75 CROSSING LEGS (1/2)
POW!
And the gunshot fired.
It was a sound that was felt more than heard, one that squeezed Sariyu's guts, yet she proceeded forth.
Though she pushed the elf girl away, the shot was fired before she even touched her. Sariyu and others turned their gaze downward diagonally. There was a hole in the pillow right next to Lirzod's head.
”I wasn't going to kill him,” the elf girl shook herself off from Sariyu's grip, ”not when on this ship, obviously,” she pointed the revolver at Sariyu's stomach, ”but I won't let you take him. We can't let him walk free, not with those things thriving in him.”
Both 777 and Hundred looked tentative.
”That elf has a point, too,” Hundred somehow managed to speak out, looking at Sariyu. ”We don't want anything bad to happen to Lirzod, but we should at least talk this out.”
”That's what I'm doing,” Sariyu's features hardened. ”Shoot me if you want to, but I'm not letting anyone take him.”
”You think I will hesitate?” the elf girl cocked the hammer with the thumb.
They were about the same height, with the elf a little shorter, but both the girls, their eyes abounding with doggedness, exchanged unyielding stares.
”Whoa, what's going on here?” just then a voice invaded the room.
When everyone looked toward the entrance, there was a face, familiar to all of them; it was Sean.
”Commander, you've come at the right time,” the elf girl pulled the revolver back and decocked it.
”Mulyk! Explain yourself!” Sean barked right away after seeing the revolver in her back.
”C-Commander, I have a good reason,” the elf girl, Mulyk, said and then quickly explained everything that had happened.
”I get what you mean, but still,” Sean's face was filled with displeasure, ”I didn't give you that gun so that you can point it at people whenever you feel like it. You think you can call back a bullet you shot? Your hands are still young.”
”S-Sorry, Commander.” She tilted her head down, seemingly from regret. ”I will learn to use it better.”
”If this repeats, I'll take it back. No questions asked,” Sean said, and Mulyk could only nod. He then looked at 777 and Hundred. ”Are you their offsiders?”
”Still in the process,” both of them replied simultaneously, in a respectful tone.
”Of course.” Sean's gaze then shifted to Sariyu, ”You won't be liking what I'm going to say, miss, but I'm totally on Mulyk's side regarding your friend's matter. I have no idea what that disease is, so I can't let him roam free, knowing that he can spread it to others through blood or God knows what else.”
Sariyu's jaw tightened.
”But there's good news, too,” Sean continued. ”Because I've sent a request to a certain person to come and take a look at your friend. And I'm positive that she can do something about this situation.”
Sariyu's jaw loosened, and her lips parted. ”Who's that?”
”Well, you'll see for yourself. She should be here any minute now,” Sean said.
Sariyu narrowed her eyes, ”Why, why help now—after so many hours?”
Sean smiled, exposing a bit of his awkwardness. ”What matters is that I'm here before it's too late, right?”
Sariyu pressed her lips, trying to contain her dissatisfaction. (I'd like to believe that he's helping without any motive, but my gut says otherwise.) She glanced at Lirzod and weighed in the options. (In any case, I can't be rash when Lirzod's in need.) At that time, Sean was scratching his head while glancing at her now and then. ”What is it?”
”Uh, it's nothing,” Sean hesitantly spoke. ”Now that you are here, why don't you come to my hall and kick some of my pupils?”
”What?”
”It's hard to find someone who moves so swiftly, yet so smoothly in a fight and still hammer hits on their foes,” Sean said, but Sariyu didn't respond. ”If you are worried about your friend, then fret not. I will guarantee his safety. You can let one of these men stay here to look after him.”
Sariyu didn't breathe in more than twenty seconds. (This guy, just what does he want? If I don't go with him, he might change his mind about helping Lirzod.) She bit her lip. (I guess I don't have much choice now.) She looked at both 777 and Hundred, but her gaze stopped on the latter. ”You want to be his offsider, so you stay with him, yeah?”
”Sure thing,” Hundred replied rather smoothly.
”Don't let her do anything to him,” Sariyu stressed her words, directing a threatening gaze to Mulyk.
Hundred nodded twice, reservedly.
”You are overthinking, human girl,” Mulyk saltily stated. ”I'm not a killer by any means-fu.”
Sariyu walked out of the room without saying another word. Sean followed her with a pleased look on his face.
When they both entered the Drill Hall, Sean said, ”Thanks for agreeing to demonstrate some kicks to the young fellows. I mean, you are younger than many of them in age, but I'm talking about the fighting experience.”
Sariyu replied in a nettled tone, ”I'm in a bad mood. Choose your men wisely, or they will get their wills broken.”
Sean was a little surprised and could only smile it off. ”I appreciate you for warning me beforehand.”
777, in the meantime, was following them both from a distance.
”All the Golden Ants, line up!” With a howl to his pupils, to the crowded center of the hall, Sean led Sariyu. ”Everyone else, gather around and keep your eyes open.”
Having experienced similar situations before, most of the pupils knew exactly what was happening. Those who didn't know just followed the rest and clustered at the center of the hall, leaving enough room for a fight in the center.
”The rules are simple. Only kicks are allowed,” Sean said aloud. ”Let's start.”
”I'm lucky!” the first man in the line, a six-foot-tall one, stepped into the ring made by men, among whom the blonde youth was also present. ”Don't take it personally, girl. Beating you boosts my popularity, that's all!” he lunged ahead and thrust his foot straight at her face.
(This fire in my belly…) Sariyu ducked as she moved in and struck the back of the ankle with her foot, causing him to fall backward, but he managed to land on his arms and used that momentum to flip once again and get back on his feet. Sariyu jumped onward, neither foot touching the ground, spun and delivered a foot strike on the man's jaw, lifting him off his feet and driving him into the crowd. (I must quench it soon, or…) Her eyes showed a hint of pain as she landed on her feet, eye-pleasingly.
”Wow, did you see that flying spin kick? She made up the height difference so easily.”
”Her legs must be quite springy!”
”Her arms look slim, but she can carry herself on them.”
”Oi, look! He's not getting up.”
”This golden ant's out for the count.”
Even after counting to three, the man whom Sariyu just kicked didn't get up, so the next golden ant entered the ring.
”That guy attacked you straightforwardly, but don't expect the same from me,” he carefully approached her and tested her with a few kicks to see how she would react, but just as she reached the edge of the circle, he suddenly launched a barrage of successive kicks at her ribs, all on one side. Though Sariyu blocked the attacks and skipped the other way, he followed her and didn't let her move forward. She ground her teeth as her body rattled from the force of the kicks.
The blonde youth watching the battle from the front line in the crowd looked as if he wasn't surprised. (You are definitely skillful, miss, but that senior isn't bad either. As a man, he has the natural advantage of strength, so it's not a surprise you're struggling to block his kicks, and unlike you, most of us are used to fighting in this type of setting, so your loss is only a matter of time. You shouldn't have come here with the master. Now, they're going to make an example out of you just like previous times.)
The crowd, though, backed their senior with blatant tongues.
Sariyu, meanwhile, had a frown taking shape on her face. (He has kicked like fifteen times already, but the kicks aren't slowing down. Quite a ferocious kicking style.) She glanced at Sean once. (He must've put his pupils through similar routines.)
”What's wrong?” the man in the ring smirked as he continued to storm forth with his kicks. ”Why don't you let me—” As his next kick closed in, she ducked and dodged the foot.
”Taste a bit of my knee!” she sprung and crashed her knee in his face, cracking his nasal bone, and a mini fountain of blood gushed out as he fell on his back.
So fast! His eyes whitened the very next moment.