Mistress Ching looked at Donghai, and then back at me.

"I fought the Kraken once," I said, almost in the form of a question.

All three of us hurried out of the small room, and I was bombarded by the sight before me.

Broken barrels and shattered crates littered the decks. Most of the netting and sails were partially or completely ripped. One of the masts had a large crack running up the length of it. Crew members were scattered everywhere, and while some were trying to gather a weapon. The ones who had found a weapon were shocked to find that axes, spears, and bullets did nothing against the creature's thick hide. Most of the crew members were just running around aimlessly and yelling in rapid-fire Chinese. One crew member wasn't doing either of these things. He was getting eaten.

I thought the sea serpent was small compared to the Kraken. Its circumference was a little bit bigger than one of the Kraken's tentacles, although I couldn't determine its length because I couldn't see how much of its body was concealed under the water. Its back was a bright blue, while its stomach was an off-white color. It might have been the water clinging to its scales, but I was almost certain its scales were actually shimmering in the evening light. Its head was lined with a blue frill, and its beady blue eyes were locked onto the man he was trying to pull from the netting with its huge jaws.

I could hear Mistress Ching and Donghai scrambling to get the crew under control to issue orders, but I stood mesmerized by the sea serpent. I noticed that as the man was ripped off the netting, he managed to draw his dagger and stab the creature inside of its mouth. The sea serpent roared in pain and flung the man back onto the deck. I rushed to the mangled body, only to find that he was already dead. I looked up, and the sea serpent was gone, presumably back into the water to recover from its injury.

By this time, Mistress Ching and Donghai had gathered the crew and were instructing weapons to be passed out as they were trying to issue a pep talk, but most of the crew wouldn't shut their mouths. I stepped up and interrupted them. "All of us need to stand in a small group in the middle of the ship."

"That will make us easy pickings!" a crew member in the back shouted.

"It will also allow the serpent's head to become an easy target." All of the crew was quiet at this point.

"Everyone saw how that thing's skin was like nothing you have ever seen on any other living creature. It repelled everything from blades to bullets. Its weaknesses are the sensory points: the eyes, the mouth, the nose. Not sure if it has ears, but if it does, shoot, stab, or otherwise maim anything that looks like something on your face."

I noticed that I had lost most of the crew's attention; they were all looking at something behind me. I really hoped the sea serpent hadn't risen up behind me while I was talking. That would be incredibly cliché.

I turned around, and sure enough, the giant blue water snake had reared its head high into the air behind me as I was talking. It opened its maw and gave out an ear-splitting roar, and then the crew split into a thousand different directions. The creature took a few more crew members into its mouth, and then retreated again to eat in peace before its next attack.

The crew's maniacal behavior didn't last long. Mistress Ching barked out something in Chinese, and the entire crew froze at once. She said something else, and they came back to the middle of the ship, although they were visibly trembling. They drew blades, axes, pistols, and shotguns, and some even put on a brave face. Most didn't. I myself drew a bejeweled dagger from the belt at my waist, which I put in my right hand. I put a pistol in my left and prepared for the next attack.

The serpent's head burst from the water, effectively soaking everyone within a quarter mile radius. Its massive jaws landed on the crewman standing directly next to me. I held eye contact with the beast's glittering eye for a fraction of a second before I drove the dagger into it. It let out a roar of pain, and I dropped my pistol and drove the end of the dagger in even further with the palm of my left hand. I saw the muscles all the way down its shimmering body go limp as it died.

More of the snake must have been under the water than above it, because the entire serpent slipped off the boat and back into the water. Everyone, including me, rushed to the railing and saw the creature's giant head floating in the water, its blood darkening the water.

"Well, what are you doing just standing there!" I heard Mistress Ching exclaim from behind me. "Sea serpent fangs are worth huge amounts of money! Get me that head before it sinks! Oh, and thank you Elizabeth. You were a wonderful help."