Uneasy Alliance

[Mr. Moon]

Eric #1

For the Wolves under Eric´s leadership this was just another job. Their contact approached her during their brief stay on Mt. Obsidian, claiming to represent some minor noble, that wanted to hire their services for some delicate matter. From what the Wolf King understood from his pompous speech, his master was forced to deal with some gangsters with possible connections to the underworld and needed bodyguards just in case the thing wouldn´t go as smoothly as he hoped for.
It was pretty common request and although the offered pay was barely enough to hire them all, they were rather short on resources lately and so Eric accepted.
The meeting point was supposed to be on ship, around three days of sailing away from their final destination, the Cinna Island, meaning that the Wolves had a short journey ahead of them.
Two days later, they arrived to the right place. Small volcano, in the middle of nowhere, with a large sailing yacht anchored at it´s shore.
As they approached this luxury looking vessel, their guide contacted crew on the yacht to put them on easy and to prevent any possible misunderstanding.
Taking the helm personally, Eric led their boat to the coast aligning it to the starboard of the yacht. As the Wolves were anchoring their ship, the crew of the other vessel threw them ropes and ladder to allows them to climb up on their deck.
Always leading by example, Eric climbed first, meeting the distrustful eyes of the crew members. Nicely dressed stewards and sailors, who probably didn´t see a real fight in their lives. Even among these peacocks one was standing apart. Tall man in his early thirties with, with shoulder length black hair and green eyes, whose over overdecorated clothes were probably more expensive than the whole boat in Eric´s possession.
“Ah, Mr. Irongate, I am so glad, you made it!”
The muscles around Wolf King´s neck and jaw tensed when the young lord headed in his direction, showing his perfect teeth in wide smile. He hated this kind of people. They were the very epitome of things he was standing against, but...they were rich and he needed the money.
“Lord Lockhart”
Eric muttered in response on which the noble man laughed.
“Ah please, call me Andrew, I...”
He stopped for a moment, eyes fixated somewhere behind Eric´s backs.
“Ehm...excuse me Mr. Irongate but who are these people?”
The white haired veteran turned around to see Martin and the rest of his crew climbing up.
“Wolves, my people.”
Eric answered laconically.
“Ah...well, that´s awkward...you see, I was expecting you alone...”
The white haired veteran tilted his head to the side. He wanted to hire him alone? Than what about all the money? In their line of work, Wolves were among the Best in four Blues and so their services were rather expensive. For the money he offered them he could probably hire two or maybe three times more bodyguards and common mercenaries.
“Is that so?”
Eric asked.
“Well, you see, these people, they instruction were very clear. I am allowed to take only two bodyguards with me.”
This time, the Wolf King remained silent, as his second in command, Martin laughed behind his backs.
“Well, no problem with that, there is hardly anything in this ocean I and boss can not take care about.”
The nobleman turned pale.
“Yes, well, that´s the other thing...I already hired the other one.”
As he pointed somewhere behind him, Eric´s face turned from mildly irritated into mask of nearly murderous rage.

[Bobbie]

Behind Andrew, stood a man on the other side of the deck just as their most recent employer indicated by a simple pointing motion over his shoulder.

Despite being too far away to be a part of any conversation between Eric and Mr Lockhart, the man’s attention was clearly on their interaction as his gaze was fixed upon the newcomer. His eyes didn’t flicker or budge for an instant as they reflected their red glow that seemed to match the bright red shade of his hair and the overall colour scheme that was complemented by his red vest and the red stripes on the black sleeves of his shirt. One elbow resting on the wooden railing of the ship, his back to it, he raised his other hand to bring a cigarette to his lips and take a long puff. He turned his head to blow the smoke out to the side, simply out of respectful habit, causing him to look away for a second, but shortly returned his attention back onto Eric and Andrew, not shying away from eye contact.

Shinsei’s face seemed to change the more he watched the man, quite amused by the turn of events. This must be the second bodyguard that Mr Lockhart had mentioned, and judging by the rest of the crew behind the white-haired juggernaut of a man, the news was not taken very kindly that his entire crew would have to be sent back to find something else to do with their time after accompanying him out here for nothing.

Then came the look of pure rage as the stranger looked like he was ready to murder someone right there and then, which brought a little chuckle out of Shinsei. He’d be quite alright with watching him beat Mr Lockhart senseless if it hadn’t been made his job to keep the rich worm safe from harm. What a pity.

He finished his cigarette and looked down at the railing as he peeled himself off the sticky varnish. No ashtray was available, so he stubbed the burning lit end into the polished surface to snuff it out, then flicked it off. Sliding his arm along the railing, any remnants of ash from his bad habit were wiped clean in his sleeve and he began to make his way toward bodyguard number 2, a man of significantly larger stature than his own – had they met before Shinsei’s transformation, he’d have been genuinely quite intimidated.

He had to admit, perhaps a part of him still was.

“This him?” the red-head asked as he came up beside Andrew, eyeing Eric very closely, caution temporarily written all over his face. He then offered a friendly nod in the man’s direction, who, despite being younger than Shinsei really made the latter look like a pipsqueak in comparison. “You look a lot smaller from across the deck.” He joked in an attempt to mask the fact that, yes, that intimidation factor was definitely there and Andrew clearly had not gone wrong with his choice of bodyguard. He also hope that they could at least get started on the right foot, although he wasn’t quite sure whom that murderous look on Eric’s face was intended for earlier – the employer who misled him, or ‘the other one’ who seemed to take the place of his trusty lieutenant sidekick behind him.

It seemed that their introductions had gathered quite some attention on board as some crew members looked as if they were frozen mid-animation to eagerly watch what would happen next.

---

Shinsei: #ba0303

[Mr. Moon]

Eric #2

The white-haired warrior was beyond furious. Not only was this arrogant peacock throwing around money, like if they were nothing, but he also disrespected his people by inviting some outsider instead of them? If it wasn't bad for businesses and their reputation, he would crush that worm's face with his Wolf Bite. This time however he tried his best to control himself, only saying through clenched teeth.
"I don't work with strangers."
Andrew opened his mouth to say something, however, was silenced by some red-haired weirdo who made his way to them across the deck.
"Especially not with those who look like complete amateurs."
He added when the other guy presumably came to introduce himself. While some rational part of his brain knew that this guy wasn't responsible for what happened, he couldn't but feel irritated by his mere presence. Perhaps his color of choice was to blame.
"Now listen,"
He turned to Shinsei with arms crossed on his chest, completely ignoring the fact that the man standing in front of him was almost ten centimeters taller and at least five years older than him.
"I know it's not your fault and I am a sensible guy so why don't you make yourself a favor, take whatever you got in advance, and walk away."
Lockhart opened his mouth in silent protest, but Eric ignored him.
"Otherwise…"
No one ever learned what he wanted to say next as at the moment one of his men stepped forward. It was Martin, Eric's lieutenant, a tall man with short brown hairs who somehow managed to squeeze his heavily muscular body into a light-colored suit coupled with formal shoes.
"That's alright boss"
He smiled while walking towards Shinsei.
"No need to get worked up like that over such triviality. Especially when I can simply kill him and take his place."
His smile changing into a vicious grin.

[Bobbie]

Said red-haired weirdo raised both eyebrows and feigned utter shock by Eric’s initial words – amateur? Oh, the daggers that pierced through his heart with such cruel intentions behind those words. This sentiment was written all over the theatrically pained look on Shinsei’s face, but his playful smirk dispelled any sense of serious hurt behind it.

Then he was instructed to listen. This guy was already triggering a craving for another cigarette.

With a furrowed brow, Shinsei’s eyes were fixed on Eric, sobering up for the time being to listen to his words and just take in this man’s overall attitude. His previous words still rang in his ears – what part of him made him look like an amateur, exactly? Was it his colourful clothing? Was it his sense of humour? Or did his stride simply not please his muscular majesty? It was clear that neither of the two made a very good first impression on the other, and judging by the way this encounter is going, that's not going to change any time soon.

As he let the man go on, he raised an eyebrow and only glanced at Lockhart when he saw the movement of his lips. It was rather amusing to see the rich boy struggle to get a word in, and a part of him actually wanted to pat him away while the adults talked, but that didn’t seem like something that would sit very well with the young employer.

“Hmm..” Shinsei hummed, his attention turning back to Eric and he offered a subtle nod, his hands now tucked away in his pockets as his thumb of his right hand fiddled with the lighter that was securely stored in there. Much like Lockhart, he didn’t get much opportunity to interject or say anything, but unlike the fumbling money-pouch that the man was, Shinsei didn’t bother trying, and appeared to be considering Eric’s offer. It wasn’t until Martin showed up and made his proposition, that Shinsei opened his mouth to let out a hearty laugh, throwing his head back for a moment before swinging it back down to let it droop as his shoulders hiccupped with each laugh. Finally, he sighed and looked at Eric, and then Martin.

“Really, as exciting as that sounds – and believe me it really does sound thrilling – “ he paused to watch both of them, stifling another chuckle that threatened to resurface. Were all the men in this crew so jacked-up? This was ridiculous, Shinsei had no doubt that they could easily pummel him into the ground if they came at him. “I am going to have to refuse both of your very thoughtful suggestions. You see, I need more cash than just the ‘in advance’ payment.” His hands emerged from his pockets as he used air quotes to say that, before raising one hand to the corner of his mouth to conceal his lips from Lockhart and he spoke in a hushed tone, “Bit of a pinchpenny, if you ask me.” He glanced at the richest man among them for a brief moment, his sense of humour seeming to have very few boundaries.

Lowering his hand, he grinned as his eyes shifted yet again between Eric and Martin a few rounds, before resting on Martin. “And, well, I don’t really fancy dying today. Not like that, anyway.” Wanting to get a move on before he'd anger these men further, he finally turned to address the root cause for this entire conflict - Andrew Lockhart. "Shall we get going?"

With that, he gave in to his craving and brought out his packet of cigarettes and lighter, sticking one in his mouth and lighting up.

Oh boy, this is not going to be easy…

---

Shinsei: #ba0303

[Mr. Moon]

Eric #3

At first Andrew looked confused by their exchange, than scared and in the end frightened. Yet he still somehow mustered enough courage to step in.

“G..gentlemen please we are all reasonable people. There is no need for violence, we can just...”

Single glance from Eric was all it takes to silence this peacock in human form, forcing him two steps back. No, the Wolf King was everything but reasonable and for poor lord Lockhart this was probably the first experience with such primal, unfiltered savagery.

As for Shinsei, the white-haired fighter didn´t waste his breath. Instead of him, Martin responded with smile, raising his hands into stance resembling one used for grappling martial arts.

“I hoped you´ll say that.”

With these words, he rushed forward, but stopped on a request from the most improbable member of their group.

“Martin, Eric, please wait.”

These words came from Agnes. Tall and athletic looking woman in her early twenties, with long black hair, that was dressed like a rock star and armed with at least six pistols, that were hanging all over her waist and torso.

The suit wearing assassin stopped few steps away from Shinsei looking on Eric with question in his eyes. His commander frowned but nodded in agreement and looked at his sister.

“When you think about it...”

She continued.

“It´s not such bad deal. We got the money, you will have some fun and the rest of us can take few days off as guests of Mr Lockhart.”
She gifted him a predatory smile that made the poor noble shiver. Eric sighed comfortable bed, good food and all the pretty guys she could ever wish for, that was something for Agnes. Something he wouldn´t normally agree with, but this weren´t normal circumstances. They needed money and Agnes was still weak after being nearly fatally shot few weeks ago.

“Alright.”

He muttered, completely ignoring Andrew who was opening his mouth in silent protest. If anything, Eric´s companions were hardly people he would wish to have on his ship.

“I am willing to take you in as a temporal reinforcement, if you´ll manage to defeat one of my guys in combat. As I said, I am not working with amateurs.”

This was hardly a request.

[Bobbie]

Andrew got a raised eyebrow from Shinsei at his request for a more peaceful approach. In his mind, he thought – do any these people look reasonable to you? Then Martin promptly took Shinsei up on his offer, although the red-head wasn’t exactly welcoming a fight against any of these people.

Shinsei had just barely turned his eyes back to the man who was roughly the same height as him, but definitely built more like a machine than the actual cyborg, ironically, before the muscular man came at him at what seemed to be full force.

Perhaps due to having little time to react, Shinsei didn’t flinch as he was rushed by this potential opponent, or perhaps he was simply confident that his face could be more of a wall than the man’s fist. In reality, that was quite unlikely. The truth was that Shinsei did not really shy away from physical pain. He hated electrical shocks and the cold above all else, but taking a beating never was and never will be a reason for him to turn and make a run for it. So, at the risk of coming across as intolerably arrogant, he stood his ground and simply waited for the larger man’s grip to throw him across the deck, recognising a grappling stance when he sees one.

Quite surprised that the man came to such a sudden halt, he reached up to take his cigarette out of his mouth and looked at the end of it in horror – Martin had come at him with such speed that he had actually put out the little flame that was burning through it. Annoyed, he took out his lighter and re-lit it, and then looked at the woman who spoke, a woman who instantly washed away his frown.

Wowzah! he silently exclaimed in his head. His attention now fixed on the gorgeous woman, his mouth fell open ever so slightly, his cigarette almost falling from his lips. What’s a woman like her doing with brutes like these? He continued to wonder, before clearing his throat as quietly as he could and recomposing himself.

“She speaks sense. You should listen.” He nodded, looking at Eric as he also seemed to agree with the intelligent woman. “That’s right.” He continued, before freezing – “If I what now?”

Shinsei felt his entire body going cold on the inside, the burning nicotine in his system usually preventing such a thing from happening. What exactly was he expected to do here? Take on a juggernaut? What? Then his frown returned to the extent of a glare directed right at Eric, his red eyes locking with Eric’s. Shinsei simply needed some cash, this is just a job, now this muscle child is on his way to ruining that! “Excuse you? Take ME in as a temporal reinforcement?” he quoted the man’s words almost to the letter in a tone of pure annoyance, “If anyone is the ‘reinforcement’, it’s you.” He paused to eye him down once more, just to make his point, “You look nothing short of muscle backup.”

Once he was done stalling, gauging the slightly shorter and younger man’s reaction, it was clear that there was no easy way out of this. “Fine.” At this point, Andrew had faded into the background and was no more than a little spec, a whimpering insect, just standing in the side-lines. This needed to be settled and nipped in the bud before they became more invested in this mission and actually relied on each other. If this was the only way to get through it … so be it.

Very well aware of the physical disadvantage Shinsei was at, he had enough faith in himself to know that he wasn’t entirely hopeless – his body was nothing if not resilient. This is probably going to hurt, but if he could just get back up enough times, eventually the brick wall of a person before him – whoever it will be – must get tired at some point. He took his last puff and then dropped the cigarette to stomp it out, blowing the smoke downward, away from the people around him.

“Fine.” He repeated, before nodding his head in Agnes' direction. “But not her.” 

Trying to mask that he was nervous, he watched Eric with an unwavering stare, waiting for him to pick one of his guys.

---

Shinsei: #ba0303

[Mr. Moon]

Eric #4

To honor Agnes´s request, Eric presented his offer to Shinsei, although he would rather test his claws on that man´s neck. Contrary to popular belief, the Wolf King wasn´t stupid and he definitely wasn´t blind. He saw the way he looked at his little sister and while usually he didn´t care about men around her, if this feeble excuse for warrior tried to touch her he would rip his head off.

“What did you say to me you little punk?”

The white-haired veteran asked, talked back to him, even trying to claim that it´s Eric who was mere backup. Already irritated, he lowered his hands, spreading the fingers like if they were claws of a wild animal. Other people would probably continue with series of curses and threats but not Eric. The Wolf King never talked more than he had to. The red wearing man had his chance and since he decided to waste it, so be it.

His body tensed, so for a moment he resemble wild tiger just before a jump. And he would go straight for Shinsei´s neck, that much was obvious from the murderous look of his eyes, if not for Agnes´s hand grabbing gently his shoulder. Among all the people present on the cruiser she was probably the only one who could do that. Not even Martin, Eric´s trusted lieutenant would dare to stop his commander at the moment.

“Eric, he didn´t meant it that way. And will apologize now, am I right?”

She asked the cyborg mercenary with smile that could be considered lovely. No, Agnes wasn´t blind either and since she was used to toy with both men and women for years, she knew way too well how to use their affection in her advantage.

The Wolf King´s body slightly relaxed, eyes still focused on Shinsei´s neck, before he slowly nodded.

“Alright T...”

He wanted to call out Takeda, the newest member of their group. Small and polite young man, who was however reliable fighter that just needed to get some real life experiences before becoming great.

However, before he could finish his sentence, Shinsei tried to exclude Agnes from the competition, which made Adam burst in laughter.

“Ah what´s up tiny man? Afraid to get your a** kicked from a girl?”

Eric frowned. Being interrupted by one of his men wasn´t something he would take lightly.

“Glad you volunteered Adam.”

He growled, pointing on Shinsei.

The large, over two meters tall monkey-men blinked in surprise, before a sadistic smile appeared on his face.

“Ohohoho, didn´t know I have a birthday! Alright tiny man, let´s dance.”
With that, he stepped forward, slightly crouched, with hands in regular boxing guard.

[Bobbie]

Shinsei was glaring right back at Eric, frustrated by his attitude and overall approach. He was about to reply, but decided to hold his tongue for a moment longer as he noticed his reaction – this dude looked like he genuinely wanted to tear him to pieces, and the more time passed by, the more uncertain Shinsei became that he actually wouldn’t go through with it. Watching the large man’s claws and his entire body tense, it brought a bit of pleasure to see how easily he got under his skin. What he didn’t know was that the woman who had captivated Shinsei’s attention was actually Eric’s sister and this was partly the cause for his anger.

Then she stepped forward to tame the beast and grace the air with her voice again, attracting Shinsei’s attention once more. What was it about this woman that was so … entrancing?

“Down, boy.” He quipped at Eric, who seemed to obey her more than anyone else, before looking at the woman. He then actually realised what she said – he had to apologise? Easy. He could fake an apology, no problem. Returning her smile with a soft chuckle, he then looked at Eric whom he had just taunted mere seconds ago. “Sure! I am so sorry that I have offended you, poor little pup.” He placed a hand on his chest to exaggerate his heartfelt apology which was obviously nothing more than a performance.

Then Adam burst into laughter. An eyebrow raised, he turned in the direction of the source of the noise to see who seemed to find that hilarious. It didn’t bother him that they found it funny. What could be more effective to winning his way to people’s hearts after all, if not laughter?

Then words followed the laughter. Tiny man!?

“Look, just because I’m more of a gentleman than-“ he started to speak, but then he saw … it … the monster that stood before him, looking like a monkey that could easily weigh over a metric tonne. Speechless, Shinsei was caught with his mouth agape, mid-sentence, as he was so quickly put in his place. This was the guy he had to win against?

H O L Y …. Dear gods of the skies and the seas .…

Closing his mouth again and pressing his lips together to keep them from shaking, Shinsei swallowed harder than ever before as the large monkey-man stepped closer, slightly crouched yet still monstrously large in comparison to Shinsei’s smaller body. Shinsei's head slowly tilted back as his gaze remained fixed on the giant.

Don’t show fear, don’t show fear. He offered a silent mantra to himself.

At that point, he glanced toward Agnes, instantly aware that his chances of impressing the lass were pretty much gone, now he just needed to figure out how to not be squashed into a pancake. Eyeing his opponent down, he was frantically trying to spot any weaknesses that he could take advantage of – size wasn’t everything and Shinsei knew that – but at the present moment, he could see none.

“Let’s dance, monkey-boy.” He grinned as he stood in his own self-taught fighting stance, standing loosely to be quick on his feet. He was ready to dodge, but how fast could such a colossal figure really be?

---

Shinsei: #ba0303

[Mr. Moon]

Eric #5

Most people who knew Eric could agree on one thing. He is scary and dangerous. Not because of his strength. Although competent fighter, there were many who could best him in fight. No, he was scary because the only thing he ever bow down to was his own will. He had many allies, but no masters and he never bothered himself with things like laws or customs. On top of that the white-haired warrior was also very stubborn and incredibly prideful so most people who were forced to deal with him had constantly feeling like if single word of wrong step could provoke him to burst of violence. And while he was also quite pragmatic person, the Wolf King suffered no challenge to his authority to be unanswered, so calling him a puppy was sure way how to raise his ire. Every single member of his pack knew that, so when Shinsei said that fateful words, Agnes sighed and pulled her hand away from his shoulder. She might be one of the very few people who had some control over him, but even she knew when it´s better to back off.

“Hmmmm, you really don´t realize what you did do you?”
Adam asked, with a grim smile on his monkey-like face when the red wearing Shinsei asked him to “dance.”

“You won´t call our king “puppy without consequences ya know?.”

If Shinsei was focused on Adam, he probably missed the moment Eric charged forward. For such heavy, muscular man he moved incredibly fast and gracefully, more like a wild cat than an actual human being. And so, even through he couldn´t move with blinding speed, the white-haired veteran covered the distance between him and his prey in few short heartbeats, swinging his right hand against´s Shinsei´s face.

“Wolf Claws”

Finger spread and slightly bend to resemble claws, his attack could be easily mistaken for some traditional martial technique, that was more useful for show then actual combat, but that would be a grave mistake, because Eric´s finger could tear through skin and flash maybe even better than claws of actual beast.

[Bobbie]

Shinsei stared at Adam as his features loosened into an expression of confusion rather than one that said he was ready for battle. He really did have no idea what he had done – he had never imagined his words would be taken so seriously, nor did he ever imagine that Eric was about to pounce on him as viciously as he would. The entire crew was a bundle of aggressors! Martin, Eric, Adam… Agnes, of course, was excluded from the category of ‘brute barbarians’ because, well, she was simply too charming though even Shinsei realised that such a trait was not to be blinded by and she shouldn’t be underestimated either.

“What did I do..?” he dared to ask, as if he and Adam were friends and the larger monkey look-alike would happily share his tips and tricks.

It wasn’t until Adam referred to Shinsei’s earlier comment that he realised that their ‘king’ must be referring to Eric, and so he turned his attention onto the large white-haired man though a bit too late.

Luckily quite an agile individual, Shinsei managed to twist and arch his back just enough to avoid facing Eric’s full fury, but took a pretty nasty swipe across his left cheek. As if the red-head were slapped, his head turned with force to the side and his body staggered back. He reached up to touch his cheek, then looked at his fingers, tossing swearwords at the orange-brown fluid on his fingers from the wound on his cheek. “Thought I was fighting the other guy – are you trying to rip my face off!?” he snapped, before he pushed his tongue against his inner cheek as if to confirm that there was no gaping hole for it to go through. There were two deep gashes that didn’t go all the way through on the face of the man who was now staring at Eric incredulously.

“Dow-“ Shinsei quickly corrected himself as he was about to pass another stupid joke, which would clearly not be appreciated right now, or ever, it seemed. “Ease up man, it was a joke.” He took a step back and then another, but his intention wasn’t to flee – oddly enough, he had a subtle spring in his step and his mouth curled lightly into a slight grin. “Come on then.” He announced, quite animated and energised by the stinging on his face, the viscose liquid nicotine hot against his skin and his body now pumping with adrenaline.

It wasn’t confidence that drove him on. He was very well aware that he’d regret this if he survived it, and he wasn’t confident he could win a fight against this tank of a man, but he was sure that he could at least get to experience the adrenaline, heart-racing excitement, and dangerous thrill that he hadn’t felt in a rather long time. He assumed this would happen with an enemy who posed a threat to Andrew, rather than somebody who was supposed to be his ally, but oh well.

Fired up, Shinsei raised his hands in a fighting stance, noting Eric’s speed was really quite insane and to even hope to make the first move and land a hit was very ambitious. The black rings on his fingers quickly reached scalding temperatures and it was at that point that he decided to test the waters and throw a single punch, expecting some form of a counterattack.

While he didn't hold his breath, if his rings collided with skin, they would sure enough cause some skin-melting burns, the friction of his hand going through the air causing enough of a spark to ignite a small flame by his fist.

---

Shinsei: #ba0303

[Mr. Moon]

Eric #6

Eric swung his claws with all the killing intent his body and mind could produce, yet it seemed that the Red Riding Hood was swift on his feet, as he bend backward to dodge. Well not quick enough as two claws hit their mark, leaving two long wounds on Shinsei´s cheek.

“Hmmmm, ability user? No...this is more similar to Sanagi...”

The Wolf King muttered, when he noticed the strange liquid this person has instead of his blood.

“Well, at least it will be interesting...Wolf Pack”

While his opponent was wasting his breath on useless talking, Eric dropped down on all four, into strange stance, that resembled that of wolf or other canine predator getting ready to strike. Position that would normally look strange if not silly was rather display of primal strength and ferocity thanks to the unnatural agility Eric´s body possessed.

The white haired veteran waited motionlessly, until his opponent charged for a strike. Than at the last possible moment he moved to the side, leaving behind afterimage to confuse his opponent. He didn´t need much, just a split second of uncertainty, that would allow him to circle behind Sinsei and attack him with Wolf Claws again, this time with a slash across his backs.
"Fire Punch?!"
“Wait...wait...someone stop them!”

Andrew cried, but no one responded. Alright, no one with the exception of single sailor in his service. Large man who gained respectable amount of muscles thanks to hard work on the ship.

“Hey guys, did you heard his lordship? Stop?!”
He yelled in booming voice, marching quickly to the place when Eric and Shinsei were fighting, however, before he could reach them, someone stepped in his way.

Gin, young and cheerful man who with his 178 cm was barely noticeable among other Wolves.
“Move...”

The sailor put his hand on Gin´s shoulder in an attempt to push him away, but suddenly found himself kneeling on the ground as Wakatsuki grabbed his wrist and twisted it into perfectly executed lock.

“Come on, don´t you see? My boss is having fun, so be a good boy and don´t spoil it.”

With a smile he released his hold on the screaming man, before sending him unconscious with a swift knee strike to head.

“Anyone else?”
He asked as the remaining Wolves behind his back spread across the deck to prevent any other interruptions.
That was challenge on which no one dared to respond. After all, these peoples were sailors, waiters and servants no warriors.

[Bobbie]

As Shinsei noticed his opponent get down on all fours while he blabbed away, he thought it odd, but it was too late to simply change his mind about his attack once he had already started his swing. For a moment, it looked like his fist would collide with the man’s skull, which was quite a pleasant surprise to Shinsei – it was an ever greater shock to him when he realised what had just happened. An afterimage.

How can this guy even move so quickly? He wondered to himself as his arm went through the motions and reached the end of its swing. His moment to consider what just happened did not last long, as he soon felt a searing pain across his back, taking the full force of Eric’s next attack that crossed his spine.

A roar of pain escaped Shinsei’s throat, but it was quickly turned into a laugh as the man seemed to enjoy the shockwaves of agony that pulsed through him. Just as quickly as his vocal expression changed from one of torture to one of amusement, his wounded body twisted and spun around to swiftly launch a second attack at Eric again. Wasting no time, his already closed fist was swung from below, aiming to plunge it into the man’s jaw or stomach in an uppercut fashion, while his other hand reached forward and aimed to grab at his enemy’s jaw or throat. Much like before, both rings, one on each ring finger erupted into a little flame as the metal bolt that made his jewellery heated up to tremendous temperatures to burn through flesh. The adrenaline now pumping through him to prevent the pain from inhibiting his movements, his legs functioned like proper machines, carrying him forward with intent and in Eric’s direction to close a gap that he presumed the fighter would want to make. 

There was a lot of guesswork involved – Shinsei wasn’t quite sure what he would hit, if anything at all, or how Eric would move in response to his assault, but it was easy to see that he could afford to waste no time against this juggernaut of a wolf-man. Not with those dangerous claws.

Somewhere in the background, he could hear the whimpering voice of Andrew – he was probably right, somebody should end this, but it didn’t seem likely that it would be allowed until the man seeking vengeance over a harmless and playful, though petty and distasteful, comment was satisfied. Right on cue, Eric’s men scattered across the deck to guard their own little arena that they'd just created, one that Shinsei would be lucky to get out of alive.

---

Shinsei: #ba0303

[Mr. Moon]

Eric #7

This guy was seriously weirdo, but a tough one as a normal human would go down after the last hit. Yet he was still standing, laughing even.
Being there instead of Eric some men would probably lose their confidence and hesitated, but not the Wolf King. He was born for combat and already saw his share of weirdness so this could hardly give him a pause. Instead, he just changed his priorities, focusing on places that should be vulnerable no matter his modifications, like tendons and neck. So, as his right arm finished its motion, he immediately attacked with his left, in a swift attempt to grab Shinsei's neck.
"Wolf...ts…"
He was however a blink of an eye too slow as the red-wearing clown turned around to counter with an uppercut. It was too late to change his movement to a block and tanking the fiery punch was too risky, so Eric decided on the last remaining option.
Going with the flow of Shinsei's movements, he bent backward, dropping down until his hands touched the deck after which he sprang himself into handstand and back on feet in a single seamless motion.
"Tsss…"
He cursed for himself, as despite dodging the fist, the flames that were engulfing it still managed to burn his chin a bit.
"You asked for it...Wolf Pack"
As Shinsei charged against him, the Wolf King once again dropped down on all four, dodging to the right before he started circling around his prey, leaving behind five or so after images, to throw the burning guy of his game before another attack. This time not from behind, but from a side.
As his hands touched the deck, the white-haired fighter spun his body, using one arm as its axis, to sweep Shinsei off his legs with a powerful roundhouse kick aimed at his shins.
"Please stop it!"
Andrew cried at the same time.
"They...they kidnapped my fiance, I...I pay you 50℅ extra, so just stop already!"

[Bobbie]

Shinsei stumbled forward as Eric dodged his attack yet again, but he was quite pleased to see that he nicked his chin with a little burn. “Gotcha!” he chuckled, as if there were a fun little game that they were playing. Unfortunately, there was not much time for celebration as his opponent was on the move again. Before he knew it, the red-suited man was surrounded by at least five images of the same wolf menace.

His breathing getting heavier as Shinsei was forced to react and move faster than he’s ever had to in a fight before, he frantically looked at all the images. In a fraction of a second, he ran through his options – it was clear that only one of them was the real deal, the others must be illusions triggered by the beast’s sheer speed. That meant only one of them would come at him. Even with that knowledge, however, he wasn’t quite sure how to react. It was clear that making the first move would not be likely to succeed – he would have to be lucky enough to target the correct one of these versions of Eric, and not only match Eric’s speed, but surpass it. That wasn’t happening. His other option would be to shift onto the defensive and then launch a counterattack – but he had no idea what was coming, or from where, and on top of that, could he react fast enough?

At the slightest hint of movement, Shinsei turned to the real Eric. In a very short amount of time and a very attentive eye, the red devil could get a general idea of where the attack targeted – below. A sweep? Of course, there was no way Shinsei could react fast enough to dodge the attack, so he resorted to his final option. Eric was so intent on coming at him at full force, that he provided the perfect opening without realising it, just like before.

Shinsei suddenly dropped to the floor in a quick crouch, extending only one leg to dig his foot onto the deck and push against the direction that Eric’s attack came from. Not quite sure where the muscle-machine planned to strike, he raised one arm to shield his body and head. As a result, he was forced to take the full brunt of the blow as the muscular man’s leg would slam into Shinsei’s arm with enough force for the wooden board of the deck to crack as it succumbed to the driving weight of Shinsei’s foot with the force of Eric’s attack.

The blow caused Shinsei’s entire left arm to shake with pain that spread past his shoulder and through the left side of his chest – it hurt a lot more than he thought it would and his arm could just about fall off, but he did have his other arm free. Interrupting Eric’s attacks seemed to be the most effective way to get at him, even if that meant taking a hit first.

There was no time to waste.

Reaching his right hand across his body to grab Eric’s ankle on his left, he squeezed it as tightly as he could, the tongues of flame from his ring lapping onto Eric’s trousers to burn through them and make contact with his skin. With a burst of adrenaline, Shinsei rose just enough for the manoeuvre, and with a pained cry through gritted teeth, he suddenly yanked Eric’s leg with all his might so as to disrupt his balance on the pivoting arm and drag him onto the ground. The next thing he knew, his body leapt on top of Eric’s in an instant as Shinsei let go of his ankle and now grabbed at the larger man’s jaw to forcefully tilt his head back against the hard wooden floor. “Well? What do you say now, Wolf King?” he prompted through his teeth, his own jaw clenched as he actually referred to him by his title, this time with the knowledge that he was very well worthy of it. As his ring rose to sizzling temperatures as it pressed into the beefier man’s jawline, the nicotine dripped from Shinsei’s torn cheek and onto Eric’s as he leaned dangerously close to the enemy to speak. “You heard the worm, 50% bonus sound like a good enough deal for this to stop?” a chuckle followed, but it was easy to see that he was in a great deal of pain.

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Shinsei: #ba0303

[Mr. Moon]

Eric #8

Dropping down on all four, Eric circled around his prey, baiting him with a series of after images, but Shinsei didn't fall for his trap and instead waited for the Wolf King's next movement, matching the veteran fighter's speed with his own, when he blocked Eric's kick.
The Wolf King growled as the burning fingers captured his ankle, but the sound was full of furry and uncontrolled aggression rather than pain. The point he proved right afterward when Shinsei dragged him across the deck only to sit on him.
Instead of answering him by words, Eric attacked. His free hand grabbing the arm that dared to touch his head, squeezing it with fingers that were more than able to tear through human flesh and break the bones beneath them like a jaw of a vicious predator.
"Wolf Bite!"
Using the pain as a distraction, the veteran fighter pushed against the deck with his left leg, to roll his body to the side and at the same time, grabbed Shinsei for his neck with left, throwing him off himself, before smashing his head against the wooden planks with all his might.
"What do I say now? That for a dead guy, you talk too much.".
Eric growled, but instead of unleashing another bite on that man's neck he released his grip and got back on his feet.
"Fifty percent extra and I'll take him as my subordinate."
He said to Andrew, who was standing there with a face pale as if he saw death.
"If…"
Eric added.
"Agnes decides he isn't too battered for the job."
Hearing her name, the Second Wolf turned around looking at Shinsei first and then on Eric, especially his ankle, that was exposed to the flames for the longest time.
"And what about you?"
The white-haired warrior grinned.
"I've been through worse."
Despite the nanasty-lookingurn on his leg, this was hardly empty boasting as evident from the dozens if not hundreds of scars that covered his whole body.