"I've got them all laid out! You just need to follow my orders, it's perfect!" Gisla roared, clutching a rolled up parchment in her hand as the waves around the Blackjack had begun to twist and swirl.

"Orders? You're not the captain, Gisla. I'll deal with it, you just sit your pretty little behind down," Galliard replied, clambering up the mast with a vigorous grip. He was intent on getting a clearer view of the serpent below. "Lady, I'm gonna help you kill this thing once and for all."

"I'm certain that Captain Drewitt would leave you in charge in the case of his own, Adendé's and Lazarus' absence," Lady would reply as his call summoned her forth from the boards.

"You saying I'm the fourth pick? Way to boost my confidence, sprite," Galliard scoffed in response. "We'll see about that when we're done."

 

"What, no! Didn't you hear me?! I've got it all la- where are you going!?" Gisla cried up to the mast as Galliard ascended, seeing Lady's ethereal form spiralling up around him.

"Don't you worry about that, my darling Gisla. Let's give you a chance," Liza came up from behind Gisla, pinching both of her cheeks while peering over her shoulder. "What can I do to help?"

Gisla shook her off, though her face was glowing with relief.

"Right! I need a scale, one of the ones from the serpent! Lumpy threw the one that hit Mikey overboard when he tried to make stew out of it, so we'll need to pry another," Gisla looked to the port side waves, trying to catch a glimpse of the serpent.

"A scale? This scale is needed for one of the spells?" Liza asked, turning to look over the starboard railing for the serpent as well.

 

Boom!

 

Another devastating hit against the starboard hull sent the Blackjack tipping once more.

Preparing for another hit, Liza reached out for a rope loosely tied to the centre mast - seizing Gisla's hand before she slid into the water.

"Don't you dare let go of me!" Gisla screamed, her heels hanging off the edge of the ship.

"A thank you would suffice, little lady," Liza replied, setting her down once the ship had stabilised under Lady's uncanny control. "Well, I won't ask the details. Just make sure you don't kill us as well!"

"Of course not! My plan is perfect," Gisla riposted with a roll of her eyes, now gripping onto the centre mast tightly. "I'll wait here while you complete the retrieval."

"Just running your errands, am I?" Liza chuckled before launching off into a sprint towards the starboard side and leaping for the railing.

Liza's boot landed on the handrail, using it as a foothold to propel her over the edge. She reached out for a loose rope that was flailing over the edge of the ship, latching onto it and swinging half the length of the ship.

"Lady, take me up to Galliard!" she ordered, the rope slinging her up like the tail of a whip.

As she was sent flying up, she landed on the barrier of the crow's nest where Galliard made desperate callouts of the serpent's location.

 

"We can't get a clear shot with the cannons! It won't breach the surface, it's learnt from last time," Galliard informed Liza as she made her appearance, his eyes hopelessly trailing the serpent's tail while it coiled around the Blackjack.

"Gisla needs a scale from the serpent, it seems she has a spell prepared. We don't need a clear shot, Galliard, anything will do," she replied, still holding the rope in her hands, ready to swing down at a moment's notice.

"We'll be waiting for a fluke to have one fly on board, the serpent's not even coming up for air! All the scales will be in the water - sinking before we have the chance to reach them," Galliard shook his head, refusing to invest even a shred of confidence in the idea.

"I'll grab them then! God you boys are such cowards. Just get Lady to fire a shot, call it out and I'll handle the rest," Liza responded, turning towards the open air and preparing to dive from the nest.

"You're insane," Galliard responded, leaning over the barrier vigilantly to call out the serpent's whereabouts.

 

"This is your moment. This is your moment. This is why you're a mage. A feat of magical prowess, that's all this is. Show them why you're great. I'm great. I'm amazing. I'm Gisla. They'll all know that name," Gisla began to mumble to herself, trying to build the confidence to deal with the serpent. A rainfall of sweat rolled down her forehead, trickling over the clenching of her jaw. Her grip on the mast was tight, though the shaking was as much a result of muscle tension as it was fear.

 

Boom!

 

For just a moment, the head of the serpent breached the waves and butted into the starboard hull. Splintering the boards, Lady had already begun repairing the damage before the ship's buoyancy was compromised.

"Starboard side! Heading for the bow! Fire just below the forecastle!" Galliard ordered, his hand directing Lady's aim as the spectral ghost floated behind him.

"Understood," she responded as the cannons, despite their weight, flicked their aim to match Galliard's direction.

 

Blam! Boom! Boom! Blam! Boom! Blam!

 

The cannons all unleashed an iron volley towards the serpent, the floorboards rattling under the force of their firing.

A crack could be heard as the ammunition hit the water, Galliard whipping his attention to Liza.

"Direct hit Liza, you're up!"

"I bet our captain would fall head over heels for me if he saw me right now," Liza joked, a smirk on her face as she dove off the top of the mast towards the sea below. Swinging down for the edge of the water, Liza's grip on the rope was loose as she slowly descended towards the very top of it.

Once low enough, Liza's feet kissed the outer planking of the hull - wall running along it towards the bow. Continuing to propel herself forward, she looked into the foamy water where the serpent had been shot - sprinting towards it.

"Lady! Tie a knot around my wrist!" she yelled out, as the rope coiled around her like a snake. It was tied firmly to her and served as her line of safety.

Once she reached the rough point of impact, Liza plunged straight into the sea. Her entire body took a speared form, allowing her to pierce straight through the surface.

 

Diving into the salt water, Liza's blurred vision managed to catch a shining glint sinking deeper and deeper under the water. Swimming after it, Liza pushed herself further and further under - descending into the depths of the water.

Bubbles of air escaped from her lungs and out of her nose, her oxygen depleting with every second she remained in the water.

Pushing further and further under, the drag from her clothes catching the ocean's current, Lisa forced herself through the resistance of the water.

Soon only an arm's length away, Liza reached out for the scale, basically tickling it with her fingertips.

She was on her last few seconds of air, but pushed just a little bit further and secured a grip on the scale.

Just as she did, a pair of blood red lights emerged from the darkness below - the lights growing brighter as they rapidly approached.

Liza released a bubbled scream under water, desperately tugging on the rope to let Lady know she needed to be pulled up. Liza didn't have much longer.

Suddenly pulled backwards towards the surface, Liza's hair waved through the water and blocked her vision of the eyes approaching.

 

Ploop!

 

Liza's lean body was pulled up from the surface of the water, the scale tight in her hands, as she flew over the railings onto the deck with a heavy gasp for air.

"Braaaaace!" she cried out.

 

Ska-splash Crash!

 

The serpent erupted from the water, barreling past the hull and snapping boards and planks all along the length of the starboard side.

"Fire!" Galliard called out, directing Lady towards the belly of the exposed beast, the cannons all unleashing their iron volley once more.

Liza landed in an acrobatic roll, and despite her soaked clothes, reactively bolted for a barrel to use as cover.

 

Blam! Blam! Boom! Boom! Boom! Blam!

 

The cannons fired off, shattering the exposed scales on its under belly not far from where they'd hit it a week prior. The weak scales on its underside sent shards flying all over the deck. Sticking into boards, walls, the mast and tearing holes in the sails, the armour projectiles littered the ship.

A high pitch screech from the serpent stung the ears of the crew as the cannonfire had banished it back into the waters depths.

"Well then, that works too," Liza sighed, tossing the scale in her hands overboard, having completed the dangerous feet for no apparent reason. "That'll keep it gone for a while longer. Seems your magic wasn't needed after all Gisla."

Liza sighed in relief, emerging from the splintered barrels and moving onto the open deck, the ship having stabilised after the serpent's lunge.

 

"Now we finish it! We'll take its head as a trophy!" Gisla bolted out from behind the cover of the mast, bending down and prying a scale from the floorboards.

"Gisla! We've won for now, we should leave it until the rest of the crew returns - don't do anything unnecessary!" Liza called out, running over to Gisla. But she was too late.

 

"Banished from the depths, return to the surface!" Gisla cried out, having grabbed the scale and ran to the edge of the ship. "You will not know her gentle embrace! Bottomless Banishment!"

Gisla held the scale out, palming it back into the water - letting it plop into the surface and be eaten by the waves.

"Gisla?! What have you done - what was that?!" Liza asked, folded over the railing after she'd tried to catch the scale before it fell out of reach.

"It can't hide from us now! We can finish it properly!" she chanted excitedly, looking out to the seas where the serpent tried to slip away.

 

The ocean's surface, only a short distance away from the Blackjack, violently began to swirl into a giant and vicious whirlpool. A gluttonous current had already begun to suck the ship towards it - Lady's unnatural control lacking the power to sail against it.

A piercing screech rang from the heart of the whirlpool as the serpent emerged from its mouth. 

The serpent, flailing helplessly in the whirlpool, weakly spun in circles like a high speed morningstar; its head served as the club, inviting the Blackjack closer and closer to be smashed to pieces.

"This was your idea?! Gisla, what were you thinking?!" Liza's eyes shook in terror as the Blackjack was powerlessly pulled towards the whirlpool.

"W-we can fire on it! We can! We can still kill it," Gisla's confidence began to shrivel.

"No, if the ship was to yaw in either direction, the current pulling us would capsize the Blackjack," Lady responded, her spectral form taking shape beside Liza and Gisla.

"What the fuck is happening?!" Galliard called out from above, still in the crow's nest.

"I- no. I've done it again, I've…" Gisla mumbled in despair, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Can we get out of the pull Lady?" Liza asked, gripping the handrail in fearful frustration.

"No, at this rate we'll succumb to the flailing serpent," Lady responded, when the group of them suddenly turned their attention skyward.

 

Rumble rumble.

 

Dark clouds had begun to form above the whirlpool, thunder booming as the flashes of lightning quickly followed. Mere moments ago, the sky had been clear of any such weather.

 

Rumble rumble.

 

Gisla looked to the brewing storm with hope. It was undoubtedly the presence of magic.

In a brief flash, the crew watched a silhouetted projectile shoot down from the clouds above, straight into the mouth of the whirlpool where the serpent's body continued to swing.

Then the whip crack followed.

 

Kwa-pang!

 

An enormous bolt of lightning, wider than the diameter of the whirlpool's mouth, shot down from the heavens - trailing the silhouette from earlier.

The crew's ears rang, Gisla's even spotting blood from the sheer force of the strike.

Lady continued to watch the anomaly, unaffected by the deafening sound of the bolt.

"Master Adendé has returned."