Grapples and Gore

The grapples landed, found purchase, and the disabled smaller ship was pulled tight to the side of the Aluvian Fury by the combined efforts of sailors and marines.

Neither ship fired their cannons. The Fury refrained because Vel had ordered it, and the pirates must have realized that it was in their best interests not to provoke a return volley with one of their own, as they were pathetically outgunned.

Even before the gap was fully closed, Vel leapt, soaring between the two ships in a graceful arc that would have made his uncle tear up with pride.

His armored boots crashed onto the deck, quickly followed by those of Dina and then Fal. By the time the other marines followed the deck was slick with blood and guts and the cloying scent of charred flesh mixed with the stench of offal.

The trio had cut into the pirates like a knife, quickly becoming surrounded. They now fought back-to-back-to-back. The marines slammed into the pirates between them and their revered lord, **** to come to his aid. Not that it was all that necessary.

In that brutal melee, Vel suddenly spotted her. She came at him snarling, pure rage twisting her beautiful features into a savage scowl. The reports and drawings had not done her justice. Catalia was gorgeous, even while overcome by anger.

Her dark-brown hair was hacked short, likely with a hatchet by the look of it. Her eyes, so full of fury, were a deep and piercing blue. Her nose and cheekbones were sharply defined, yet strangely delicate. She was a slender thing too, but Vel could tell she was lean and muscular under her ragged clothing. Despite the situation, He found himself hardening a bit in his trousers as he parried her first slash.

The melee was breaking apart by then, those pirates that yet lived breaking and trying to flee. This allowed Vel to step away from Fal and Dina without fear of a blade taking him in the back as he pushed the beautiful woman away.

“STAY BACK, SHE’S MINE!”

Vel roared the words and, without having consciously intended to, made them a command. All obeyed.

Catalia snarled again, baring her teeth. She hurled an insult of some kind at him, but Vel barely heard it over the rushing blood in his ears. He thought it included the word “dog”.

The gorgeous pirate came at him again. She was fierce and fast, but her technique was sorely lacking. Vel could imagine her overwhelming a sailor or guard, but a well-trained soldier would make short work of her. He relaxed as soon as he realized that taking her alive would pose no challenge at all for him.

He didn’t bother with anything fancy, instead he let her parry his next blow, then simply punched her temple with his free hand while she was distracted, his fist so fast as to be a blur. She dropped like a puppet with its strings cut, and just like that, it was over.

“Signal the captains, they are free to fire.”

Moments later thunder erupted all around as those vessels without boarders on them were blown to smithereens.