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Eye of the Storm

Raging War

By Laura CatherinePublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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The wind whipped around Gemma’s hair violently, threatening to blind her. Her chest heaves, not from exertion but from excitement, from that feeling of knowing one is doing what they were born to do. The smell of the sea surrounds her and she can feel a slight slosh of water in her boots, a sensation she has become acquainted with. Gemma had only been out to sea for a few short years but the amount of times she had seen land since then could be counted on one hand.

She narrowed her eyes and locked gazes with the man across from her, hand gripping the hilt of her sword tighter. The man - she doesn't know his name, she doesn't need to know his name - smiles back at her, his teeth black and his lips quirked in an overly confident way. This is exactly what Gemma wanted, this man -any man- to feel overly confident when they board her ship. She saw his front foot inch forward and could tell he was eager to dispatch of her quickly and move on to the captain, except what he doesnt know is she is the captain. She laughed inwardly and wrung her hands around the hilt of her sword one more time, she had to be patient. Giving away the first move would only put her a step behind.

The space between this standoff and the first move felt like an eternity, everything around Gemma seemed to slow down. The waves crashed against the side of the boat at a slow crawl, she could almost feel each individual droplet of the spray. Then, just as quickly as it started, it ends as he lunges for her, sword out in with utmost confidence that it would hit its mark. She only had to roll away to avoid the attack. With the momentum from the spin she made her attack and grazed the man's leg.

Stepping back, he reevaluated her. She could feel the smile spread across her face; manic and wild. She knew she shouldn't but she made the next attack, jumped into it in order to gain a leg up. Their swords clashed for the first time and a metallic clang rang out nearly louder than the ocean itself. They made several passes up and down the deck with very little ground in the battle gained by either of them.

Realistically he had several pounds of muscle on her and probably proper training, but she had things to lose. The exertion in her attacks was as plain as day and he took the chance to wrap two hands around the hilt of his sword and cleave it toward her neck at a speed that would have taken her head clean off. A ragged gasp escaped her as she ducked, his sword hitting the mast of the ship with a THUNK! The vibrations from the metal made the man release his sword, as embedded as it was in the wood.

She took the opportunity to laugh maniacally and kick him onto his back, stepping over him with her sword pointed at his throat.

“This will teach you to board my ship and act like you can take it from me. I'm going to make you suffer for a while and I am going to take pleasure in your pain, I’m-”

He swept her leg and she found herself on her back, cursing her own hubris for getting caught up in the moment. She always wanted this opportunity to come where she could protect what is hers and she’d just flubbed it. It took a second for her to regain her breath and get up and by that time he had already reclaimed his sword from the post in which it was stuck out. The battle waged on and Gemma gained a few steps, slicing across the man's arm only to lose one again when she stumbled and took a slice to the abdomen.

The deck became slippery and only then did Gemma start to worry. After a particularly close pass between the two, both of their swords clashed against each other, steel sliding down steel, Gemma was able to push the man back for a bit of space. She looked around and tried to figure out her next move. The answer came to her in the form of a rope hanging down toward the edge of the boat. With a running start she jumped and caught the rope, using her momentum to swing off the boat - her body dangling over the water for several long seconds- before the momentum took her back into the boat. She stuck her legs out and with all her might she kicked the man square in the chest, sending him flying across the deck once more.

She landed, one knee on the ground to stabilize herself as she looked up through a curtain of her own sea dampened hair and she knew she was about to end it. She strutted over to the man once more, though she knew now not to waste time with words as she poises her sword over his chest. As she was about to make the final blow, heart hammering with accomplishment and weary excitement in her chest...

“Gemma! Gemma! Hello, earth to Gemma? Are you even listening?” She comes back as she sits in her office, eyes focused on the painting of a ship on the horizon hanging on the wall across from her desk.

Heaving a heavy sigh she realized her day dream was cut short and she had to go back to work. She looked at the door into her office at her boss, “Yeah sorry, I was just lost in thought. What did you need?”

She may never be satisfied with her nine to five, but there was always the promise of getting lost in the sea of adventures in her own mind.

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