There was less than a minute until the Guardian's power would fade. Red didn't know if there would be any side effects from so much power leaving him, but at the moment he didn't care. Whatever the side effect was, he could deal with it after he finished the fight.
A strike fell towards his head, and Red stepped to the side. The blow crashed into the earth with so much force that it shattered stone. His own blade thundered forward with more force than he knew possible.
Despite Red's overwhelming strength and speed, the gearborn managed to leap backward just in the nick of time. He crashed into a few of his allies, but the robot didn't seem to care.
"You will die, for what you have done, human!" His voice reverberated like clanging steel.
The robot was far more powerful than the others, but Red knew he still had the advantage. The problem was, his advantage wasn't going to last long. There wasn't time for this prolonged fight, even if some part of him wanted to heed the gearborn's challenge.
The Guardian's Blessing could vanish instantly or begin to fade gradually. If it was the former, there would likely be a dramatic side effect. If it was the latter, then Red had even less time than he thought.
"Big talk coming from someone who is already spilling oil," Red sneered and fired at the robot's chest with his shockblaster.
The gearborn managed to block it with the flat of his blade. However, that had been Red's intention in the first place. With the robot no longer defending his sides, Red managed a long gash down the robot's flank.
The response was instant and almost too fast for Red to avoid. While he had been playing the gearborn, it had been playing him as well. It had drawn him in just far enough to prevent him from escaping. If he didn't have enhanced senses, Red knew he would have died.
Instead, the strike cleaved a thin scratch along his cheek as he dove sideways. No matter how powerful he felt during this battle, one thing was clear. He was not strong enough. More accurately, he wasn't skilled enough.
All the power in the world didn't matter if he didn't know how to utilize it. Had his position been switched with Derrin, he knew his friend could have already ended the battle. As it stood, they simply weren't going to make it to a minute.
He had already drained nearly half of his remaining strength on this one enemy, and there were still a dozen more. Derrin was still being pushed back, and there was no way to break through without dealing with the massive gearborn first. There was simply no way for the two of them to win the battle.
Luckily, there were more than just the two of them.
Red retreated a few steps after his near-death experience. The gearborn seemed to grin in response. It clearly thought it had the upper hand. If only it knew what was about to hit it.
"So you recognize our superiority now, human?" Red could feel the snide undertone even through the robot's grinding voice.
"Something like that." Red slipped his shockblaster back into his coat.
In the same movement, he pulled a small metal object. The pirates may have known what something like this meant. However, the gearborn… Red didn't wait any longer and lobbed the device straight at the gearborn.
Without waiting for it to explode, Red whirled and began dashing across the cave. The device shattered with a pop as the gearborn cut it in two. Red felt the blast of light reach the corners of his eyes even from a distance.
"Gah!"
It only took Red a few seconds to reach the cage that held Zara. She stood wide-eyed, staring at him. Beside the cage sat a cowering pirate who wouldn't even look up from where he sat, shaking.
Without waiting for her to speak, Red raised the golden blade and brought it down on the door of the cage. For a moment he thought it wouldn't cut the steel. However, deep down he believed it would.
The metal shattered and tore apart.
"How?" Zara managed.
Red shrugged. "Met some old stone guy. He was too lazy to step up and do anything, so, uh, yeah, now I'm golden…"
Zara just stared at him blankly.
"Are you coming out or not?" Red scowled. "Derrin is fighting all of those robots at the moment, and he could use some assistance."
Zara shook herself. "Yes, of course. I will not be much help, though. I do not have any mist to summon my blade."
Red smiled and tossed her one of his shockblasters. "Will this work for you?"
She glanced at him and nodded slowly, a slight smile teasing the corners of her lips. "Guardian's Blessing, huh?"
Red turned back to the fight and began rushing across the room. "This will only last for a little longer. We have to hurry; I don't know what will happen when it fades."
To his surprise, Zara managed to keep pace with him as they dashed across the room in a few seconds. Red wasn't sure if he had been expecting her to be slower or faster. It would have made perfect sense either way. However, there wasn't time for that as he crashed into the horde of enemies.
Guardian's Blessing wasn't the only thing on a timer.
In short order, the Pirate King was bound to return, and they needed to be ready for when he did. The plan to injure and slow him down had not been foolproof. There were many flaws, and the chances of the Pirate King being killed were so small they weren't even worth considering.
However, Silas would have certainly injured and drained the man before escaping. That had been the one part of the plan that Red insisted on. He had lined the entire cavern with explosives that would allow Silas to blow the Pirate King to smithereens. Even if he survived, it would give them the time they needed to escape into the jungle.
Red had even provided extra explosives just to ensure the pirate was slowed even further. By the time the Pirate King arrived, they would have their end ready, and if things went to plan, they would be able to end him here beneath the island.
He hoped that Silas would make it in time to see the man killed. He had suffered more from the man than just about anyone else on the island. However, his satisfaction couldn't be measured above the success of their mission. So, Red just hoped the man moved quickly across the island.
It was time to finish this.