Ray stared with wide eyes at the man who had saved him. With the way he stared at Joshua, he looked less like a savior an more like a devil.
'But... he saved me...'
Joshua shouted once again.
"Ray, hurry!!"
'I... I don't know what to do... Joshua left me alone, and Sachi saved me... But...'
One more glance at Sachi told Ray all he needed. The same smoldering glare he had given Joshua, he now gave to Ray.
With fear as his guide, Ray bolted towards Joshua, reaching for his hand.
Their hands met, and Ray felt Joshua begin to pull him over, but their reunion was quickly interrupted.
A flash of steel took Ray by surprise as he fell back into Sachi's boat.
Joshua screamed in agony. The hand the Ray grasped was now severed from it's owner. Sachi stood near the edge of the boat, his Kazekiri now bloodstained, and so was his cheek.
Joshua stumbled back into his boat, clutching the stump that is now his arm. "Agh! Forget it! Kill them all, the brat too for all I care!"
'Huh..?' A dagger had been hurled from Joshua's boat, sailing directly towards Ray.
Sachi let out an annoyed sound, and dove to push Ray out of its trajectory. His reaction was slightly off, and the dagger dove into his shoulder as they both crashed to the bottom of the boat.
'Damnit...'
Ray jumped up next to Sachi, desperately staring at the wound. His breathing became ragged as his anxiety and fear began to pool up.
'They want to kill me... And Sachi...'
Dion walked by and plucked the dagger from the back of Sachi's shoulder. "It didn't land that deep. He'll be fine, he's survived worse."
Sachi let out a pained groan and pushed himself up, his right shoulder now felt much weaker. "Would it kill you to be a little more gentle?"
Dion voice grew more alarmed as he spoke. "Actually, it would! Get ready for another round of knives!" He ducked down below the side of the boat with daggers now flooding the wooden wall.
Lyra ducked as well, occasionally firing another arrow back, but she also had to deal with the other team on the opposite side of them. "What the hell do we do now!?"
Sachi grit his teeth. "Ray! Come with me!"
Ray, who was previously tucked in a ball, poked his head up. "H-huh? Why!?"
Sachi bobbed his head and stepped to the side to avoid all sorts of weapons being thrown at him. Thanks to his Foresight trait, those weren't much of a problem for him.
He vaulted the front of the boat and landed right behind the kelpie. "Use your power on the kelpie! If we can get away, we can formulate a better strategy!"
Ray tried to follow Sachi, but his body could hardly respond. The bombardment had completely frozen his body.
"Ray! We need your power!"
Throughout all of Ray's time being in this world, he had never been told he was needed. Time after time, he was just a kid who needed protecting. It was the same when he met Joshua, a boy young enough to understand Ray's feelings, but old enough to bear the responsibility.
Joshua always told Ray, "Don't worry, we'll protect you."
That made Ray feel safe. He was unwillingly dragged away from his home into this killing game, and all he wanted to do was to go back home. He never wanted to kill anyone, and Joshua said he would never have to.
But Sachi gave Ray another sense of security. Not by telling him he would be safe, but by proving it with his actions. First in the sea beast, then by shielding him from a dagger. All Joshua had ever done was tell him to sit back and wait, and now he was trying to kill him.
And now, Sachi was giving him the opportunity to save himself.
Ray wiped the tears from his eyes and scrambled to the front of the boat. His stature was smaller than Sachi's, so clearing the front of the boat wouldn't be as easy. Thankfully, Sachi was ready to help him over.
He grabbed his hand and pulled Ray over the edge of the boat, and Ray took his spot next to Sachi.
"I've never tried to use my power on two things at once!"
Sachi ducked, pushing Ray down as well to avoid a knife.
'How many weapons do they have..?'
"Now's a better time than any to find out what happens!"
Ray grunted and stuck out his hands on both of the kelpie.
The same golden glow that had appeared from Sachi now emanated from the kelpie.
Dion and Lyra were stuck in the back of the boat, constantly switching from hiding and throwing whatever they could find back at their attackers. Dion's storage portal became especially useful, while Lyra's limitless supply of arrows became crucial.
"How much longer, Sachi!?" Dion cried out.
Sachi ducked again. "Just a few seconds!"
He grabbed the reins of the kelpie and yanked it to the side. The kelpie cried out as they began to move in the same direction. Ray's power bore fruit almost instantly. The boat jerked to the side, throwing both Lyra and Dion onto the floor.
'C'mon...'
With another, more gentle tug, the kelpie began to swim forward, except they began to move faster than he had anticipated. In a single motion, the boat was flung down to the other side of the arena. Both Sachi and Ray had been tossed back against the outer wall of the boat while Lyra and Dion barely had a chance to stabilize themselves.
Sachi pushed himself up to see the other combatants now at odds with each other, all except for one man with a missing arm.
"Get back here! I'm not done with you, bastard! I'll cut you open with your own goddamn weapon when I get the chance!"
Sachi pulled Ray back up as he looked towards the other two, and they held the same expression that he did.
"What the hell do we do now!?"
Dion pushed himself forward. "Hold on, Sachi. I might have an idea."
Dion leaned over the railing and spoke to Sachi.
"This could either trivialize this game, or kill us entirely."
Sachi nodded, placing his hand on his chin. "It's risky... But it just might work."