In honesty, Jin had not quite read the job request entirely correctly. In fact, he had the exact opposite thought to what the job truly was. When he had arrived in Magnolia, he was expecting the Minstrel navy to confront him to bring him aboard for their sailing across to deal with nearby pirates. He certainly was surprised when a shockingly familiar face beset him.
"I thought that name was familiar," the high-pitched voice noted.
Jin looked up to see a freshly-shaven man with four fingers. "Didn't I arrest you?"
"After you left the town and me crew abandoned me, these here Sea Snakes picked me up after I spent a good couple'a weeks drifting on a crummy canoe. They knew I were a good pirate meself once, so Cap'n Hydragoon took me in and now I'm sorta a leader among his crew."
Jin was tense. He had fought Four-Fingers before, back when he was much weaker. "No hard feelings about the battle?"
Four-Fingers laughed. "'Course not! You beat me fair and square. Plus, I'm a Sea Snake now. Can't go wrong with that. Now, hop aboard the ship."
"Wait, I'm helping the pirates?"
Four-Fingers laughed. "You mean you didn't read about the employer? Yep! You're helpin' us fight the Navy so we can get into Minstrel."
Jin was stunned, but nonetheless that was his job, so he boarded the Sea Snake's ship. A number of the crew members, upon learning who Jin was, ribbed Four-Fingers about the two now working alongside each other. After the commotion had died down and the flagless ship had set sail, Four-Fingers had explained more on the job. The initial plan was to begin from Minstrel and work outwards from there, but a blockade had been established while they were on the seas, so plans needed to change. Fiore had not truly recognized the Sea Snakes as a pirate crew, despite their obviously pirate-like appearance. After sending a job request, they heard that Jin had been the one to accept it, garnering much teasing from Four-Fingers and the rest of the leadership of the crew.
"As weird as it may sound, we Sea Snakes are workin' towards becoming a brand!"
Jin did his best to stifle a laugh. "A brand of pirates?"
"Aye! This ain't Cap'n Hydragoon's personal ship, which is why he ain't here. The Cap'n saw fit to leave me at the helm of this ol' beaut. The Cap'n's gonna help us out with the blockade, so we'll have a few ships to take care of for their flags. Oh, and before ye ask, Cap'n Hydragoon is much tougher than me. The Cap'n's S-Rank level."
Jin was, to say the least, shocked. An S-Ranked pirate? Certainly was strange, albeit not the strangest thing Jin had ever witnessed. Regardless, the sail towards the blockade was surprisingly short, only a single day. Out in the distance were the ships bearing the flag of Minstrel. This was not the first time that Jin had gone toe-to-toe with the authorities of a nation, but the first dealing with members of a foreign country. As they neared the blockade, Jin was abandoned as the only man to be standing atop deck as the Minstrel navy boarded.
"I've noticed that you don't have a flag, sir," a well-dressed man noted. "Registration is needed to pass this blockade. We've had problems with pirates in the recent months."
"Would be nice to get a name from you, at the very least."
The man smiled. "Marcel Loze, Minstrel Navy. Yourself?"
"Jin Auri-El, Silver Wolf."
"Ah, a Fiore Wizard Guild? What reason do you have to come to Minstrel? And by boat no less?"
"Work."
"That work being..?"
Jin closed his eyes as the Bringer of Death took over. "See, I'm trying to help some pirates make their way into Minstrel."
As the captain realized Jin's implication, Jin fired off a burst of Skoteina Dorata, which the captain deflected aside, leaping back towards his own ship. He called for his crewmates to begin boarding the ship, being countered by Four-Finger's own men finally bursting out of the woodworks to confront the army. A battle had truly begun to take place atop the deck of this ship. Four young boys were the first to approach Jin. They were all armed with cutlasses, and only one bore a pistol. After a moment of hesitation, they all charged Jin, who had his hands comfortably in his pockets. Hallow's Phantom burst forth, swiftly blocking aside the swords of the encroaching enemies, sending them staggering back.
Jin finally removed his hands from his pockets. "Considering that I'll have a lot of foes to fight, I may as well get a bit serious from the start. Sang Brulant!" He clapped his hands together, sending a burst of shadowy fire, engulfing the men. Two of them leaped into the water, believing it to be real flames and not just shadowy projections while the other two continued to try and fight Jin. The one with the pistol fired at Jin, who was engaged into hand-to-sword combat with the cutlass-bearing one. Hallow's Phantom snatched the bullet from the air, catching it between boney fingers and setting it harmlessly down onto the ground. Jin had boosted his speed and strength with quick uses of Cor Comedenti and Umbra Refrenatem before delivering a quick knee into the stomach of the swordsman, who doubled over in pain. Jin smirked as he delivered a punch into the jaw of the man, who soared into the water in a satisfying arc. The pistol-bearing one quivered in fear before Jin rushed forwards. The man surprisingly dodged, but Hallow's Phantom was able to catch the man with a clothesline, sending him tumbling into the waters below.
As soon as the four younger men were defeated, a hail of bullets launched themselves towards Jin. What Hallow's Phantom was unable to deflect on his own, Den Oskyldiga Beskydarren warded away. Now confronting him were three slightly older, slightly more capable-looking soldiers of the navy. Each of them had pistols in hand, as well as cutlasses, and they already seemed wary of Hallow's Phantom, though Jin was unsure of whether or not that was from the sight of it warding away the barrage of gunfire or them seeing the destruction wrought upon their younger crewmates. Two of them rushed forwards as the last continued to fire away shots at Jin. Keeping his fists wrapped in the shadowy embrace of Cor Comedenti, he struck away any blow that the two swordsmen attempted, while Hallow's Phantom did its work denying the entry of the bullets. Steel met shadow, causing a high-pitched screech every time that the blade came into contact with the magically-imbued fists. After two minutes of dancing around with the swordsmen, Jin had decided that he was content enough with playing around, catching the blade of one of the swordsmen as opposed to the usual routine of simply blocking the strikes. Despite the pain that had erupted into his hand, Jin swept underneath the legs of the swordsman whose blade had been caught, delivering a swift elbow into his nose as he fell. Jin dropped the sword as Hallow's Phantom grasped a hold of the last one's head and squeezed hard, sending him collapsing the the ground. The Paragon's screech of disapproval echoed hard into the Bringer of Death's head. Jin finally dashed at the gun-wielding solider, coming upon him quicker than the man expected. He delivered a kick to the jaw of the man before Hallow's Phantom launched him higher into the air with a punch. Jin leaped up in pursuit, planting a hand on the man's face as he seared a Sang Brulant into his head and kicking him aside so as to not crash through the ship.
Before Jin could land, he was beset upon by tendrils of water attempting to strike him. He protected himself with a Den Oskyldiga Beskydarren, the water pushing him even higher into the air. Three more men, Marcel included, came up to meet Jin for an aerial battle using jets of water to propel themselves high into the air. The two men beside Marcel looked to be older gentlemen, though far from old and incapable of combat. They each fired rounds from their pistols as they came upon the Bringer of Death, who had curled himself into a ball to reduce the area in which he could be hit. Marcel came upon Jin quicker, as Jin himself attempted to counter with a swipe from his hand. Marcel merely phased through it, his body shifting into water. He delivered a swift kick to Jin, who began to crash towards the Minstrel Navy's ship. His two cohorts stopped Jin before he crashed through the boat, though they would not do so in a friendly manner, opting to boost him a bit higher with jets of water before letting him crash into the ship. Marcel eased himself onto the deck of the navy's ship, leaving the rest of the soldiers on the Sea Snake's ship to engage in warfare.
The two men beside Marcel rushed towards Jin, cutlasses armed. They swiped at Jin, who managed to reflect aside their blows through the power of Hallow's Phantom. The two men simultaneously smirked as they extended their free hands to fire off water-made blades into Jin's side. Jin jumped back in pain, landing straight into a burst of water from Marcel, sending him crashing face-first into the deck. Jin sprung back up to his feet, rolling out of the way of the next barrage of water-made blades as opposed to simply letting them be reflected. He let his body burst into a Sang Brulant, causing curses of pain to emit from the trio of opponents. The two lesser men came in, their swords now wrapped in a layer of hardened water, trying to slash at Jin while Marcel fired away with his variety of pistols. Hallow's Phantom did its best work to strike away the bullets while Jin himself, now buffed with a new set of Cor Comedenti and Umbra Refrenatem, blocked away the cutlasses. His magic was only slightly stronger than the water magic that his foes used, but it was enough to hold enough back to push aside the blades from cutting into his flesh. He had turned his Aspect Focus towards the Maw of Shadow, so as to buff his self-boosting even further, and his fighting style towards melee combat, seeing as he would be given no quarter. This change in style seemed to begin to give him the upper hand in the battle, letting him finally land a punch to the chest of one of his close-quarters foes. However, the victory was short-lived as Marcel entered himself into the fray. At the very least, this development allowed for Hallow's Phantom to be used in an offensive sense.
The battle remained even, Jin being pushed back in a dance around the deck of the navy's ship. Hallow's Phantom would brush away two swords while Jin's arms knocked away the third, with neither side giving up any ground. Finally, all four combatants simultaneously made a decision to switch to a use of magic. The two lesser soldiers fired off streams of focused water while Marcel launched flexible tendrils. Jin had managed to leap out of the way of the streams while the tendrils of water wrapped up the arms of the Hallow's Phantom. Jin smiled, firing off a Skoteina Dorata to spread apart the soldiers. As the three split, Hallow's Phantom struck the two lesser soldiers with a Scarlet Moon, sending them crashing into the water as Jin and Marcel faced off in a one-versus-one-and-a-half battle. The two panted from the ferocity of their previous fight, giving the other time to rest. Hallow's Phantom had been told to be more reserved in this fight so as to not destroy anything unnecessarily. Jin finally stood back up, once more activating a Cor Comedenti and Umbra Refrenatem before dashing at the captain of the navy's ship. Marcel swung his arms, sending waters from the sea crashing into Jin. Marcel now had a ring of seemingly self-moving water circling his waist, Jin's Skoteina Dorata unable to pierce through the ferocious waters. Marcel had now risen the waves, dashing Jin into a state of imbalance. As Jin lost his footing for even a moment, Marcel was upon him, slashing away with his sword, striking Jin across the chest as the ring of water fended off Hallow's Phantom all by its lonesome. Jin landed onto his feet, Hallow's Phantom firing off a Super Ultra Spooky Factor to hinder the water wizard for even a moment. The waves subsided for a second, until Marcel forced the waves even higher, sending Jin airborne. He landed on the deck, twisting his ankle. He quickly unleashed an Iyakino Iki to repair his ankle even if only for a moment.
Suddenly, rains began to pick up, the force of the rain cutting through Jin's skin. This was no ordinary rain, and that was quickly evident. Marcel was causing these rains with his magic. Jin rushed towards him once more, only to be halted by Marcel sending the ship itself airborne for a brief time. The ship was surrounded by walls of water, further isolating the duo. Marcel smirked, firing off a hail of bullets from his pistols. No matter what Jin did, it was impossible to avoid damage. The rain slowed his movements, and Hallow's Phantom was not able to stop all of the bullets. Marcel rushed forth once more, abandoning his sword in favor of watery extensions of his arms. Jin retaliated with a firing of Skoteina Dorata, which feebly were absorbed into the water recesses. Jin's only option was to clash with the water, pushing him into the deck of the ship, sending splinters into his ankles. He did his best to push away the relentless attack of the Navy's captain, whose face had shifted away from the affable soldier into that of a crazed animal intent only on slaughtering its prey.
Jin's mind shifted to an idea. Despite the man's look, Marcel was much more physically fit than Jin was. Jin himself could not win in a straight up fight. He used all his energy into shoving Marcel into the air before leaping back himself, ending up on the railing of the ship. To the surprise of Marcel, Jin slowly sank his hands into his pockets, letting his magic fade away and focusing the efforts of his mind into the Hallow's Phantom. "Orcus," the Bringer of Death uttered, smirking. Generally, there was little use for the Bringer of Death to bring out powers aside from Mortem, but Marcel was clearly too strong to fall to the utterance of Mortem. The Bringer of Death himself often felt insulted having to resort to Orcus, but now he was leaving his combat into the capable, boney arms of Hallow's Phantom. Marcel rushed forwards once more, extending the waves on his arms to strike Jin from a further distance. This time, Hallow's Phantom managed to catch the tendrils, shocking Marcel. Hallow's Phantom drew the captain in close before delivering a knuckle directly into him. Marcel went flying, crashing into the cabin at the other end of the ship. Jin sauntered over slowly. He did not need to take things slow, but Hallow's Phantom always insisted on being dramatic when it was given the spotlight. Marcel burst forwards once more, firing a large ball of water towards the approaching foe. Hallow's Phantom brushed aside the orb with ease, catching Marcel by his head. Jin came up close to him.
"You're a good fighter, I have to say."
"You are a member of a Wizard Guild of Fiore, and yet you bend the knee to pirates? Your guild is a disgrace to associate themselves with such unsavory people! Once my men hear of this, they will surely strike you down! They will send letters to your Council to expunge your guild from legality! Nothing is worse than a dark guild, and you know it!"
Jin was angry now. "Hold him in place, Hallow's Phantom." Jin delivered a blow to the gut of the raised and helpless Marcel. He continued delivering punches, beating the man within inches of his life as he proclaimed. "My. Guild. Will. Never. Fall! We! Are! Silver! Wolf! And! We! Are! The! Greatest! DAMN! THING! IN! FIORE!" With his last word, he ordered Hallow's Phantom to throw Marcel as far as possible. He burst through the walls of water, which quickly subsided following their summoner's departure. The other soldiers fighting aboard Four-Finger's Ship, seeing their captain thrown overboard, ceased their fighting immediately.
As the members of Four-Finger's crew began to steal the Minstrel flags from the ships, Four-Figner himself approached Jin. "I knew we could count on ya, Jin. Cap'n Hydragoon's taken care of his people, and so we should be perfectly good to go!"
"Why were they so intent on taking you guys out?"
"Ah, that. See, Cap'n Hydragoon was a former big-shot politician-type in Minstrel. Once he left, the country kinda panicked a bit and they wanted him gone. So, Cap'n Hydragoon just decided that the pirate's life was for him. In fact, the lad's even younger than me! Har! He's amassed quite a crew in this short time. Bigger than I ever coulda done."
"I don't suppose I can meet your captain?"
"'Fraid not. Cap'n Hydragoon said that he, and I quote, 'Don't wanna mess with none of them guild-types.' Well, he didn't quite say it like that, but you get the point. Cap'n was real against sending for a job to the people of Fiore, especially to any guilds, but ah well. It all works out in the end I suppose. Now, let's get goin' to Minstrel!"
As they arrived at the port, the dock workers either seemed too stupid to notice that the pirates were, in fact, not members of the Minstrel military or they realized that they must have beaten down the navy in order to obtain the flags and bypass the blockade. Jin knew that he could not be here for long, knowing that he needed to return back to the Phoenix Mountains for more work. After all, he needed to continue on his work if he desired to become more powerful. Perhaps, he thought, one day he could be famous enough to have his face known and feared.
Perhaps one day, I'll end up seeing past the shackles of Silver Wolf.
You mean to betray the guild?
Of course not. At least, not now. The guild does wonders, but eventually I figure that my bloodlust and search for power will result in being expedited from the guild.
Then how's about trying to avoid that? I dunno about you, but I quite like the guild. Although, that said, you sounded pretty patriotic towards Silver Wolf. The best damn thing in Fiore? I mean, I can't disagree with you, but it's a bit surprising to hear you say that.
Leona and Leila are strong beyond compare. Two Wizard Saints, in the same guild? It's certainly interesting. It's a fairly objective fact that with two of the strongest Wizards in Fiore in the same guild, they'd be the best. As much as you fear that I'm going to be kicked out, I will surpass those two in power, mark my words. It's always best to learn how to be stronger by learning from those already stronger, right? Sure, neither of them are Shadow magic users, but I am already a master of that. Plus, if we can find a way to split and still both live, the two of us can be a deadly force of nature that can crush all of our enemies.
Yeah, sure. Whatever. Anyways, we gotta get back to Silver Wolf. I'm sure there's more jobs for us to take on.
With the two halves of Jin in harmony, he bade farewell to Four-Fingers, who pledged that, should Jin need to travel anywhere by boat, that he would assist. Of course, this was one of those times, meaning that Jin had to spend a few days in the foreign country before Four-Fingers was ready to leave back for Fiore. During those days, Jin did what he could to hone his magical prowess even more, occasionally sparring with Four-Fingers to see how the two had improved. Four-Fingers was certainly shocked to see that, instead of wielding a scythe, Jin now possessed the skeletal projection that would appear behind him without even the slightest reduction in magic.
"If ye had that skeletal guy in our last fight, I wouldn't've even been able to scratch ya!" he guffawed.
Despite the amount of times Jin dueled Four-Fingers in an attempt to find out who the Captain Hydragoon was, Four-Fingers refused each time. For each of the four times they sparred for the four days they were in Minstrel, Jin would press his former foe on the matter, only to be rebuffed every time. Finally, the four days had passed, and Four-Fingers was ready to return to Fiore. The sea was surprisingly quick sailing, Four-Fingers noting the favor of the wind as they reached Hargeon within the day. Jin would stay at an inn within the town before making his way back to the halls of Silver Wolf, though he figured that he may as well take care of more matters while he was on a job anyways.
WC: 3587
"I thought that name was familiar," the high-pitched voice noted.
Jin looked up to see a freshly-shaven man with four fingers. "Didn't I arrest you?"
"After you left the town and me crew abandoned me, these here Sea Snakes picked me up after I spent a good couple'a weeks drifting on a crummy canoe. They knew I were a good pirate meself once, so Cap'n Hydragoon took me in and now I'm sorta a leader among his crew."
Jin was tense. He had fought Four-Fingers before, back when he was much weaker. "No hard feelings about the battle?"
Four-Fingers laughed. "'Course not! You beat me fair and square. Plus, I'm a Sea Snake now. Can't go wrong with that. Now, hop aboard the ship."
"Wait, I'm helping the pirates?"
Four-Fingers laughed. "You mean you didn't read about the employer? Yep! You're helpin' us fight the Navy so we can get into Minstrel."
Jin was stunned, but nonetheless that was his job, so he boarded the Sea Snake's ship. A number of the crew members, upon learning who Jin was, ribbed Four-Fingers about the two now working alongside each other. After the commotion had died down and the flagless ship had set sail, Four-Fingers had explained more on the job. The initial plan was to begin from Minstrel and work outwards from there, but a blockade had been established while they were on the seas, so plans needed to change. Fiore had not truly recognized the Sea Snakes as a pirate crew, despite their obviously pirate-like appearance. After sending a job request, they heard that Jin had been the one to accept it, garnering much teasing from Four-Fingers and the rest of the leadership of the crew.
"As weird as it may sound, we Sea Snakes are workin' towards becoming a brand!"
Jin did his best to stifle a laugh. "A brand of pirates?"
"Aye! This ain't Cap'n Hydragoon's personal ship, which is why he ain't here. The Cap'n saw fit to leave me at the helm of this ol' beaut. The Cap'n's gonna help us out with the blockade, so we'll have a few ships to take care of for their flags. Oh, and before ye ask, Cap'n Hydragoon is much tougher than me. The Cap'n's S-Rank level."
Jin was, to say the least, shocked. An S-Ranked pirate? Certainly was strange, albeit not the strangest thing Jin had ever witnessed. Regardless, the sail towards the blockade was surprisingly short, only a single day. Out in the distance were the ships bearing the flag of Minstrel. This was not the first time that Jin had gone toe-to-toe with the authorities of a nation, but the first dealing with members of a foreign country. As they neared the blockade, Jin was abandoned as the only man to be standing atop deck as the Minstrel navy boarded.
"I've noticed that you don't have a flag, sir," a well-dressed man noted. "Registration is needed to pass this blockade. We've had problems with pirates in the recent months."
"Would be nice to get a name from you, at the very least."
The man smiled. "Marcel Loze, Minstrel Navy. Yourself?"
"Jin Auri-El, Silver Wolf."
"Ah, a Fiore Wizard Guild? What reason do you have to come to Minstrel? And by boat no less?"
"Work."
"That work being..?"
Jin closed his eyes as the Bringer of Death took over. "See, I'm trying to help some pirates make their way into Minstrel."
As the captain realized Jin's implication, Jin fired off a burst of Skoteina Dorata, which the captain deflected aside, leaping back towards his own ship. He called for his crewmates to begin boarding the ship, being countered by Four-Finger's own men finally bursting out of the woodworks to confront the army. A battle had truly begun to take place atop the deck of this ship. Four young boys were the first to approach Jin. They were all armed with cutlasses, and only one bore a pistol. After a moment of hesitation, they all charged Jin, who had his hands comfortably in his pockets. Hallow's Phantom burst forth, swiftly blocking aside the swords of the encroaching enemies, sending them staggering back.
Jin finally removed his hands from his pockets. "Considering that I'll have a lot of foes to fight, I may as well get a bit serious from the start. Sang Brulant!" He clapped his hands together, sending a burst of shadowy fire, engulfing the men. Two of them leaped into the water, believing it to be real flames and not just shadowy projections while the other two continued to try and fight Jin. The one with the pistol fired at Jin, who was engaged into hand-to-sword combat with the cutlass-bearing one. Hallow's Phantom snatched the bullet from the air, catching it between boney fingers and setting it harmlessly down onto the ground. Jin had boosted his speed and strength with quick uses of Cor Comedenti and Umbra Refrenatem before delivering a quick knee into the stomach of the swordsman, who doubled over in pain. Jin smirked as he delivered a punch into the jaw of the man, who soared into the water in a satisfying arc. The pistol-bearing one quivered in fear before Jin rushed forwards. The man surprisingly dodged, but Hallow's Phantom was able to catch the man with a clothesline, sending him tumbling into the waters below.
As soon as the four younger men were defeated, a hail of bullets launched themselves towards Jin. What Hallow's Phantom was unable to deflect on his own, Den Oskyldiga Beskydarren warded away. Now confronting him were three slightly older, slightly more capable-looking soldiers of the navy. Each of them had pistols in hand, as well as cutlasses, and they already seemed wary of Hallow's Phantom, though Jin was unsure of whether or not that was from the sight of it warding away the barrage of gunfire or them seeing the destruction wrought upon their younger crewmates. Two of them rushed forwards as the last continued to fire away shots at Jin. Keeping his fists wrapped in the shadowy embrace of Cor Comedenti, he struck away any blow that the two swordsmen attempted, while Hallow's Phantom did its work denying the entry of the bullets. Steel met shadow, causing a high-pitched screech every time that the blade came into contact with the magically-imbued fists. After two minutes of dancing around with the swordsmen, Jin had decided that he was content enough with playing around, catching the blade of one of the swordsmen as opposed to the usual routine of simply blocking the strikes. Despite the pain that had erupted into his hand, Jin swept underneath the legs of the swordsman whose blade had been caught, delivering a swift elbow into his nose as he fell. Jin dropped the sword as Hallow's Phantom grasped a hold of the last one's head and squeezed hard, sending him collapsing the the ground. The Paragon's screech of disapproval echoed hard into the Bringer of Death's head. Jin finally dashed at the gun-wielding solider, coming upon him quicker than the man expected. He delivered a kick to the jaw of the man before Hallow's Phantom launched him higher into the air with a punch. Jin leaped up in pursuit, planting a hand on the man's face as he seared a Sang Brulant into his head and kicking him aside so as to not crash through the ship.
Before Jin could land, he was beset upon by tendrils of water attempting to strike him. He protected himself with a Den Oskyldiga Beskydarren, the water pushing him even higher into the air. Three more men, Marcel included, came up to meet Jin for an aerial battle using jets of water to propel themselves high into the air. The two men beside Marcel looked to be older gentlemen, though far from old and incapable of combat. They each fired rounds from their pistols as they came upon the Bringer of Death, who had curled himself into a ball to reduce the area in which he could be hit. Marcel came upon Jin quicker, as Jin himself attempted to counter with a swipe from his hand. Marcel merely phased through it, his body shifting into water. He delivered a swift kick to Jin, who began to crash towards the Minstrel Navy's ship. His two cohorts stopped Jin before he crashed through the boat, though they would not do so in a friendly manner, opting to boost him a bit higher with jets of water before letting him crash into the ship. Marcel eased himself onto the deck of the navy's ship, leaving the rest of the soldiers on the Sea Snake's ship to engage in warfare.
The two men beside Marcel rushed towards Jin, cutlasses armed. They swiped at Jin, who managed to reflect aside their blows through the power of Hallow's Phantom. The two men simultaneously smirked as they extended their free hands to fire off water-made blades into Jin's side. Jin jumped back in pain, landing straight into a burst of water from Marcel, sending him crashing face-first into the deck. Jin sprung back up to his feet, rolling out of the way of the next barrage of water-made blades as opposed to simply letting them be reflected. He let his body burst into a Sang Brulant, causing curses of pain to emit from the trio of opponents. The two lesser men came in, their swords now wrapped in a layer of hardened water, trying to slash at Jin while Marcel fired away with his variety of pistols. Hallow's Phantom did its best work to strike away the bullets while Jin himself, now buffed with a new set of Cor Comedenti and Umbra Refrenatem, blocked away the cutlasses. His magic was only slightly stronger than the water magic that his foes used, but it was enough to hold enough back to push aside the blades from cutting into his flesh. He had turned his Aspect Focus towards the Maw of Shadow, so as to buff his self-boosting even further, and his fighting style towards melee combat, seeing as he would be given no quarter. This change in style seemed to begin to give him the upper hand in the battle, letting him finally land a punch to the chest of one of his close-quarters foes. However, the victory was short-lived as Marcel entered himself into the fray. At the very least, this development allowed for Hallow's Phantom to be used in an offensive sense.
The battle remained even, Jin being pushed back in a dance around the deck of the navy's ship. Hallow's Phantom would brush away two swords while Jin's arms knocked away the third, with neither side giving up any ground. Finally, all four combatants simultaneously made a decision to switch to a use of magic. The two lesser soldiers fired off streams of focused water while Marcel launched flexible tendrils. Jin had managed to leap out of the way of the streams while the tendrils of water wrapped up the arms of the Hallow's Phantom. Jin smiled, firing off a Skoteina Dorata to spread apart the soldiers. As the three split, Hallow's Phantom struck the two lesser soldiers with a Scarlet Moon, sending them crashing into the water as Jin and Marcel faced off in a one-versus-one-and-a-half battle. The two panted from the ferocity of their previous fight, giving the other time to rest. Hallow's Phantom had been told to be more reserved in this fight so as to not destroy anything unnecessarily. Jin finally stood back up, once more activating a Cor Comedenti and Umbra Refrenatem before dashing at the captain of the navy's ship. Marcel swung his arms, sending waters from the sea crashing into Jin. Marcel now had a ring of seemingly self-moving water circling his waist, Jin's Skoteina Dorata unable to pierce through the ferocious waters. Marcel had now risen the waves, dashing Jin into a state of imbalance. As Jin lost his footing for even a moment, Marcel was upon him, slashing away with his sword, striking Jin across the chest as the ring of water fended off Hallow's Phantom all by its lonesome. Jin landed onto his feet, Hallow's Phantom firing off a Super Ultra Spooky Factor to hinder the water wizard for even a moment. The waves subsided for a second, until Marcel forced the waves even higher, sending Jin airborne. He landed on the deck, twisting his ankle. He quickly unleashed an Iyakino Iki to repair his ankle even if only for a moment.
Suddenly, rains began to pick up, the force of the rain cutting through Jin's skin. This was no ordinary rain, and that was quickly evident. Marcel was causing these rains with his magic. Jin rushed towards him once more, only to be halted by Marcel sending the ship itself airborne for a brief time. The ship was surrounded by walls of water, further isolating the duo. Marcel smirked, firing off a hail of bullets from his pistols. No matter what Jin did, it was impossible to avoid damage. The rain slowed his movements, and Hallow's Phantom was not able to stop all of the bullets. Marcel rushed forth once more, abandoning his sword in favor of watery extensions of his arms. Jin retaliated with a firing of Skoteina Dorata, which feebly were absorbed into the water recesses. Jin's only option was to clash with the water, pushing him into the deck of the ship, sending splinters into his ankles. He did his best to push away the relentless attack of the Navy's captain, whose face had shifted away from the affable soldier into that of a crazed animal intent only on slaughtering its prey.
Jin's mind shifted to an idea. Despite the man's look, Marcel was much more physically fit than Jin was. Jin himself could not win in a straight up fight. He used all his energy into shoving Marcel into the air before leaping back himself, ending up on the railing of the ship. To the surprise of Marcel, Jin slowly sank his hands into his pockets, letting his magic fade away and focusing the efforts of his mind into the Hallow's Phantom. "Orcus," the Bringer of Death uttered, smirking. Generally, there was little use for the Bringer of Death to bring out powers aside from Mortem, but Marcel was clearly too strong to fall to the utterance of Mortem. The Bringer of Death himself often felt insulted having to resort to Orcus, but now he was leaving his combat into the capable, boney arms of Hallow's Phantom. Marcel rushed forwards once more, extending the waves on his arms to strike Jin from a further distance. This time, Hallow's Phantom managed to catch the tendrils, shocking Marcel. Hallow's Phantom drew the captain in close before delivering a knuckle directly into him. Marcel went flying, crashing into the cabin at the other end of the ship. Jin sauntered over slowly. He did not need to take things slow, but Hallow's Phantom always insisted on being dramatic when it was given the spotlight. Marcel burst forwards once more, firing a large ball of water towards the approaching foe. Hallow's Phantom brushed aside the orb with ease, catching Marcel by his head. Jin came up close to him.
"You're a good fighter, I have to say."
"You are a member of a Wizard Guild of Fiore, and yet you bend the knee to pirates? Your guild is a disgrace to associate themselves with such unsavory people! Once my men hear of this, they will surely strike you down! They will send letters to your Council to expunge your guild from legality! Nothing is worse than a dark guild, and you know it!"
Jin was angry now. "Hold him in place, Hallow's Phantom." Jin delivered a blow to the gut of the raised and helpless Marcel. He continued delivering punches, beating the man within inches of his life as he proclaimed. "My. Guild. Will. Never. Fall! We! Are! Silver! Wolf! And! We! Are! The! Greatest! DAMN! THING! IN! FIORE!" With his last word, he ordered Hallow's Phantom to throw Marcel as far as possible. He burst through the walls of water, which quickly subsided following their summoner's departure. The other soldiers fighting aboard Four-Finger's Ship, seeing their captain thrown overboard, ceased their fighting immediately.
As the members of Four-Finger's crew began to steal the Minstrel flags from the ships, Four-Figner himself approached Jin. "I knew we could count on ya, Jin. Cap'n Hydragoon's taken care of his people, and so we should be perfectly good to go!"
"Why were they so intent on taking you guys out?"
"Ah, that. See, Cap'n Hydragoon was a former big-shot politician-type in Minstrel. Once he left, the country kinda panicked a bit and they wanted him gone. So, Cap'n Hydragoon just decided that the pirate's life was for him. In fact, the lad's even younger than me! Har! He's amassed quite a crew in this short time. Bigger than I ever coulda done."
"I don't suppose I can meet your captain?"
"'Fraid not. Cap'n Hydragoon said that he, and I quote, 'Don't wanna mess with none of them guild-types.' Well, he didn't quite say it like that, but you get the point. Cap'n was real against sending for a job to the people of Fiore, especially to any guilds, but ah well. It all works out in the end I suppose. Now, let's get goin' to Minstrel!"
As they arrived at the port, the dock workers either seemed too stupid to notice that the pirates were, in fact, not members of the Minstrel military or they realized that they must have beaten down the navy in order to obtain the flags and bypass the blockade. Jin knew that he could not be here for long, knowing that he needed to return back to the Phoenix Mountains for more work. After all, he needed to continue on his work if he desired to become more powerful. Perhaps, he thought, one day he could be famous enough to have his face known and feared.
Perhaps one day, I'll end up seeing past the shackles of Silver Wolf.
You mean to betray the guild?
Of course not. At least, not now. The guild does wonders, but eventually I figure that my bloodlust and search for power will result in being expedited from the guild.
Then how's about trying to avoid that? I dunno about you, but I quite like the guild. Although, that said, you sounded pretty patriotic towards Silver Wolf. The best damn thing in Fiore? I mean, I can't disagree with you, but it's a bit surprising to hear you say that.
Leona and Leila are strong beyond compare. Two Wizard Saints, in the same guild? It's certainly interesting. It's a fairly objective fact that with two of the strongest Wizards in Fiore in the same guild, they'd be the best. As much as you fear that I'm going to be kicked out, I will surpass those two in power, mark my words. It's always best to learn how to be stronger by learning from those already stronger, right? Sure, neither of them are Shadow magic users, but I am already a master of that. Plus, if we can find a way to split and still both live, the two of us can be a deadly force of nature that can crush all of our enemies.
Yeah, sure. Whatever. Anyways, we gotta get back to Silver Wolf. I'm sure there's more jobs for us to take on.
With the two halves of Jin in harmony, he bade farewell to Four-Fingers, who pledged that, should Jin need to travel anywhere by boat, that he would assist. Of course, this was one of those times, meaning that Jin had to spend a few days in the foreign country before Four-Fingers was ready to leave back for Fiore. During those days, Jin did what he could to hone his magical prowess even more, occasionally sparring with Four-Fingers to see how the two had improved. Four-Fingers was certainly shocked to see that, instead of wielding a scythe, Jin now possessed the skeletal projection that would appear behind him without even the slightest reduction in magic.
"If ye had that skeletal guy in our last fight, I wouldn't've even been able to scratch ya!" he guffawed.
Despite the amount of times Jin dueled Four-Fingers in an attempt to find out who the Captain Hydragoon was, Four-Fingers refused each time. For each of the four times they sparred for the four days they were in Minstrel, Jin would press his former foe on the matter, only to be rebuffed every time. Finally, the four days had passed, and Four-Fingers was ready to return to Fiore. The sea was surprisingly quick sailing, Four-Fingers noting the favor of the wind as they reached Hargeon within the day. Jin would stay at an inn within the town before making his way back to the halls of Silver Wolf, though he figured that he may as well take care of more matters while he was on a job anyways.
WC: 3587
