81 Vol 2. pt. 18 Patch 3.0: Opening Ceremony (1/2)

Rock is lying next to The Shoebill's mast when Fenrir finds her. Her breathing is labored, and the deck shows signs of fighting as chips of her body are spread out across it. Kneeling down next to her, Fenrir runs a single hand across her side as he looks her body over.

It is only now that he realizes that her back-left paw has been completely broken off from her leg. The sight may not be gory as she is just made out of rock, but it's still enough to fill Fenrir with a rage that makes him want to track down the guards who did this to her.

Aside from that, her body is chipped and cracked in several spots, and the top half of her left ear has been broken off as well.

She took a heavy beating before he got over here.

”Damn it, I'm sorry, Rock. I was just so focused on apologizing to that girl,” Fenrir apologizes to Rock, letting the back of his hand stroke the side of her head. ”I should have seen what was going on sooner. Maybe none of this would've happened. You wouldn't have been hurt, and Nell wouldn't have been found.”

Rock turns her head just enough to lick his hand.

Fenrir smiles and gently traces his fingers across her halved ear. ”Does it hurt here?” he asks.

Rock barks. He assumes that she'd be wincing or whining if it hurt.

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”Fen,” Serra says as she and Cassiel reach him.

Cassiel gets down on her knees and places her hands on Rock right away. Fenrir can see light, mystical energy flowing into Rock from Cassiel's hands. ”Restoring her body is going to take some time, but I can get her back up to full Health,” she explains.

Serra hugs Fenrir's side. ”I'm sorry we didn't do anything. Are you okay?” she asks.

”It's alright, there wasn't anything you could have done. We got beat,” Fenrir answers, clenching his fists again.

Serra moves her hands down to his own, gently wrapping hers around his.

”I promised her that I wouldn't let them take her,” he says.

”We'll get her back,” Serra replies.

”And how are we supposed to do that? We're not going to start a war because I refuse to put NPCs at risk, that bastard from earlier is probably going to target us doing the tournament, and we're seven against thousands – that's just counting Ull and all of his soldiers. If we get on Blackstache's bad side, then it's us against all of Ull's forces and this entire city.”

”I don't know, but I believe in you.”

Serra's words are part comforting, part stressful – mostly stressful.

He lost Nell, Rock got severely injured, and the only reason they're all alive right now is because Ull spared them. Blackstache was ready to sink The Shoebill and hang its crew, so the only reason they are alive right now is because Ull thinks that Fenrir is fun and that just angers Fenrir even more.

”We don't even have any resources. Every other game, we'd always at least have a good stockpile before getting involved in this sort of stuff. All we have is—”

Serra cuts him off, ”Each other.”

Fenrir looks at her. She surprises him with a kiss the moment he's facing her. ”Yeah, we've got each other.”

”And The Shoebill!” Tabitha reminds them, coming aboard the ship with everybody else.

Fenrir even catches Rod pulse a single time over near the ship's bow.

Even with this crew, The Shoebill, and Rod, Fenrir has no idea what he is supposed to do. Every single plan that pops into his head is immediately shot down.

”Excuse me,” a familiar voice says from the pier.

Fenrir looks up and sees the dark elf from before.

”I – I couldn't help but see and overhear everything that has happened. That girl who was taken, you were trying to help her, weren't you?” she asks.

”Yeah. Tried,” Fenrir answers.

”And you refuse to put NPC's lives at risk?”

Fenrir nods.

”I'm sorry, I know this may not be the most appropriate time for these questions, but may I ask why?”

”Because they're living and breathing here just like the rest of us are.”

”I see,” the dark elf says, her tone softer now as she smiles. ”Thank you again for apologizing earlier, captain of The Shoebill.”

”Why are you asking these questions?” he asks. The rest of the crew is looking at the dark elf as well now.

She holds a single finger in front of her lips and winks before walking off.

”She is an odd one when you are not putting her in a bad mood,” Corwin says.

Fenrir watches the dark elf walk down the pier. Something about her is suspicious, but he has no idea what. ”Yeah, she is,” he responds.

”Are you feeling better, Rock?” Cassiel asks.

Rock struggles to get up without one of her paws, but with Fenrir's helping hands, she gets up onto the three paws she has left and happily barks.

”You're not in pain or anything, right?” Fenrir asks.

She barks again.

”What about you?” Cassiel asks, looking at Fenrir.

”I'm fine. That prick made one of his bastards heal me,” he answers, looking down at his clothes. He definitely doesn't look fine given that his shirt has been torn up from various blades and is stained with his blood, but there are only scars left where he was once wounded.

”It was awesome when you bit that guy's ear off,” Serra says.

Everybody looks at Fenrir now.

”A-ah, aha, I uhh, don't even remember doing that,” he explains.