Seven hours into the storm, the skies were a suffocating, ash-black ocean of clouds.
Wind howled, slashing across the traditional sails and bending the mast with unholy strength. Lightning cracked lines of white through the sky, illuminating the monstrous waves that surged beneath their ship like mountain ridges on the move.
The sea was madness incarnate.
Despite the ocean's increased density, which should've made them more buoyant, their speed was hindered by the monstrous weight of mystical pressure pressing down like a god's fist from the heavens. It was like sailing through thick jelly with thunder pounding on all sides.
Elyonari stood firm, barefoot on the deck and both arms outstretched, her palms glowing. But even she, the elf whose veins ran with Nature Divinity, was gritting her teeth and panting.
"It's like trying to breathe in mud…"
Fortunately, Eldrigan's floating red spherical barriers hovered like glowing orbs around them, absorbing the brunt of the pressure. Those barriers were why no one had been flung off the deck yet. Every single person aboard knew the truth: if even one of them fell into the ocean below, they'd be dead in seconds. The ocean's density might offer more buoyancy but the mystical pressure below the surface counteracted it violently. Bodies weren't just pulled down. They were torn between buoyancy trying to lift them and pressure trying to crush them. The tearing started with the skin, then muscle, then bone.
It was the ocean's version of being drawn and quartered.
Narisva and Adelasta flanked Elyonari as sentinels, refusing to let her falter. Narisva had her double-bladed scythe clutched in hand, swinging it once in a while to clear water torrents that slammed across the deck. Adelasta's hands were vaporizing the water around them.
No monsters had appeared yet… which unsettled them more than actual combat would.
They had changed their formation in the past hour. Everyone was spread out across the deck in a four-point defense arc, but kept line of sight with each other. The silence of the deep felt too still for a storm of this level. And then, in the middle of the chaos, the three men stood near the helm, covered in soaked cloaks, talking like men did during hellish nights.
Xander had his arms folded as he glanced at Eldrigan.
"So... Farrynelle and Peroncerea actually asked Elyonari to be their relationship mentor."
Hesaid with a short laugh, his blond hair slicked back and rain streaming down his jawline.
"Didn't expect that. Honestly? It's smart. I'm not really good with… emotional nuances."
Vastarael gave them both a side glance, his sapphire-and-gold eyes flickering under the lightning.
"Let me guess, you both want me to be the male version of that."
Xander pointed at him. "Exactly."
"Relationship expert. Adviser. Consultant. Whatever title works," Eldrigan added with a smirk.
"Fine. Just don't call me the Love God."
Natalis and Denisia floated at the edge of the upper sail bridge, their outfits dripping with seawater.
"We've been flying across the quadrant," Natalis reported, "No signs of sea creatures anywhere. Nothing's even following the currents."
"Not even a single scale," Denisia added.
Vastarael was about to nod when something deep in his divine instincts spiked.
"Natalis!"
Before she could respond, he leapt.
The next instant, a bolt of darkness shot out of the sea like a monstrous arrow. Vastarael tackled her mid-air and both of them crashed onto the main deck in a shattering wave of water and wind. A concussive shockwave followed, throwing barrels and crates flying, and knocking several of the crew down. Natalis blinked as he shielded her with one arm, their bodies sliding slightly on the soaked wood.
"T-thanks. That… would've killed me."
He stood up instantly and turned toward the impact crater where the object hit.
"Company!"
The ship rocked violently, groaning under the war between wind and wave. And in the eye of the madness, Vastarael stood at the helm, his voice booming across the howling wind.
"Listen up!. This isn't just a storm. Something's driving this. Trying to avoid it is failure. If it comes at you, kill it. But conserve energy. The real fight's yet to come."
His eyes locked on Elyonari, whose arms trembled from holding the wind steady. He turned to the two standing protectively beside her.
"Adelasta! Narisva! Stay by her side. If Elyonari loses control, we sink. No exceptions."
Adelasta nodded immediately, flames already flowing from her palms. Narisva looked extremely displeased.
"I want to fight too," she said, her double-bladed scythe twirling in her hand like a dancer ready to perform.
"You'll get your moment. If I'm right, there's something bigger down there. A storm of this magnitude doesn't exist on its own. There's a beast in the deep. Save your energy for that."
She clicked her tongue and folded her arms but didn't argue. Vastarael pointed to the twins, Natalis and Denisia, who were already lifting off from the deck in streaks of golden.
"Fly high. Scan the waters. If anything's surfacing, I want to know before it shows up. Don't engage unless you have to."
The twins nodded in sync, soaring up into the clouds as they activated their vision.
"Xander, Eldrigan, you two stay on deck. Protect the ship itself. Hold the structure. You're the strongest defensively. Use your abilities to keep us afloat. Focus on control, not slaughter."
Xander unsheathed his glowing longsword, steam rising off its edge as seawater sizzled against it.
"Roger that."
Eldrigan cracked his neck and summoned his obsidian mallet, the weapon pulsing with Eldritch sigils that shifted constantly on its surface.
"Been waiting for something to smash."
Vastarael turned toward the two women next to him.
"Farrynelle. Peroncerea, you're with me. Ranged combat only. We keep pressure off the deck. If anything tries to scale the sides, erase it."
Both women nodded, moving beside him, lightning and Demonic Energy starting to curl around their palms in anticipation.
That's when the sea broke.
Massive fish each the size of war elephants burst upward from the ocean. Their scales gleamed with unnatural armor. Their mouths gaped with spiral rows of razor-sharp fangs and they dove at the ship like living harpoons.
"INCOMING!" Xander roared.
The first one slammed into the deck. Eldrigan was already there, his mallet spinning into a two-handed grip before he smashed it straight into the creature's side. The shockwave from the impact vibrated the entire deck. The fish flew back into the water but not without leaving behind an echoing ache in Eldrigan's arms. He winced, rolling his shoulder.
"Damn. That thing's dense. It's like hitting a mountain wrapped in rubber."
Xander slashed upward at the second one that lunged at them. His blade bit deep but sparks exploded off the scales. It was like trying to cut reinforced metal.
"Even with Divine Energy, I'm barely leaving a scratch."
Eldrigan blocked another hit with his mallet, sliding back half a meter across the slick deck.
"They're adapting. That's what Vastarael meant."
Overhead, Vastarael shouted.
"THE OCEAN PRESSURE FORCED THEM TO EVOLVE. THEIR SCALES AREN'T NATURAL. Don't focus on killing! Stall them! Keep them away from the mast and Elyonari!"
The two men nodded, switching immediately into a coordinated defense. Eldrigan used his barriers to bounce creatures back as they slammed into his shield domes. Xander slashed only to redirect momentum, not to finish. They moved fast, bouncing between forward deck and midship, blocking, parrying, slamming and dragging creatures back to the edge before tossing them into the sea. They weren't trying to win. They were holding the line.
Meanwhile, massive lightning bolts and dark energy blasts rained from above as Farrynelle and Peroncerea stood at the edge of the ship, launching projectiles into the sea to keep it from consuming the vessel. Vastarael moved between them like a conductor, his glaive drawing concentric rings of sapphire energy, launching energy pulses that slammed sea creatures away from the hull with deafening roars.
Back at the center of the deck, Adelasta and Narisva defended Elyonari like bodyguards. The elf had one eye closed, her Nature Energy bleeding wind into the sails. Adelasta unleashed a floating fire field to vaporize heavy waves. Narisva stared out at the water, eyes narrowed, ready to leap the second Vastarael gave her the call.
But for now, the focus was clear: hold position, ride out the waves, and brace for whatever force had summoned the storm to begin with.