"No??"
"No."
"What do you mean no??"
"I just came…" she struggled to free herself. At least one of her wrists that wiggled on the loosely tied rope. "From my island…" she tried again and again.
"To find my parents… and to find my friend…" her wrist managed to escape one of the three ropes tied on her. One the other side, the person heard what she was saying, since the ropes were slightly loose, and they were both tied with the same ropes, it freed him more than it did her.
"Parents?? Friend?? So what?? You just got unlucky by landing here. Now, you can't do what you want."
She struggled again, freeing the second rope with slight red marks on her wrists due to the tightness and friction. She heard a light thud behind her as the ropes freed her fully and she dropped.
"Boss!! Something's happening!!" Otto was told as he looked back. Alloy acted on the free opportunity immediately, summoning her right katana in a flicker of black mist that shocked Otto and his men. Shadows rippled from her blade, unfurling into a powerful wave that surged forward and slammed into everyone in front of her. The force sent five men hurtling back into the twisted swamp, their bodies crumpling into unconscious heaps.
The boy behind her had been ready to flee, but after witnessing the effortless carnage, he stood frozen, eyes wide.
Otto's face twisted with anger, the veins along his temple bulging. He staggered to his feet and lashed out, summoning a thick vine that snapped from the damp earth. Alloy's sharp eyes caught the movement—she cut the vine clean in two with a single swipe, but the distraction left her open. Otto's fist drove into her stomach, forcing a sharp cry from her lips. Pain flared, slowing her movements.
She gritted her teeth and jumped back, flicking her right wrist to summon her second katana. Both blades shimmered into existence, their edges flickering like liquid obsidian. Without wasting a breath, she charged forward.
Otto's vine shot out again, curling to catch her ankle. Alloy's foot snagged, but she pushed forward, front-flipping into a perfect recovery before breaking into a sprint. The swamp's strange effects began to swirl around her vision — colors shifted, the deep purples turning into disorienting streaks of grey. The swamp was playing tricks on her, and she barely saw the fist before it smashed into her face.
Her body crashed past the gnarled tree that had pinned her earlier, landing hard in a patch of damp earth. Both katanas flickered in and out of existence, the unstable shadows wavering in the thick air.
"Who does she think she is?!" Otto's voice boomed.
"She's just a weakling!" one of his men sneered.
"Yeah! Our boss can't be beaten like that!"
The boy took his chance, spotting an abandoned axe on the ground. He grabbed it and hurled it with shaking hands. The weapon flew true, but one of the fallen men stirred just in time — the blade buried itself deep into his shoulder. He let out a choked scream before slumping back into the muck, fully unconscious this time.
"That brat is free too!!" the others yelled, breaking into pursuit.
As the boy scrambled through the mud, he stumbled upon a rusted pistol discarded in the dirt. He grimaced at the slimy feel of it in his hands.
"Ugh, this is nasty…" Alloy muttered, forcing herself to stand. Her blue eyes flicked around, taking in the wreckage of what was once a makeshift campsite. The swamp had consumed most of it — torn tents, shattered crates, and scattered belongings.
'Who would wanna camp here?' she thought.
Wet squelches of footsteps reached her ears. Her head snapped toward the noise, locking onto the boy sprinting toward her. His sharp, sunken eyes fixed on someone behind her — not on Alloy, but on his pursuers. His short, spiky hair stuck out in messy clumps, dark red streaked with black at the tips. His clothes were tattered, a tunic and pants clinging to him with grime and sweat.
Alloy's brows furrowed. She didn't know who he was — until he shouted.
"Use your attack!!"
His voice jolted through her memory.
Her hands tightened around her swords. Otto stormed after them both, vines twisting at his sides like living whips. Alloy clenched her jaw, fury bubbling beneath her skin. The bracelet on her wrist flickered quarterway red, a silent gauge of her rising anger.
She shifted her stance, both swords aligning near her right shoulder. The shadows around her flared, coiling at her feet.
"闇波 (Yaminami) — Dark Wave!!"
Her voice rang out as she swung both blades forward. The boy dropped to the ground just in time. A massive wave of darkness erupted from her swords, swallowing everything in its path. The men chasing the boy were caught mid-stride, their bodies collapsing as the shadows washed over them. Otto's bellow of rage was the last sound before the wave faded, leaving behind only silence.
Everyone who stood against her — unconscious.
Her blades dissipated into thin air as she ran to help the person up.
"Are you okay??" She asked as she held out her hand.
"I'm okay… who are you??" He replied, getting up from the ground as he towered above her.
"I'm Alloy!!" She said with a smile.
"What brought you here??" He asked.
"I'm looking for people to join me…"
"Join you??" He walked toward one of the fallen men behind them and took one of the guns they held. "Join you for what??"
"I'm building a guild… creating?? Funding?? I'm not sure of the word, but I'm looking for people to travel with me on my journey. Do you wanna come with me??" She asked, her eyes sparkling like stars.
"I heard you tell Otto that you're looking for your parents… and your friend." He said, ignoring her last question as he checked to see if the gun was in good condition.
"Yeah… now that I think about it, that's not such a compelling reason to ask you to join me…" She smiled nervously as she scratched her head.
"You don't even know my name…" he said as he walked back to her.
"I thought you'd tell me after I told you mine…" She chuckled nervously.
"Thank you for saving me, but there's something I need to do…"
"What is it??" She asked.
"I need to find my brother. He's the person who sent these people here."
"Your own brother send men to tie you up??!!"
"Yes… I haven't seen him for years, but now that he's close, he's been sending brutes to attack me for weeks in this swamp."
Alloy's mind was trying to decipher everything she was hearing, and that's when it hit her. She looked back at the site and noticed.
"YOU'VE BEEN LIVING HERE??!!" She jumped.
"Yes. I have… this is the only place in the swamp that doesn't smell like death and rot. Otto's people were the first to manage getting through the smells and illusions of this place."
"Illusions?? I could be seeing Illusions??!!" She asked as she got quiet and looked up directly at the person's eyes. He froze as he didn't know what she was doing. A second later a drop of sweat hit her cheek as she asked.
"Are you real??"