all wrapped in the euphoria of a journey beginning.
They advanced between the tables, both holding glasses of grey glass. The liquor inside, fizzy and alive.
The redhead brought his half-drunk glass to his lips, tilting it slightly, feeling the foam brush his skin. The other man gave his glass a soft clink, more a gesture of complicity than a toast.
—Haven't seen you in a while,Bairon —said the redhead, wiping the leftover foam from his lip with his thumb—. Heard from Laios you went to Front Gate to train with that adventurer you met at the academy.
Bairon looked up before answering. He gripped his glass by the stem and took a long swallow, so long the foam stuck to the corner of his mouth. He lowered the glass with a satisfied sigh.
—Yeah,that's right.
The redhead arched an eyebrow, curious.
—How was it?Did you improve with your aura and that green variant of yours?
Bairon smiled for an instant. The smile of someone trying to downplay an achievement he was actually proud to mention.
—Ah…yeah. I did. I'm second-grade in both now.
The redhead let out a short laugh.
—So you never learned to use another branch of power.
—Nah—Bairon dismissed the notion with a lazy wave of his hand—. Being able to use what I have is like having two branches already. So I'll pass on that standard.
The redhead's laugh died. He adjusted the glass in his hand, thoughtful.
—That's going to be a problem.
Bairon leaned back against the edge of a table, crossed one foot over the other, and looked at him strangely.
—Why?
—Laios's nephew used you as an example to not learn aura.He decided to focus only on improving his electrical power.
Bairon's mouth hung open for a second, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
—What?Seriously? And he still graduated without issues?
—He graduated as the eleventh marked of his generation—the redhead replied, raising his glass as if to let the fact land with its full weight.
Bairon blinked, surprised. The noise of the hall continued around them, but he took a moment to register the laughter, the steps, the clinking glasses again.
—Wow…well, it worked out for him, I guess —Bairon murmured, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand—. Still, I remember a new technique got out from Takran Academy. The one that helps elemental powers use enhancement forms similar to aura.
He laughed. An open, almost incredulous laugh that shook his shoulders.
—I saw a bunch of adventurers who'd learned aura just for the enhancement.How they twisted in regret when the news of that discovery came out.
Körper let out a short chuckle that blended with the hall's noise.
—Haha…yeah, same thing happened in the empire.
Bairon lifted his glass and took a slow sip, looking over the rim as if evaluating something he hadn't yet said.
—What about you,Körper. The papers say you're second-grade in your magic and your aura now.
Körper didn't rush to answer. He lowered his glass, set it on a nearby table, and adjusted his belt.
The action was small,almost automatic, but it betrayed a hint of pride. Then he gave a single, firm nod.
The man congratulated him then, his voice lower, almost solemn:
—Glad to see you made it.You improved with the aura… to second grade. Impressive. —He made a peace sign with his fingers.
The redhead, in that memory, had inclined his head slightly in thanks.
—Thanks.
—Tell me—Bairon asked then, a curious glint in his eyes—, how does it feel to be a second-grade water mage and a practitioner of the "North Star" style, a second-grade aura user?
Körper had smiled sideways.
—Incredible.—he replied—. Having both… I feel… it makes me almost indestructible.
Their laughter was lost among the conversations of the great hall.
***
[Back to the present, to steam and blood]
The redhead smiled at the sudden, rapid flashback.
While his aura burned chaotically, the water under his feet no longer just trembled: it obeyed.
The waves grew as if awaiting his command.
The monster watched him from amidst the wreckage, convulsed, and for the first time, retreated.
No… it crouched, bracing itself on its six limbs against the floor.
Körper gripped the sword's hilt with both hands.
His yellow eyes shone like gold.
He remembered his own voice on that dock, the laughter, the light mockery: -Having both makes me almost indestructible.
Back then, he'd said it as a simple joke.
But now…
—I said it as a joke… but now… —he exhaled through his nose, as if the pain were transforming into satisfaction.
The reddish aura expanded with a stronger pulse, shaking the room's metal walls. The ripples in the water turned violent.
—By the grace of god… and the valor his grace grants. —his voice rumbled, deeper, firmer than ever.
Who would have thought it would be so literal? he thought.
The air vibrated.
The monster shrieked, its deformed tongue lashing.
Körper took a step forward, and with that single movement, the water exploded in concentric circles and the air split with a roar.
---
---
The air vibrated.
The entire room seemed to suffocate.
And from one moment to the next, they vanished from their positions, leaving splashes in the water behind them.
Splash
Splash
Splash
They charged like unleashed beasts.
Each step beneath their feet kicked up sprays of water,the monster's far more than the man's.
But something was happening with the water. It moved, swirling into small whirlpools around the monster's apparent path.
When Körper stepped near the whirlpools, they contracted and from them shot forth arrows, stakes of water.
The monster reacted, shattering several with its two extra limbs and one arm.
But one of them struck home. It lacked the force to wound him deeply, but it had enough strength to stall him, to hinder and destabilize him for a moment.
A moment that was not wasted.
The sword cut the air with a dry hum as the red aura extended along its edge and bit into the monster's torso. The blade didn't stop: it tore through flesh.
It opened a great wound. Despite that, Körper couldn't savor the attack, as the monster's tail slammed into him.
The creature shrieked, twisting to seal the gap in its body with the mass of its own flesh.
It leaped in another charge against Körper,who, despite blocking the tail strike with his sword, was still thrown back several meters.
Then he saw it… the deformed tongue thrashed, trying to pierce his chest, but Körper caught it with his forearm. The impact tore through his flesh, blood ran down his entire arm… and still he didn't let go.
He growled through clenched teeth. He raised the sword to shoulder height.
At the same time, with his left arm, he gripped the monster as best he could, his fingers digging through its scales.
A horrible crunching sound also came from his own forearm.
Then,with the creature momentarily anchored and the sword at the correct height,
He executed a quick thrust that sank into what passed for a neck.
He twisted the sword inside the wound, wrenching out chunks of flesh by force.
The monster broke free with a spasm, gutting Körper with one blow, and following through to throw him back meters, something slammed into him.
But another water lance pierced the monster's foot. Both fell, tumbling among pipes and water.
Claws against skin.
Edge against bone.
Körper anticipated the next attack and tried to evade it with a leap, but couldn't. The pain from the purple bruise on his right side worsened.
As he struggled to rise, he watched the density of his aura diminish along with its size. He tried to stand, but the weakened aura made his knee buckle.
"So soon?" - he thought, panting.
His breathing was also worsening.
Both of them were left panting, enveloped in steam and water.
The boilers shrieked around them as if about to rupture.
Körper could barely stay on his feet.
The sword weighed like lead in his trembling hand.The aura enveloping him flickered, torn by the blood flowing from his wounds.
The monster advanced, claws digging into the metal floor, its face-tongue shaking like a thirsty whip.
Körper gritted his teeth.
His arm wouldn't respond,his body screamed for surrender…
He closed his eyes for a moment.
In that moment,the reddish aura vanished.
As the aura disappeared,Körper's limbs dropped like rags, and with them, his body collapsed to the side.
Right there,the monster pounced in a leap.
But his left hand, the one most in contact with the water… moved.
It opened as if gripping the air.The liquid flooding the floor rose slightly, forming small spikes of water.
At the moment the monster was falling upon Körper,
The spikes stretched out violently with an uncomfortable, high-pitched shriek.
Forming lances of compressed water vibrating with fury.
SHHHH!
The lances pierced the monster's torso,puncturing its flesh like giant needles. The creature thrashed with a metallic shriek, parts of its body tearing apart in bloody explosions.
But it didn't fall. It remained impaled.
It leaned forward,pushing against the projectiles, advancing through them like a bull speared by lances but one that doesn't know the word "death."
Körper swallowed, gasping.
He raised his hand again.
The water swirled,spinning into a spiral. It formed a small, tightly-wound vortex that he launched directly at the face-tongue.
BOOOM!
The impact raised a cloud of boiling steam,the creature shrieked… but from the vapor emerged a claw that seized him by the throat.
Körper barely had time to react.
It lifted him from the floor,the grip making his body creak, and slammed him against a metal wall. The blow forced blood to gush from his mouth in a torrent.
His vision darkened. His yellow eyes burned, but the rest of his body was shutting down.
With a thread of a voice,he tried to conjure another current, a shield of water that interposed itself between him and the claws.
The monster pierced it anyway,shredding the liquid barrier as if it were mist.
Körper couldn't scream, the sound choked in his throat.
He formed another lance,the last one, and drove it point-blank into the monster's abdomen.
The water hissed,piercing with a high-pressure jet that blasted away chunks of flesh and scale.
The monster recoiled for an instant.
Just long enough for Körper to regain the ability to breathe,his arm hanging dead at his side.
The water still answered his will… but each conjuring was weaker, slower.
His magic wasn't abandoning him.
It was his body that could no longer sustain it.
The monster circled him, panting, the face-tongue dripping blood and saliva centimeters from his face.
Körper could barely lift his head.
The water beneath his boots vibrated less and less.
And for the first time…the creature dominated him completely.