The howling wind whipped across the frozen lake as Kael and Garrick faced each other on the storm-battered deck.
Snow swirled around them in violent flurries, the icy particles stinging their faces as they circled one another.
The wooden planks beneath their feet groaned in protest with each step.
Garrick swung his whip in lazy arcs, the crimson-coated metal links sparking against the deck.
Thwack! Thwack!
The sound echoed through the storm as red energy pulsed along the weapon's length.
"That little toy of yours won't save you, boy," he sneered, his breath forming frosty clouds.
Kael raised his glowing mechanical fist, the Engine's golden light cutting through the blizzard.
"Funny," he shot back, "I was about to say the same about your jump rope."
Without warning, Garrick's whip lashed out - Swish! - cutting through the air with terrifying speed.
Kael barely managed to duck as the deadly weapon passed inches above his head, severing a mast rope behind him.
The heavy timber crashed down between them in an explosion of splinters.
"You're quicker than you look," Garrick admitted, already coiling his whip for another strike.
"Kael, be careful!" the Engine warned in his mind. "His weapon has superior range and speed. We need to close the distance."
Kael wiped snow from his face, keeping his eyes locked on Garrick. "Working on it."
He raised his voice to taunt his enemy. "You talk too much, Garrick! Did your mother never feed you? Is that why you're so cranky?"
Garrick's smirk faltered for just a second.
"That's... surprisingly painful," he admitted.
"And accurate. My mother did forget to feed me. She forgot about me entirely."
The whip glowed brighter as he swung again. "Let's see how you like this!"
Kael dodged right, but not fast enough - the whip's tip grazed his left leg, tearing through fabric and skin. Blood immediately stained the snow at his feet.
"Not bad," Kael gritted through clenched teeth as Garrick tried to retract his weapon. "But not good enough!" He lunged forward and grabbed the whip's end with his mechanical hand.
Garrick's eyes widened momentarily before he grinned. "Big mistake. Tyrant Flash!"
A surge of crimson electricity raced down the whip.
DERRRRTZZ!
Shocking Kael violently. His body convulsed as the current ran through him, forcing him to release his grip and collapse to the deck.
Garrick chuckled as he reeled in his whip. "Thought it would be that easy to defeat my Engine?" He turned to his men. "Finish him. And bring me that -"
DOOR!
An explosion of celebratory confetti suddenly burst in Garrick's face, courtesy of one of his own men.
"What in the frozen hell was that?!" Garrick roared, wiping colorful paper from his eyes.
"Sorry boss!" the guard stammered. "I thought we'd won already! Wanted to celebrate!"
Garrick growled. "Idiot! You know the Tyrant Engine's weakness! Every time I use its power, my vision gets disrupted by random flying objects!" He kicked the hapless guard overboard before turning back to Kael's motionless form. "Now, where were we?"
As Garrick and his remaining men approached, Kael showed no signs of movement.
"Boss... is he dead?" one guard asked nervously.
"Seems like it," Garrick said, though a hint of doubt colored his voice. "Cut off that Engine hand and -"
BOOM!
Garrick's sentence ended in a grunt as Kael's sudden uppercut sent him flying backward through the ship's railing.
The Tyrant crashed through three wooden walls before coming to rest in a heap of splinters.
Kael stood tall, his Engine now pulsing with an intense blue glow rather than gold.
"Star Cosmos," he murmured, the words carrying an otherworldly weight.
The remaining guards stared in shock. "He's alive! Get him!"
What followed was a blur of motion. Kael moved like a whirlwind between the guards, his enhanced strength making each punch devastating.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
One after another, the men fell like dominos.
Swoosh!
A barrel came flying at Kael's head. He reacted instantly, smashing it mid-air with a single punch that sent wooden shards raining down.
Garrick emerged from the wreckage, wiping blood from his mouth.
"Impressive durability," he admitted. "Your Engine enhances your physical abilities beyond human limits. I want it even more now!" His whip crackled with renewed energy. "Tyrant Fang!"
The attack came faster than sound itself, the whip moving like a crimson laser through the blizzard. But just as Garrick released it -
FWAP!
A stray newspaper (blown by the storm) plastered itself across his face.
"Not again!" Garrick's muffled scream was almost comical as he flailed blindly.
The whip strike went wide, giving Kael just enough time to raise his mechanical arm as a shield. The impact still sent him skidding backward.
"His vision's compromised!" the Engine warned. "Now's our chance!"
"Engine, boost my legs!" Kael commanded.
"Activating!" Blue energy surged down Kael's legs as he charged forward.
"Don't let him get close!" Garrick ordered his men as he finally tore the newspaper away.
"But how, boss?" a guard asked stupidly.
"Use your bodies, you idiots!" Garrick snarled, lashing his whip around three of his own men.
Swack! Swack! Swack!
One after another, he hurled them at Kael like living projectiles.
"Noooo boss!" their screams faded as they flew through the air.
Time seemed to slow for Kael as he effortlessly dodged each human missile. Usingyourownmenasammunition? he thought. You'reevenworsethanIimagined.
Seeing his strategy fail, Garrick prepared one final attack. "Tyrant's -"
Kael had an idea. With lightning reflexes, he grabbed the pants of a dazed guard at his feet, yanking them off with one smooth motion.
The striped underwear flew through the air like a bizarre flag of surrender.
Garrick's eyes locked onto the fluttering garment with bizarre fascination. Greenandwhitestripes?Whosecouldthat - Wait, I'minthemiddleof -
BUUUUK!
Kael's glowing blue fist connected perfectly with Garrick's face, the impact sending the tyrant sailing backward - with the underwear still stuck to his face - in a graceful arc over the ship's railing.
The frozen lake swallowed him with an undignified plop.
Kael shook out his hand, watching the blue energy fade. "Star Punch," he murmured to no one in particular.
༓☾༓☾༓
Time passed. At the docks, the remaining guards paced nervously while the slaves huddled together against the cold, awaiting their master's return.
Through the swirling snow, a ship emerged from the darkness.
The guards cheered, thinking their boss had returned victorious. The slaves trembled in fear, expecting punishment.
BOOM!
An explosion of snow and blue energy announced the arrival - not of Garrick, but Kael.
The electromagnetic pulse from his Engine shattered every remaining slave collar on the dock simultaneously. The guards stared in horror as their prisoners stood free.
As the snow settled, Kael's blue aura illuminated the scene. His voice carried clearly through the storm:
"Leave now... or I'll make you leave."
The effect was instantaneous. Guards tripped over themselves in their haste to flee.
The former slaves stood frozen in shock before erupting into cheers. Sagu Village was free at last.
On the ship's deck, Lira watched as Kael's glow finally faded. She approached him as he swayed slightly from exhaustion.
"He'll be back, won't he?" she asked quietly.
Kael looked out at the dark waters where Garrick had disappeared. Somewhere beneath the ice, something moved.
"Let him come," Kael said, flexing his mechanical hand. The Engine gave one last faint pulse of blue light in agreement.
The storm, as if satisfied, began to calm.