Red woke to the feeling of sun on his face. For the first time in days, he actually felt rested. He wasn't sure how long he'd slept or what time it was; he just knew he felt good. Far better than when anxiety had been bearing down on him. Zara had given them a place to sleep and some simple military rations before disappearing. They'd all slept. Even Derrin, despite his insistence otherwise.
Red pulled the blanket off himself and glanced around. The barracks were empty save for Vizim in an opposite cot. He was still asleep, and Red was inclined to let him stay that way. He had seen the weight bearing down on him evaporate at the news of his friends potentially being alive. Red was glad for him. Vizim needed some good news. Now that he had it, he needed some proper rest.
Derrin wasn't around, so Red dropped to the floor and ventured out into the daylight. He paused at the door of the barracks. His gaze glided across the fort's expanse surrounding him. In daylight, it was a far more impressive sight. The central courtyard was massive. Red guessed it was somewhere around half a mile in diameter. However, the fort was much bigger than just the simple courtyard.
With the banishing of night, Red could make out nearly a hundred buildings in a circle around him. He wasn't even certain what most would even be used for, but that wasn't what caught his eye. There were massive towers evenly spaced around the fort. Each of them, no doubt, contained cannons or other deadly weaponry.
Red could now understand why the pirates would want this fort so badly. If they could gain control of it, they'd be able to defend against any minor army. Attackers with more heart layers were still a danger, but they couldn't be everywhere at once.
That meant the pirates needed the fort, but they couldn't risk destroying it. They may have been better off doing so, but Red saw their potential vision. As it currently stood, one proper invasion force could clean them out. What Red didn't understand was how Zara had managed to hold the entire fort alone.
After a moment, he began wandering across the courtyard. He heard the sounds of blades echoing from one end of the fortress. It didn't take a genius to understand what was happening. After a minute of walking, Red spotted what he had expected.
There was a large training area. Dummies and targets were arranged in spots for aim training. There were racks of weapons as well. Swords, spears, axes, and even bows hung on the wall despite the existence of shockblast weapons. In the center of a large dirt clearing, Red found Derrin and Zara facing each other.
Not wanting to disturb the two fighters at their work, Red found a nearby barrel and took a seat. Derrin wielded his customary blade, standing a few steps back from Zara. His face was beaded with sweat, and he looked far more exhausted than in any fight Red had seen him in before. Opposing him stood Zara. Her mistblade glowed a strange purple color as she batted away a strike from Derrin.
Despite her being stronger than Derrin, Red could tell she was also tired. Not nearly to the extent of Derrin, but they must have been at it for a long while. Her bluish hair had been tied back to prevent it from covering her eyes during their bout.
The two fighters engaged again in a fury of strikes. Red had trouble following the attacks, so quick were they. However, he managed to notice a few crucial things from the simple battle.
Derrin was clearly a better swordsman. His blade always found its mark, and he fought with a calm precision despite his fatigue. Simply being a better swordsman was not enough. Zara had more heart layers. She was stronger, faster, more durable, and could fight far longer than Derrin. She wasn't a slouch in sword fighting either. All of these combined together to give an edge despite her not being as skilled.
The two continued fighting for a few more minutes. The rattle of steel against mist still echoing like a pair of steel blades. The fight slowly began turning against Derrin. His exhaustion began getting to him. While both of their attacks had grown slower, Derrin's slowed at a much faster rate.
His blows began coming too slow to catch Zara off guard, and his parries were barely reaching his target in time. Despite all of this stacked against him, he held on far longer than Red anticipated.
Derrin had a knack for fighting those more powerful than him. While he may never have fought someone as strong as Zara before, he still knew what he was doing. As a result, he quickly began compensating for his tiredness and slowness. Instead of allowing it to be a hindrance, he simply adjusted his footwork.
His feet would dance further backward, giving him enough time to raise and deflect a strike. His attacks were still not finding purpose, but he also seemed to be getting closer to landing a hit than earlier.
However, despite every piece of skill Derrin possessed, he could not overcome the tyranny of power that came from acquiring more layers. Zara adjusted to his change in fighting style and began compensating for her own swings. Derrin went in for another blow. It was too slow. He swung, and Zara sidestepped.
At this point, it was already over. Zara brought her blade over in an attempt to clip Derrin in the chest. Derrin didn't give up even in the hopeless situation. His blade swung long, and her blade flew towards his chest. Derrin dropped to his knees and managed to slide beneath the swing. If he had longer hair, the purple blade would have taken some of it off, so close was the strike.
Red studied in fascination the two experts before them. One fighter knew how to perfectly wield his slower body as a weapon. Utilizing it to offset his opponent. The other fighter knew how to perfectly abuse the tyranny that came with power. She gave her opponent no opportunities to outplay her.
Zara recovered first and ended the engagement before Derrin could regain his footing. Her purple blade gently tapped him on the shoulder, where he was still stumbling upwards. Red realized that both of their weapons had been covered in mist to prevent them from causing any real harm besides bruising.
Red no longer doubted how Zara had been able to hold the fort alone. She was a fighter who could rival Derrin, and that was without using any of her abilities. He was also certain that swordsmanship wasn't even her focal point. It was shooting. Zara would have been able to pick off any enemies from long distances, causing them to panic. Even if it came to close range, she could probably end her enemies faster than Derrin.
Overall, Red was fairly certain the only thing that actually posed a threat to her on the island was the pirate leader. He didn't know anything about the leader, but he didn't need to know much to know their king was strong. He had to be if he wanted to maintain his position.
If not for her captured companions, Zara would have possibly been able to take back the island alone. If the mercenaries had been allowed to arrive, the pirates' short reign over Valencian territories would have come to a drastic end. However, there was more to battle than simply the tyranny of power.