Beidou swung her greatsword, the upper portion of the blade digging into the cave walls around them, the attack slowed and its forced dampened, but not enough the spare the life of the pirate charging at her, rock torn asunder and her slash cutting open their chest.
They hit the ground, limp and bleeding like the rest behind them.
This pirate group had been far bigger in scope than expected, much of their operation hidden within a massive cave system formed in the mountains their camp was built around. Unable to scout out something like that beforehand she'd taken to leading the charge through its twists and turns.
Cutting through yet another pirate, she emerged from a winding tunnel and into a dimly lit chamber. Both sides were lined with makeshift cells, crudely sharpened wood used to lock-up a mix of women and children. A putrid scent she was all too familiar with told her not everyone within them were still breathing.
"Free them." Beidou ordered, the few members of the fleet she'd taken along rushing forward and opening up the cells. This chamber marked the end of the final path through these caves. "Once they can be moved, bring them back with you."
"Yes, Captain!" By the time they got out the confirmation she was already speeding back to the cave's entrance.
A group this big with no secondary escape route out of their base? Hard to believe. Everyone she brought with her could more than handle themselves, but she needed to be sure nothing was going wrong.
Or at least not going terribly wrong; things like this hardly ever went as smoothly as planned.
With the help of her vision, the raw wild electro energy crackling through her veins, she reached the cave system's exit far quicker than she would've otherwise.
Orange flames, shining brightly and greedily consuming the capital ship the pirates had anchored within the small alcove, illuminated the camp. Tents were torn apart, bodies littered the ground, blood stains dyed the sands red.
They had neither the supplies nor the space to capture every pirate here and she wouldn't allow them to simply escape. A sentiment shared by her crew, all of them putting the scattered pirates to the blade. Perhaps some enjoyed the thrill of combat a little too much, but they stuck to their groups, minimizing the chances for any of them to be caught unawares and killed or injured.
Everything was going according to plan…
Except for the fact that the Alcor had stopped its barrage of cannon-fire and ballistae. She'd given them the signal to start firing at the of the assault. They weren't to stop until she gave the signal again.
"We have a problem, Captain." Hei, who'd been overseeing the outer assault, said as he joined, a bloody sword tossed from his hands.
Pirates who fled after realizing who they were, assuming the Alcor would be the best chance at escape with her away from it? Stranglers that'd been out at sea despite the darkness? Something completely unrelated? Whatever was going on back on the Alcor, those left on board, while not the best, could hold their own.
Not without death or severe injury, however.
"Have some of the men meet me back on the ship." Beidou ordered, sword readied as she took off sprinting towards the flame-lit waters. Her vision truly came to life, an energy that nearly made her shake, invigorating her as purple sparks left her body.
Just as the returning tide would've touched her, she leaped.
She soared, climbing through the air with a trail of electro energy left in her wake. Wind bellowed in her ears right up until she reached the apex of her leap, the pirate camp now a distant dot while she got closer to the Alcor. Close enough that she picked up on yells, screams, and clangs from the sparsely lit deck, during a brief moment of weightlessness.
Holding back her strength, just enough that she didn't punch a hole through her own ship, Beidou chucked her blade as she began to fall. It stabbed into the deck and she was soon to follow, shifting her weight and loosening her focus just enough that most of the energy arcing through her dispersed as harmless sparks.
She hoped for the best; that her crew had managed to overpower their attackers without a single loss. She expected the worst; prepared to find more than a few of them dead.
Beidou hit the deck with a roll, the metallic scent of blood hitting her as she grabbed hold of her sword and rose.
Pirates, their weapons shattered and cuts so deep it was a miracle they hadn't fallen apart, were strewn across the bloody deck. Not something anyone left on the ship would've been capable of. No. Not something anyone in her crew would've been capable of.
Silver haired dotted with blood, sword held loosely in one hand, and stare focused on the pirate at his feet, the kid stood at the end of the bloody path, fresh blood leaking off his blade. Her men, some injured but all still breathing, were completely still. Almost like statues.
"Kid, you-" His stare snapped towards her. His dark green eyes were far more vibrant than they should've been, wide and glowing.
Beidou took a step back, her vision lighting up and electro energy flowing through her once more. It was instinct. A knee-jerk reaction beyond her control and driven by one singular thing.
Fear.
A norm in a life like hers, but when was the last time she faced something capable of forcing such a visceral reaction out of her? For that matter, had there ever been a person who could produce an aura comparable to the worst beasts hidden beneath the sea?
"Kid?" Beidou called out once more, the fear leashed but her guard still up.
The glow of his eyes faded, the air lightening for lack of a better term, her men gasping and taking deep breaths. The Kid dropped his sword and took a wobbly step back.
"I-I" He muttered between his blood-stained hands.
This was the second time he went against her expectations. Unfortunately, spilling the blood of another was far more somber than being able to handle a few drinks.
…
"His eyes were glowing."
"Come on, I was there. Its not his eyes that were glowing, it was his sword."
"Whatever happened, I'm just glad he was here. Really saved our asses."
"Cheers to that."
Beside the wheel and overlooking the ship's deck, Beidou listened to the talk being spread among her lively crew. Aside from those too injured to be on their feet and those who volunteered to overlook the people they rescued down below, everyone was drinking and eating. A sort of mini celebration. They'd have the real one once they docked in Liyue but the fact that every one of them still drew breath was reason enough for a moment of rest.
Naturally, the silver-haired guest on everyone's lips was nowhere to be found.
Beidou raised the sword she'd given to him, pulling it from its sheath.
She'd made a habit of collecting weapons of remarkable quality and went out of her way to take care of each and every one. This sword had been no exception. Yet, after a single use, the once pristine steel blade was chipped and cracked in numerous places. His extraordinary strength had never been in question, but this was unexpected.
He was something else. And not in the best state of mind after that.
Beidou returned the damaged blade to its sheath and moved, heading below deck. She didn't make it very far through the -for once- steady hall before she picked up a voice from around the corner.
"-but I killed them." The person she was looking for.
"And I have killed countless more. So too has the Captain and everyone else on the Alcor. Would you call us bad people?" And it sounded like the Old Fossil had already sought him out.
"I-"
"Look to those we've saved and think not of the act itself but why you did it. Put trust in yourself and you will never lose your way."
There was silence then footsteps. Hei passed her, pausing to nod, but otherwise heading up to join the others. Beidou waited a moment before turning the corner into the hall the two had been talking.
Their nameless guest sat against the wall, arms over his knees and silver hair covering his face. Beidou said nothing, making herself know through loud steps before she joined him against the ship's wall.
"Was I right to do what I did?" He finally questioned, still looking down. Ah, right and wrong. Beidou had long since stopped participating in that song and dance.
"Why did you leave the storeroom?" She asked.
"I…I heard fighting and, and, I got worried. I thought that I could help."
"There you go. You went up to help people. What part of that sounds wrong to you?"
"B-But I froze. When I saw the fighting, I just couldn't bring myself to help anyone. To go through with it." He said, his voice cracking slightly. There was more she could tell, so Beidou stayed quiet. "But then one of the pirates tried to attack and the next thing I new I was moving." He clenched his knees so hard his knuckles turned white. "And it was so easy. All I had to do was tell myself that was them or me." Trace amounts of blood leaked out between his fingers, staining his pants. "You all saved me, fed me, gave me a place to say and I couldn't bring myself to help. The only thing that was on my mind when I-when I killed those people was myself."
This was…oddly familiar to her. It felt like a lifetime ago, but she'd wrestled with similar thoughts and came to a single conclusion.
A dangerous conclusion that could easily create a monster.
"I've been all over Teyvat. No matter where you go in this world there is always going to be people arguing about what's right and wrong. Both sides believe they're right of course; they're being righteous, how could they be anything but right." Beidou couldn't help but frown just thinking about it. "My advice? Forget about morals and what others think. The only thing you should be worried about is who you want to be, what you want to do, how you want to live your life."
"You said it yourself; you went topside because you want to help. So you stumbled a bit along the way but in the end you did exactly what you set out to do. That's something to be proud of." Beidou said. "But if you're not happy with the way things went, try your hardest to make sure things go your way next time." He peaked up from his arms, eyes widened slightly.
She held back a chuckle. "Most look at what I do and assume I'm a good person, as if I do everything for the sake of doing what's right. Truth is, you won't find another person as selfish as I am." She pushed off the wall and met his eyes. They were bloodshot, rest beyond his reach.
"Live selfishly. In a way that you can be happy with yourself. In the end that's all that really matters." Beidou said before pushing off the wall and taking off.
Someone with strength like his, doing whatever he pleased? Many would've called that a calamity in the making and said giving such advice was reckless. But the kid, no, that young man, had a good heart. She could only hope that her words helped him keep hold of that goodness in a world that was at its cruelest to the rare few like him.