Liam holstered his pistol and, as usual, started by flinging a handful of sand at Zank's face. That trick worked well against Arthas, who had little experience in the ways of the world, but he couldn't expect it to work on an old hand like Mr. Zank. Liam hadn't expected it to, either. It was just a casual feint to keep him occupied.
Sure enough, Zank swept his staff, and a flash of azure light streaked past. A gale whipped up shards of ice and snow, blasting toward Liam like a colossal horizontal tornado. The handful of sand was swept aside by the wind, having no effect whatsoever.
Knowing he couldn't easily get close, Liam pulled a chain of forged steel from his space. He'd had it made by a dwarf blacksmith during his few days in Lordaeron. It was countless times better than the homemade rope-and-hook he'd used before.
Facing the oncoming [Cone of Cold], Liam hurled the grappling hook in his hand—but his target was the ship's rail behind Mr. Zank.
With a sharp tug, Liam wasn't blown backward by the icy gale. Instead, he charged straight into it, flying directly toward Mr. Zank.
Already retracting the grappling hook in midair, Liam drew a long sword in each hand. He brought the one in his right hand down in a chop and swept the other horizontally, slashing at the mage before him.
Zank hadn't expected to run into a thief who played by no rules, and one lapse in attention was all it took for Liam to close the distance. He reflexively started to cast Blink, but forced himself to stop. With his magical skill, he knew using Blink aboard a ship wasn't a wise choice.
With no other option, Zank raised his staff above his head to block the overhead strike. At the same time, his left hand gathered a mass of frost. Ignoring Liam's horizontal slash, he slammed the gathered icy energy into the deck beneath his feet.
Liam's sword struck Zank squarely in the abdomen. Ice Armor shattered with a crisp crack, and thin streaks of blood seeped through the web of fractures.
But at the same time Liam landed his blow, the frost energy in Zank's hand struck the deck. In an instant, a gigantic flower of ice blossomed beneath them, and the pair were engulfed in a blast of intense freezing air.
An ice flower was certainly beautiful, but Liam, caught inside it, wasn't enjoying the view.
Taking a sword strike to the gut, Zank cast [Frost Nova] and managed to break free of Liam's reach. But that same strike had shown him just how strong Liam was.
The two long swords might have been made of ordinary iron, but a single blow had shattered his Ice Armor. Liam's swing had packed a serious punch!
Zank was more than a rank above Liam, but fighting a thief who could break through his defenses at close quarters, aboard a warship on the verge of sinking, didn't seem worth the risk.
And more importantly, several escort ships within sight were already ablaze. That meant the Phoenix would soon return.
At that thought, Mr. Zank turned and fled without hesitation, leaping over the side of the ship into the sea. While airborne, he swept his staff several times. A massive blue magic circle flashed and vanished, and a Water Elemental appeared beside him. It lifted Zank from the water and quickly carried him away.
Zank's escape was so practiced that even Liam, a thief himself, stared in amazement. And the Water Elemental racing across the surface of the water impressed him even more.
"So Water Elementals can double as boats? And it looks faster than most ships. This thing seems incredibly useful. I've got to find a way to get my hands on a few."
Thinking of his cards, Liam came up with a bold idea.
But no matter how many ideas he had, he couldn't put them into action right now. Liam looked around and finally understood why being hit by Frost Nova hadn't made him feel all that cold.
The ship, which had once stood seven or eight meters above the water, had taken on so much water that less than half of it remained above the surface. The pirates who'd been running around the deck trying to put out the fires had abandoned ship. All Liam could see now was smoke and flames all around him.
"No wonder he ran faster than a rabbit!"
Liam maliciously speculated about why the mage had turned and fled, and naturally connected it to the spreading blaze.
Being immune to Coral's flames didn't mean he could withstand ordinary fire. Liam already felt as if he were being roasted all over. Knowing he couldn't delay any longer, he blew his whistle and summoned Coral.
With the fire spreading everywhere, Liam leaped over the side of the ship and met up with Coral as she returned. He was about to leave the battlefield behind them.
But before Coral could flap her wings and take them into the sky, a familiar voice rang in Liam's ears. "Hey! You! Don't think you're getting away this time!"
The clear voice made him freeze. He turned involuntarily to look in the direction it had come from.
"I don't care. Go ahead and run. I've memorized your face, so let's see if a wanted notice across all of Kul Tiras can catch you."
Jaina stood before him, holding up a recording crystal ball. The word "threat" might as well have been written across her face. Liam felt a throbbing ache in his head.
He had no idea what the girl was up to, but he knew one thing: if he left her here, his wanted posters would be plastered all over Kul Tiras by tomorrow.
"Look, miss, I don't even have anywhere to go myself. Why are you coming with me?" Liam asked helplessly. He was usually the one giving others a hard time, but now he'd run into someone just as stubborn as he was—and she was a pretty young woman he couldn't very well lay a hand on. He was at a loss.
"I think you're a threat to Kul Tiras's security. Whenever you show up, something bad happens. I have to make sure you're not here to cause trouble." Jaina sounded righteous, but even she probably didn't believe the excuse she'd come up with.
"Then keep an eye on me. I can't take you along." Liam pointed at Coral. His meaning was obvious.
"I have Bobo. He can carry me..." Jaina patted the round Water Elemental beneath her. She'd chased after Liam on it just now. It was the first elemental creature she'd summoned from the Elemental Plane of Water, and they'd been together for some time.
Everyone said young animals were adorable. Liam hadn't expected a little Water Elemental to be so cute, too. With those big eyes and its plump, round body, it looked nothing like the fearsome creature it would become when fully grown.
"That ball of yours? How long would it take to swim to shore?" Liam slapped his forehead, utterly exasperated.
"..." Jaina pressed her lips together and fell silent.
"Hey! What are you doing!" Her silence didn't last long before turning into a shriek.
It wasn't because Liam had done anything lecherous. What happened was even more brutal than that.
To the astonishment of the many sailors aboard the Mist of the Maiden, Liam couldn't take any more of the stubborn girl. He pulled out the chain he'd just used and wrapped it tightly around Jaina.
Then the shameless "kidnapper" hung their precious princess beneath Coral's claws, and she flew off into the distance toward land...
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