Gabriel's head snapped up at once. Footsteps pounded overhead as steel rang out in hurried preparation. He rose without hesitation, sword already in his hand, the crimson fog held tight beneath his skin like a coiled spring.
His eyes closed for the briefest of moments.
"Righteousness Begets Cruelty" The words slipped from his mouth.
He would not let the ship fall. Not now, not when the road ahead had only just begun.
He climbed the ladder and emerged onto the deck into chaos.
Waves reared up like moving walls, crashing down as rain lashed across the ship. A smaller vessel had drawn alongside, its hooks buried deep in the rail as raiders poured over the edge.
They came armed with cutlasses and boarding axes, ragged men shouting as they clashed with the crew in a desperate melee. At the helm, the captain bellowed orders, his sword flashing as he cut down a boarder who strayed too close.
