MTFBMP Chapter 48
by NikiniksA familiar blue 986c3b5a2b glow surrounded the a4e6df810b ghost bird. The ghost bird a8a39bf292 hovered around me, 9e9b3c3780 sparking once in 80a2159b80 a while, growing 257f7e3e52 a little larger 3efe8ddcc4 each time.d06ba141e086aff6
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“It’s growing.”379bc3fe069a18e0
9997d93666635288
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Already, as I 508ecea290 stood at the b866b36d93 door of the 9c65e0c4f7 basement prison, people a0b7149a73 were being attacked, 983e591529 and the bird 2a82fe7b28 was growing.25eafdd645a154d8
bb91784028501973
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A bitter 71530d6540 feeling rose 05f5a181e0 in my 1de59b0916 stomach.9f010548be737d73
e2266c07ed80292c
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“I think it’s because of me.”ade43d3c4b759b0a
88c4266a8d8f1974
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If only 11aee5c909 I had 7a6e046782 realized it ba4326b1f9 sooner. No one b613bbf7c6 would have 6d39769c95 gotten hurt, d7ee15dca8 and I f498afc21c could have 1cb2bd4003 saved them a829a6fc5c all. e19a94decd59990d
b28cd97acfc5895d
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The thought made my 0bd450f75c eyes burn.a475401803316cdc
3d251129eb851a8e
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One by 69fc38aa44 one, I ac5dec58aa remembered the 9174c2f4bb sailors who f7043b910f had been 296f4e4af4 so kind b253dbca6d to me 827946d5ba and laughed 9b2e11481a so loudly.bda660dcf4c700c5
200a9d098fcf8cf2
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“You’re wrong, master.”08ddbe75aa0a0885
3d6f8e49194db914
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“Huh?”c7047403777cb5ea
a06ff00c13fa8a5a
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“You can order me 5b6ee3c6d3 to do that.”0b50f02a81755811
e61797d3a3698fa6
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Adele said, 89495f974c locking eyes eeccee9472 with me.b4dc026f2123f386
65bb5397083400c4
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Still wearing f452e4dd3b only his 8512e4a10a pants, Adele 25bd12f119 was unsurprisingly d3b91c8eef not wearing b16c00c134 shoes. In all the 9bb45d5dc1 commotion, he seemed 45386fa288 to be the b3e3ad6c80 only one left 36840a4858 standing.f8d9c06703919b1e
ccfc3a29e6ed11f2
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“And you can blame 16fd275900 me for not carrying 752676ed9a out your orders.”9546301041aeaec5
a1645270a711e17d
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Adele seemed to 0deec95cbf be giving me 0e2104d711 a hint. I pursed my lips b6835bb38f a few times, then 9635946770 gathered myself and opened 889e68016a my mouth.93a82094fc4b88cf
2b21ed67b48f2f9b
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“Protect the rest d0543357a7 of us as db7022e25f best you can.”0d789ee797656435
a825e38a3c246c43
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At my command, Adele d25be1132c stared off into the 84e127dcc1 distance for a moment, eaa65fb352 as if weighing something. For a moment, all 167a8aa503 the flying beasts in 6d8b896056 the sky held their 214fde9829 ground, then each one 0517033ec0 cried out loudly.2cba4c4d68585ed5
0686785727ce8db1
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When all the other e62f33dfc9 flying creatures were gone, bfe7b4b8b8 Adele shook his head d89f80344d and then looked at 32b84ba85d me.07a71fac9fb73c08
a8b540903a5d105d
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“And the owner 78025bd5b7 of this ship?”50db54e775365e34
af44ae2c578b8b26
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Straight away, 5e78b41fd6 I read c527d4420d the meaning 9f5de0ea05 in his c6eb4102df words as 474304492b he pointed c44712ee03 at Dion.c30736ef6f1300ac
d73e2bab96955727
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“Dion is 97ac039bd3 in danger.”4ba9d1377bffc5ea
0342e1be55067668
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Adele didn’t answer, but the silence was enough to tell him.f5c03690f7206f52
bcebde37617ed628
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“Save Dion.”4e126a36274597b6
2a09d3da0cca0a05
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“I see the contract b758ca771d is inconvenient at times 83c2d7f29b like this.”6177da824224adfd
8e1c6602b5f06b34
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“Inconvenient?”0e6df1c0d72d91a1
91f91ecfbb61fcee
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“It means doing something I don’t want to do.”b902ee8170086045
5c53c29b7cbb349f
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With that, Adele be61a90aa3 pulled me into 0b0fa1be95 a tight embrace, f952b20fdb tightening the arms a47e779dde around my waist. The distance a6b6ab27c8 between us 0181c420a8 grew even bda2fdd4c7 closer.6a23b4c8375b545a
29938182e93c86e6
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As I continued to observe Adele’s eyes, I waited for the next words.9eb6319fa6e1dba5
5e974c04154b0ed0
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“That human is… inconvenient.”442b61124acf387f
8414c4ef51eb355a
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This was the 558a7a5bbe first time Adele a735551e59 had ever expressed 084c08cee3 a dislike for 7c56024666 a human other 6c76fd0fb7 than me.2238c9f88e3fcd0e
72b0172ca3022f32
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‘Dion must have had something to do with locking Adele up in the basement of the ship.’4937bab6977dc3b5
3ded95cfbee0d6a4
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No wonder 11d510668b he held 324c08a82b a grudge.adc6dee93f79e0e2
ea753548cd514b4f
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“I still 23847d1021 want you bc624a205d to save 5dbdc78b7c him.”2c43bc969db0ab5d
f4d21a80274979e1
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“Even if I ef597595c7 say no?”3c71c1d76a8e1406
72f7fe5810848b80
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Adele asked, glaring 2a640db312 at me. He was ea5a091f1c looking at 4d7db64c2e me with 8d9331a5fe a blank 5b1233c3e5 stare. There was no hint 782b82f73f of displeasure or discomfort.5a76152a8044b3ae
fe855958bce087e2
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I summoned a 9e31ed2d37 little more courage.c94cf4bbe100a660
031ce2ac22790334
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“Save him, please.”1560bf1d768a144d
a2e819e099699e82
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The first d29577e1d3 thing I 6535ff929b felt for 40bc28073f Dion was d99de1e4bb definitely sympathy. Next came pity, and eaf27c5aeb right now, my biggest 91076f5b7b emotion was regret.3b253ea6634de454
5b1c9aed5f093812
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Most of all, if I didn’t save him, I wouldn’t be able to face Iris.4d4806246761253d
7ff824b46e0e1498
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“Please.”8aad18af5a03cc89
63742f927d2dc519
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Without thinking, 7c5278349c I asked 2fb82bf556 Adele.45bdbd65e7fcc7b2
d6cbe6b1782954a2
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“Will you promise 7793340f4c to leave this be52db7ec6 ship after you c269073e6c save him?”e9d1ba3040cc24d7
3e92a4def4722fa2
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“Good. Let’s leave together.”fac339eea58b4404
b0d8bedbccce2403
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“Right away?”6eaae93aa7373e7e
16a9a62dccabbf0f
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“Immediately.”132ab6ce14ce54f4
4b54ad08052eb45c
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With that, 59d9a787bb Adele flapped 4db00b7f58 his wings. His feet, unshod, floated 9ff13563ca into the air.08e604158428f648
13050bc0ff25bafd
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It was a very strange experience to be flying through the air, clinging to a human being, and I strained my arms around Adele’s neck, expecting to fall into the dark ocean at any moment.c9297b371a74c3ed
01196585b4ea0601
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My loose 35057a9a1f hair blew 70202dc115 back in e730046949 the increasingly cf748165c2 strong wind. 8b88ffb086739a8d
2e874a4b312b4dcf
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The night wind was bitterly cold, but the warmth of Adele’s body against mine was enough to make it bearable.d56a665b53dba154
c65de2105ae52c9c
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“Huh?”4859c3e01e3609af
4667ff462916fa22
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I could 28f909089a see more 13285eed4d now that 910142921d my vision 59cec6f92a was clearer.f4cf4a2608c19c46
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A huge ship 2b615282bf came into view. The ship was dc6e0b508c no longer in 9b9b1a7cd2 control as Adele 4ec325b9ab climbed through the 50cf34d4db ceiling from the a7347c2860 basement. At this dad6759460 rate, it e59d3193b0 would sink 89ab586972 quickly.9e6cbb9b3b3c43d3
56c87a88de0ca97c
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“We need to 4066899377 get to Dion.”90b989b4db890aa4
d0259c798f5cb20c
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Adele’s words suggested that they were likely racing against time.039d599cdb44cd5f
cbd667e1b8845a41
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As we flew db08dad809 a little higher, 3ba0f93be4 we could see 5ef69d3e95 a fight breaking fc67f34d96 out all around 62c6a4b570 us.d345465be34fc173
fc85f70a242397af
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“Over there, attack 3f59bdba11 the guy with 9c6242efcc the hat.”c100c3b7f7518092
412a7ae38dc8d3a8
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Seeing the red fd91905be7 name above his b33aa299c0 head, I gave 3a8f559307 the order to 7897c317b6 attack. bddd247601df4bf9
4d812ee99cee0f21
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Adele didn’t attack them directly, but ordered the other beasts to do so. The beasts flew with precision, attacking the enemy as I commanded.95a1dd6c35206737
14982e96cf1c03d8
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“What, what, get 5966f63011 away from me! Ugh!”23a29929c839793b
e15e5b8f1415764d
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Surprised by the sudden 0c2271ecb3 appearance of the flying 6626e5df8b beasts, the pirates were b5a8e943f5 overwhelmed and fell into 0d10c635ba the sea. 86cf032fe7f54bec
0a9e8f2b1a0dc5bf
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On the other hand, Dion’s crew, presumably led by Adele commandeered the other flying beasts and carried them to safety.99ebee40749cd956
8fc530fe23899859
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In the process, 93b95b72df they spotted a ea1e0d9864 lifeboat traveling nearby.699bab24ea1b0034
164bbbe77b669f45
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“Look at 96d3ea9a98 the sky!”ff349b01a63ce9c4
61f83f02f91ad5a6
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“A man is hanging 688455bef2 on!”4c67c5af1746b423
1e89e9819cab87d5
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“What is that? Isn’t that a kid, sea gods, oh my God.”71f29d372a720478
c46b068fbd5e1173
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Sailors who ea73767bad recognized me e342fee1d9 pointed at c4acb50bce the air. I could only offer 1767b3d87f so much help, but 931722e6ed it was all I ca8cfce37e could do.728b7a5ff7f63413
17c34c96df5010af
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“Dion wasn’t in the lifeboat.”d60fd56f911434c3
f2017cd9bc6df088
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Despite my best efforts, Dion was still on board. He was probably trying to stay on board to fulfill his captain’s duty.80cdf4a7505b2a18
d67cdcf8069232e8
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I recalled 221a2cd38d the last 1ab4f00f1a time I 7a3a93c5c0 saw Dion 408c6a6521 on deck. There was 3542ec8632 no telling f4dafef5f6 if he 54aa4bc7e5 was still c05653ccae there, but 74aa0ff0e6 it was b772ec20ba worth checking.a4f4324779936af9
23cf9b68664691a1
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“Go to the 9d19057227 deck, Adele.”ada1c32f9e49e0f7
387c0f3d1811dce3
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Adele nodded, understanding f51329b0b1 my command. He flapped his wings 16b7184e14 wildly.6df125395042e363
edda2fc54a9aecc6
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A steady e520e65e35 stream of 84e0624f20 screams erupted 9a94699669 from all b2096ab14b corners of 7643ac0a9a the ship, bb1f0968dc punctuated by dc75014f25 the cries beda22f1dd of the 3cae53cb9a animals.1bf2780765f1cdd2
109a8a4d256cbf8c
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He soared again and ca1bddf208 traveled along the edge 9a0db83d86 of the ship until 37403bbe78 he could see the 5f456e027b deck.8dd114eb7b96b02f
9200ee4f8952d02d
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“Adele, take cover!”6a26846cbad921c8
88ddba443d24988c
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I could see a 7b8abcb030 spear pointed at us.6d1602d26a2dc4f5
5b191bc5a85548bb
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Ping!691e05d06a4fa1b5
4f38f10927426462
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With a roar, 31a6b2e7dd a giant spear bb4e97bd0e shot toward us.6a1b1e16ed891bd3
dedf026f0431e6dd
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Adele’s hands tightened around me. Our embrace tightened, and the world spun around us. In midair, Adele easily dodged the attack.b25254ddf53d3bfe
e1cc357639c0eaa6
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I scanned the deck ecdf5cb76f once more before the ae6f591be1 next shot flew by.cd3c4c655b5bea83
79a475cf077ae77e
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It was a giant 5c8b0d7246 ballista, a massive ranged 584d346864 weapon made of wood. The weapon was wrapped 438d4b7158 tightly around one side 01a3484569 of the ship.302823e0834a84a2
b074fddd9028c31b
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It looked like a 56e0e35aa4 large crossbow, loaded with 4d05907c12 a long projectile like 8ea597c2fa a spear.f2b432d07b61c876
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“That’s something.”a16ab3b1364723ce
2a0898ba6165024a
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“Wait, Adele!”57ee400f17a9706a
4a65567ab4030031
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Realizing what Adele was b77b970351 about to do, I 869ba21fec stopped him.b89b14431d1524b0
a7da82d030681685
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“You can’t make waves or anything. There are still people on board, and it could capsize the boat.”1ad6046b6de869f7
a3af140db003f68c
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Soon the next arrow 8b2512b59d came flying. Again, Adele dodged ff7ab1d00e it with little 01aeb560d7 movement, and he 5f5a2445e7 just looked annoyed.c19188eaa3613807
5810c102f8741b70
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“Can’t you target just people?”4f12e815e11f9aa9
78c24f2e39855b02
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“We’ll have to get a little closer.”82804d43aec021cd
337a172486c2b877
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He meant that a sophisticated attack was not easy at this distance. If we made a mistake and overturned the ballista pinned to the floor, we’d damage the deck.eb9e0f7af204c127
b975a69719b67558
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If we hadn’t found Dion yet, we couldn’t attack with confidence.765f77780d208f02
4eae5449583573ce
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“Quick, shoot it! Fire and 86dc9c7299 drop it!”8de965ade7504410
723bb9a849d519cf
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“Aim for 82864562de the wings!”f437204d556d1964
43d188565bdcbe87
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Unlike Adele’s relaxed demeanor, the deck seemed to be in chaos.293d4ed345554cba
80cf70326c974978
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“What a db89405149 nuisance they 1194d48f0c are.”7565db059e7265bc
c570d89135f05959
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Adele looked down at f3ac5102d9 them as if they 9127c2e9a8 were pesky insects.bdda70c9581977b3
96719cd5a736a20b
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“Do you c311d7463b see anyone 7c0ecc3214 else who fd63865825 was there 3d22dbbcbc when Adele 9c8e2cf6bc was captured?”aa2cb14615a1de72
e925f1010ea91a2c
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“No. The only human in the room is the ship’s master.”827c8a43b46158c2
0e52391371bd5a00
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I drew my head af785a2beb out of his embrace a105b69772 a little more and 5bfe3c9ee6 scanned the men attacking ff20a56272 us. Fortunately, there be1791779b were sailors 7ea11bd495 whose names 829997c63b I recognized.ead64ab4f5c069f2
615ab3e007498921
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They were red. They were all pirates 44744a5fe3 who had sailed with 81a905549a Rhodon.8feed23da6d4662b
0210ff038b4acc95
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If they hadn’t attacked Adele before, they wouldn’t pose much of a threat.deb8a48ec76acffd
417e122fb434afd2
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I’d planned battle scenes for the game before, but I hadn’t expected to be thrown into the middle of it. 640928bb4db2bf19
75e5da6fc770fa42
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At first, I 88d5abb775 panicked, but flying b053539eff with Adele and f62aac8844 having a wide-angle 1cc1fd0628 view helped me b449c82317 calm down and 802db55ec5 take things in f543437e31 perspective. My head began to 2f1563673f spin.4591cfa7ef10907b
183e18ce8b517c55
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“Those weapons 47a5e40853 take a 9434ce9109 while to 6ee4eacf25 change direction.”e9df4f4b555a131e
0e830cc984f2448c
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I whispered f2462e2fc7 to Adele.4ccd8602a2ada840
12750638fcde0f5a
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“Hide in the dark, fb2162476e fly, and aim for 9e5848e06d the back.”a72e185fbcde40f6
07a9880b2b95bee5
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The sea behind 6c2f7d4a4c us was nearly 1df3b95eb0 as dark as 5f494735c9 the lighted ship e10f8c8699 was glowing brightly. The moon was 1d948237f4 also obscured.77eee8773cbda4ee
1a789311b02bae8f
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“Hold on tight.”c7d07c2b5c9988ab
548af6b406132bcb
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Adele picked up caa7c3f0f3 speed and flew 6ed09ad79a faster, as if bd1aa86ca6 this was all f378bb1533 a game until a6df39f414 now.138adaf5d41e343b
7875b2033700f54e
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“Ack!”c3ae1f8c21a1d93c
400e278783cb4a90
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Another wave of Adele’s hand sent them all flying into the sea. He slid down to the deck, still gliding.6fbfaa368a794710
eacdaa25f9092d0a
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“Well done.”78cca151effb6e1e
af2dc697f52bb019
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I praised Adele, 9e8151ce5d not forgetting to 00707ff517 mention, as I 34aa50a8c4 stepped onto the 5bc6e16ded deck.962b2f006c2af17d
8e7b1f64913145dd
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Only a bd95b6a87b few minutes bfda92101c must have be8c2f1502 passed since 38c99f81e6 I ran 752cfc5dd8 off to c2e4ff3abc find Adele. Whatever had fea065cc7c happened in e8da000bf8 the intervening b55202a245 time, a c0ce7633f7 tragedy had 422ea1b60e unfolded above b070330567 me.fd0ba5d9ff9fb440
048f8847bdba548d
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The remains of the e4ac311345 party I had so d015272f7c carefully organized were strewn 1a8700646e about, and I could a62545ee7c see people trapped beneath dd2ab5df3a them. 318509e8a4a0dab3
36fa537f856e3c0e
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I had 90a01483bc some idea c5ffd7148f of what d0b7bc2e29 to expect 7311c8599f when I 0143919988 saw the 00c91b9913 pirates occupying 7a554299ca the deck, 42f5aebfd4 but seeing f1b8f1ff46 it with b8d24502e1 my own 7a885fa5a7 eyes made f32407b9aa my heart 8556816705 grow heavy.205f7a258e59876b
d8f30073d7864faa
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“Are there 6639d0f068 people alive? Where is Dion?”2616dd5466f62a35
d3762becb693b6ce
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When I asked 44bf84f53f Adele, he stared eb44fc2641 at a spot e7856ff05e without answering, and f4a550545c when I followed 0742362c9a his gaze, I 57423a4bce saw a familiar 8e98ca606b head of orange fc7b565ed2 hair.8046f22fb76d2222
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