Chapter 9 – Island Breakpoint
Split from each other in the chaos, the scattered escapees now pressed through the island from all directions, each with only a single destination burned into their minds:
The cargo dock at the top ridge.
Rell had whispered it to them in the cage. A fallback point. A last gamble. He had overheard two pirate guards talk about it—the only offload dock that connected to the mainland routes.
“Head north. Stick to the rocks when you can. Meet at the top. I’ll find you.”
Group One – Ko Mala + 2 Children
They moved like a silent storm.
Ko Mala didn’t speak, didn’t flinch, didn’t stop. One child clung to his back. The other followed close behind, mimicking his every footstep through the moss and root.
They crested a narrow slope and froze.
An outpost of pirates had been stationed at a tree-fort checkpoint ahead. Six men, light gear, bows. Laughing.
Ko Mala exhaled through his nose.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
He walked right into them.
Two arrows flew.
He caught one. Let the other stick into his shoulder.
Didn’t matter.
He was on them before the next man reached for his sword.
The children didn’t watch.
They just kept walking.
Group Two – Thessia, Lirah, and an Older Teen Elf
The jungle terrain turned jagged in the upper wilds, forcing them to move slowly.
“Watch your step,” Thessia whispered.
Lirah nodded, clutching her hand.
Suddenly—shouting ahead.
Pirates. Not many, but armed.
Thessia stepped in front of the girls and drew the blade she’d taken from a fallen scout. She moved like she was in the arena again—sharp, brutal, efficient.
One pirate got close.
Too close.
She slashed his leg at the knee and slammed the pommel into his jaw. Another dropped from a branch above, but she pivoted and stabbed up.
They didn’t get near the girls.
Not even once.
Group Three – Neyxa
She walked alone.
Light. Fast.
The jungle parted for her.
But she wasn’t alone for long.
Three scouts from the shadow faction spotted her crossing a clearing. They raised their weapons.
“Pretty thing like you shouldn’t be out here alone.”
She smiled.
Didn’t say a word.
A flick of her wrist. A slice of her blade.
The first one choked.
The second one spun.
The third never even raised his spear.
She stepped over them without breaking stride.
Then paused… just for a second.
Looked behind her.
Then kept walking.
Group Four – Rell
Rell tracked three different trails: Neyxa’s faint footwork, Ko Mala’s crater-like impacts, and blood — not his, but fresh.
He kept moving north.
Through snake pits. Past ancient stone idols. Beneath tree roots as thick as rooftops.
Eventually, he found the remains of a pirate forward camp.
The smell of burnt canvas.
The sound of wind in empty armor.
A fight had happened here.
Rell knelt beside a broken arrow shaft and a crushed ring of mushrooms.
Ko Mala’s work.
He smiled, just slightly.
“They’re still moving.”
Meanwhile, back at the ruined main base, Yvonne stood over a map.
Blood dripped from his cracked knuckles onto the parchment.
Two runners had reported in. Six were still missing. He didn’t care.
His vice admiral stepped up beside him.
“We’ve got sightings from the southern paths. One team was taken out near the ridge spine.”
Yvonne stared at the map, not speaking.
“You want me to send the war group? We still got the firecrackers.”
No answer.
Just a twitch.
Then Yvonne’s cursed arm coiled tight, blackened bone showing through burned skin.
“Captain?”
Yvonne finally looked up.
“Fine,” he growled. “I’ll do it myself.”
Chapter End.