Xuanhai  

Xuanhai, the once magnificent port town that was well known throughout the world. It was the center of trade and people from different places come here to buy or sell their goods. It had high stone walls a kilometer away from the docks to protect the town from the threat of pirates and criminals.

The magnificence of the port, unfortunately, has faded along the with the passage of time. The numerous docks that used to receive hundreds of ships a day were now barren and rotting under the elements.

It was a very sunny day, perfect weather for sailing. The docks of Xuanhai were numerous but only a few of them were being used due to the lack of maintenance. Even the ones that are used are suffering from, some problems such as rotting wood and missing planks from the boardwalks.

A fleet of ships were seen sailing towards the port. They all have the same flag hoisted, a vertical sword with flames on the blade. It was the Hellswords, an infamous pirate fleet that pillages every trading spot that they set their eyes upon.

The locals who saw the ships were terrified and quickly alerted the town guard.

In one of the broken docks, the group of weirdos that Alexius fought were patiently waiting for the ships to arrive.

"They're taking so long; I need to get my legs treated immediately" the weirdo leader said in agony.

"Don't worry boss, in a few minutes they'll be here."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Multiple cannons open fired against the ships; it caused a bit of damage except for the flagship. Every projectile fired towards it all exploded midair. It was as if water suddenly appeared in front to block the projectiles.

The town guard were surprised of the water blocking their cannon fire.

"Commander Sun, they have a user of the elements."

"FALL BACK TO THE WALLS AND SOUND THE BELLS!" Commander Sun shouted with all his might.

Soon, every guard defending the docks were quickly retreating behind the walls carrying any defensive equipment that they could carry.

Standing on top of the demonic figurehead of the flagship is the captain, a tall well-dressed man clad in black. He has short black hair and charcoal-colored eyes. His skin was dark as chocolate and on his waist is a very eye catching ivory white long sword and an elegant wooden flintlock with hints of gold and silver.

"Look at them, running like puny insects. Once we land men, we take everything."

Shouts from hundreds of men in every ship were heard. The men were armed with a variety of different melee weapons and a flintlock.

The weirdo group, the locals and the soldiers near the docks heard the shouts and made them pause what they were doing. Excluding the weirdo group, everyone felt the fear running through their veins.

An hour has passed, all the ships have finally docked. Meeting them was the leader of the weirdo group.

"What happened Veltro? Who made you look this miserable?"

Looking at the state of Veltro, everyone was curious as to who did this. Apparently, Veltro is one of the five swords in the fleet. He's dubbed as Veltro of the Fifth sword, The Magnificence of Water. So, seeing him reduced to a pitiable state has left them baffled.

"It was someone strong, he didn't fear my magic. That obnoxious bastard named… what was his name again?"

"I think I heard the girl call him Alexius."

"Yes, Alexius, he is easily identifiable, he has golden hair and doesn't seem to be a local."

"Veltro, I don't doubt your skills. If he can do this to you, he must be strong. So let me ask this, do I still have any use for you?" the captain said in a threatening tone.

"I-I-I- have in-information and also the g-g-guy who beat me up says that he-he-he's coming for you."

"HA-HA-HA, coming for me? Is he right in the head? Only a fool would stand up to the Hellswords."

***

In the plaza of Xuanhai, Alexius was taking his time looking at the different stalls that sell a large variety of sea food. Items, weapons, and clothing from different places also caught his attention. The place was bustling, and the atmosphere of the area was different to that in the capital.

Due to the overwhelming products sold; Alexius was in a daze. He did not know what he would do or buy first and the money that he brought was extremely limited.

"There are so much to buy here. I should've brought all my money."

Suddenly, a large group of people can be heard shouting and running. In a matter of seconds, the plaza had become a chaotic mess. The stalls that were selling fish and items were quickly run down by the people stampeding.

"RUN! RUN! THE HELLSWORDS ARE IN THE DOCKS"

"SAVE YOURSELVES, XUANHAI PORT IS DOOMED"

"SOMEBODY ASK FOR HELP IN THE CAPITAL!"

Seeing what was happening, Alexius quickly jumped over a roof to avoid the stamped. He saw the chaos that was going down and was surprised. It also reminded him of why he actually went there in the first place.

"I almost forgot; I came here to take down someone. But before all that, I need to something."

He quickly looked for a different and more peaceful route. As soon as he did, he jumped down the roof and asked some of the locals as to where the tavern is located. After asking a lot of people, he was led to the "Krakenwrath Tavern".

As soon as he enters, he saw a lot of people, different people from different places. They were all rugged looking and gave of an intimidating presence. Alexius wore a wide smile on his face as there were a lot of tough people in the tavern.

"Hey kid, what are you smiling at? Go home this place ain't for you" A tall bald and bulky man with a beard confronted Alexius.

"I can't go home; I've got things to do here, and I am hungry."

"Kid, it's not a request. I'll throw you out of here with my own hands if you don't follow me."

"I'd like to see you try."

Hearing those words, the bulky man put his massive hands on Alexius' shoulders to try and intimidate him but Alexius was unfazed.

"What are you doing mister?" Alexius said as he was confused.

"Alright kid, I'm not playing nice anymore. You asked for this."

The bulky man then clenched his massive fist then tries to punch Alexius directly to the face, but Alexius dodges it casually by tilting his head on the side.

"Woah, that was some punch mister. I wouldn't want to take that" Alexius excitingly says.

"Are you playing with me kid?"

The bulky man started to get angry and threw his fists to Alexius recklessly. The other customers in the shop put a distance from to avoid getting involved. Seeing the two fighting, the tavern owner, Guozhi suddenly decided to do a betting game.

"Alright you fools, who wants to bet?"

"10 bronze coins for baldy."

"1 silver coin for the muscle head."

"3 Silver coins for the big guy."

"1 gold coin for that kid" a mysterious person wearing a cloak shouted.

Hearing the gold coin bet, everyone was stunned. Even Alexius and the bald guy paused their fight for a moment.

"Oh, my Dragon lord, a gold coin for that kid, you must be insane!"

The mysterious person stayed quiet and didn't speak again. The two continue their fight with the bulky man having the offensive on Alexius. His fists were slow, but their destructive force is not something to laugh at. Every punch that missed Alexius that hit the floor or walls were left with a hole or crack.

The crowd was going wild for the bulky man. The whole tavern was filled with hype, shouts and cheers for him. They were all rooting for him to win.

In one lucky chance, the bulky man landed a powerful punch to Alexius, but he was quick to guard, the punch landed on his arms. Even so, the force of the punch was so powerful that he sent Alexius flying backwards crashing into the tables and chairs.

"That crazy bastard, he willingly took my full force punch" the bulky man thought to himself.

The crowd went wild when they saw this. Non-stop shouts were heard from them and some even proclaimed the bulky man the winner. But the shouting stopped when Alexius stands ups as if nothing happened.

"That was some crazy punch mister. It's my turn now" Alexius said with a smile on his face.

"Bring it on you lit…"

Before he could finish what, he was saying, Alexius appeared in front of him greatly surprising the bulky man. Alexius quickly landed two solid punches in the bulky man's stomach then ended it with an uppercut knocking him down on his back.

The crowd was speechless. Never did they expect to see the bulky man fall on his back just like that.

"Holy crap, what in the dragon's name just happened?"