text: [Themes: fantasy, war, fantasy]
  
  You will not take part in his ultimatum. Two options are placed before you, but that does not mean you have to take either. You care immensely for both Lady Myrr and Caitlyn. Each is a part of you. Caitlyn is testament to your heritage and Myrr is your future. With a cry, you take the offensive. Whirling your blade around, you scoop a dagger off the ground and flip it to Cait who catches it with her bound hands. As she works on cutting the rope, you attack Darius with a series of upper cuts and low sweeps. He is able to block a few of your attacks before you catch him with a deep cut to his side. He clutches the wound and with his defenses lowered, you crumple him with a knee to the temple. Captain Kano and the rest of his crew resume their charge. Caitlyn finally gets his hands unbound and joins you armed with the dagger. With the rest of the crew engaged, your assault is brought to a halt. Again, you are forced to fighting back to back to survive.
  
  "We can't hold them much longer! Got any ideas?" Lady Myrr shouts as she parries and incoming blade.
  
  "I'm a little too busy to think of one now!" you shout back.
  
  A round object catches your eye on an incoming pirate. At his waist hangs a grenade. You quickly disperse the pirate in front of you and move towards it. Suddenly, Captain Kano blocks your way. He takes another puff at his pipe before swinging his cutlass at your head. Easily dodging the attack, you front roll forward and stab the pirate behind him in the gut. As he drops, you pull the grenade at his belt and turn just in time to block another attack from Kano. You parry a few more before directing his cutlass out of position. With Kano exposed, you bury your sword in his shoulder and rip the pipe from his mouth pulling a few teeth out in the process. Igniting the grenade with the pipe, you toss it into the mix of Kano's crew. The blast knocks you from your feet. Blinded by the smoke, a hand grabs your arm and pulls you through the dark mist and outside the villa.
  
  "Holy shit! Did you see that?" you exclaim to Caitlyn whose hand just led you out.
  
  "Saw. And felt," she replies. You notice a sizable wound at her side. The result of the grenade shrapnel.
  
  "Fuck, that looks deep. We need to get you medical attention."
  
  She waves you off.
  
  "I'll be fine. Just need to find somewhere to rest for awhile. This whole place is in an uproar. More crew from The Boar is probably on their way. We need to move."
  
  "Where's Lady Myrr?" you ask.
  
  "Don't know. Didn't see her escape. She could be dead for all I care. Does she really fuck that good? Why didn't you just kill her?" Caitlyn asks.
  
  "Now's not the time, Cait. For all I know, he would have just killed everyone anyway. You can't trust the word of someone who just betrayed their master."
  
  "Fair point. Let's get out of here."
  
  You aren't sure where Lady Myrr is. She could be captured by Captain Kano. Going back and looking for her could mean your death, although she was very clear that attempted escape would be punished by death. You don't think this would count as an attempted escape, but Lady Myrr has a vicious temper and you really don't want to be on the bad end of it.
  
  > Escape with Caitlyn
  There is no point in going back for Lady Myrr. You doubt she escaped the blast. Hell, you were lucky to even make it out. You and Caitlyn travel off the road to the center hub of Miranna. With an island full of fugitives and outlaws you figure it wouldn't be that difficult to lay low. Even though it's night, the place is still alive. The taverns almost never close. You and Caitlyn meander through the streets looking for a place to rest. Her skills must be remarkable because Caitlyn is even able to swipe a few coins from a passing by drunk to pay for the room. On the outskirts of the hub, you find a place: The Cove Inn. The place isn't rowdy like the others you passed by. A few depressed-looking sailors sit at the bar milking their drinks. You pay for a room, not having to say much to the Innkeeper. The service providers on Miranna didn't question wounded patrons. As long as they had coin. You help lay Caitlyn down on the bed and take a spot next to her.
  
  The next morning...
  
  You awaken with pain everywhere. The adrenaline from the night before had finally worn off. With a grunt you sit up to see how Caitlyn's doing. Her face is white and the wound at her side looks to be infected.
  
  "Shit, Cait. Your side..." your voice trails off.
  
  She barely manages to speak, "I'm sorry, Prince. I let Darius capture me and it's all my fault. Thank you for saving me. I know you grew close to Lady Myrr."
  
  "Don't say that. It's my fault. You'll be fine. Just need to rest up a bit. I'll go find us more money to pay for another night," you say.
  
  "Ever the fool, Prince. Will you tell my father I fought bravely?"
  
  "Of course, Cait," you say tears welling up in your eyes.
  
  "Thank you, Prince. I love—" her words cut before she can finish the sentence.
  
  You press your forehead to hers feeling the weight of your actions. If you hadn't grown so attached to Lady Myrr, you could have killed her and possibly escaped to Brelia with Caitlyn. Suddenly, you hear heavy footsteps coming from downstairs. You can't fully hear the conversation with the Innkeeper, but you clearly hear one word in particular: 'Upstairs'. Not taking any chances, you hurriedly put on your sword belt and grab your things. You hesitate, wondering if you shouldn't leave Caitlyn's body on the bed. What does it matter at this point? She's dead and you've lost everything. Every move stings as your bruises and open wounds remind you of the night before. It's not as bad as Cait got, you think. You escape through the window and make your way through the back alley to avoid whoever is downstairs. Out of nowhere, two street thugs appear in front and another two to your back.
  
  "What do we have here? A lost nobleman?" the ugly one to your left says. To be fair, they're both ugly.
  
  "What? No, why does everyone call me that... I'm really not in the mood for this," you reply.
  
  You try to push past them, but they stop you. Angry at your circumstance, you take it out on the street thugs. Turning on the two behind you first, you whirl around pulling your sword from your belt in one decisive movement. Your sword drives into the gut of one and your fist meets the other's face. As he's dazed, you rip your sword out and slice in an upward manner through his throat. You sense the others drawing near and turn to face them. Hindered by your injuries, you parry a few blows before being overtaken by their fury. As you bleed out in the alley, you think of home. You think of Cait.