Just want to take a brief moment to say if you're in Texas or anywhere in the US currently effected by the storms, I hope you're staying safe. And if you're not and have the luxury to, offer a helping hand to those who could use it.

Stay safe out there, you guys. 2021 might have started a bit zany but we'll get through this!

Medicine. Was. Tedious.

Obnoxious, painstaking, arduous, and confusing. Weiss had always thought the prices healers and apothecaries charged for their services to be exorbitant; now she worried if they weren't being paid enough.

Rudimentary classes on first aid covered simple concoctions used to stave off the effects of spellcast sickness. Miasma poisoning was the same thing in all but name so Weiss felt reasonably confident she could make something to alleviate Ruby's bouts of nausea. Said confidence turned waning, then fled altogether when she'd been given a tour of the ship's pantry.

"This is all you have…?"

The Varuna chef, a rotund little man who walked with a limp grinned up at her and nodded. "Impressive, yes?"

Weiss peered into the shelves again and frowned. Ginger would help, albeit that was as basic as one could get. She wasn't some worrisome mother treating her child's tummy ache, she needed something to provide relief for potentially crippling sickness. Grabbing a ginger root in one hand she dug through an open box with unlabeled spice jars, furrowing her brow as she tried to discern the contents.

"Horseradish! Hot, spicy, painful to eat!" The chef wiggled, reaching up with webbed digits to grab another vial. "Celery seed! Mugwort, lemon zest -"

"Do you have anything else to help with nausea?"

Giving her a perplexed look, the fish-man took one look at his pantry and smiled. "No!"

Weiss sighed and set the containers back in their place, settling on just ginger root. For inflammation she took black pepper and green tea leaves. Although ginger should help with headaches, she took a few leaves of peppermint too, just in case. With a pot spilling over on the oven the chef rushed off to tend to his work, and with a furtive look at the pantry Weiss decided she should do the same. With her hands full she found a spare, small pot and filled it with distilled water, setting it over an open flame to boil. Once it seemed well enough to use she dumped the herbs inside and hoped she hadn't just made a mess.

Potions and salves would be ideal, but they didn't have any. With no one aboard with intimate knowledge of medicine they didn't dare try to recreate anything on their own. A bad potion, Qrow reasoned, could cause just as much harm as the sickness they were trying to cure.

Ironic coming from a man who nursed a flask like a baby to its mother's teat.

Tea would have to do for now. In lieu of a teapot she found an old beer stein, and after painstakingly scrubbing it clean with a brush, she poured half the tea into the stein and, when the ship jolted again, the other half on the floor. The liquid hissed and steamed against the floorboards and bits of plant material drifted away as the ship pitched, disappearing into a hole in the floor. That was fine, probably.

With the flame extinguished she carried the steaming concoction and two pewter mugs back to their room. From the kitchen which sat beneath the captain's cabin she headed upstairs, slipped twice, and settled for leaning against the wall as the ship continued to rock. Somehow, she managed to not spill any tea on her way back, although she might have dropped a mug. After brushing the shards behind a crate, she hurried along before the sea decided to test her balance again, rushing beneath swaying whale fat lanterns overhead. Their room's door was open when she returned, and she could hear Yang's booming laughter over Ruby's protests. When she stopped at the threshold, she found the elder sister attempting to tickle Ruby, held back by a pillow shoved in her face. Blake glanced up from the book in her hands, nodded in greeting, and continued to read from Weiss' bed.

"Yang!" Weiss snapped to zero effect. Huffing, she stormed into the room but stopped short, lest she be smacked by the flailing sisters. "Yang, she should be resting! Stop!"

Face smooshed in and pressed against Ruby's palm Yang still managed a lopsided grin. "Aw, come on, Ice Queen! Laughter is the best medicine!"

Judging by Ruby's pale face she begged to differ.

"Right, Ruby? Tell Weiss that big sis knows best!"

Ruby opened her mouth to answer then clamped it shut. Her cheeks turned green and her eyes went wide which was all the signal Yang needed to back off. They barely had the window opened before Ruby half-threw herself out of it, and Weiss felt grateful for the sound of crashing waves.

When she came back in, Ruby's face looked pinched and she wiped her mouth repeatedly on her sleeve. Yang, perhaps realizing she'd caused it, refrained from further torment and took to nursing her sister instead, rubbing her back and guiding her to the bed to rest. Only once certain there would be no second act, Weiss inched closer to the bed and offered the lone cup over.

"Herbal tea," she explained to a curious Yang. "It's not medicine but it should help a little."

Blake's ears perked up and she lowered her book, lifting her head to sniff the air. "You know how to brew tea?"

"Well, not really, no, but it can't be that complicated."

The Faunus' flat stare said otherwise.

"It's fine! I just brewed a few things to help with her nausea, that's all. I'm certain it's perfectly edible."

"It's not a food," Blake said.

"It's still safe to drink!"

"The word you're looking for is 'potable'. Or 'drinkable' even," Blake smiled and reclined against the headboard, turning the page with a flick of her finger. "Just saying."

Deciding Blake existed only to make her suffer, Weiss turned her back on her friend and offered the stein to Yang, clamping a hand on the lid as the ship rocked again. "Here, I'll let you pour for her. Or test it yourself if you don't believe me." She shot an accusatory glare back at Blake. "Since some people seem to doubt my proficiency in tea making!"

Through a gurgling belch Ruby managed to smile and offer some encouragement. "I'm sure it's good, Weiss." Even if it was nothing more than a platitude Weiss felt herself beam at it.

"I should check, just to be sure. Don't want you poisoning my baby sister after all!"

"Oh for goodness… It's tea, Yang! You can't poison someone with tea!"

"Actually -"

"Your input is not needed, Belladonna. Thank you!"

Honestly, was this what she got for trying to help? Next time Yang or Blake needed something from her she'd tell them to do it themselves!

Ruby looked a little better now that she'd fed the fish breakfast, but Weiss still wanted her to have something, so she gestured for Yang to drink. With so much enthusiasm that made it painfully obvious she was exaggerating; Yang whooped and lifted the stein.

"Here's to my good health! Oh, and Ruby's." Yang grinned, raised the drink in toast to Weiss, and drank right from the container. Watching Yang's face for a sign she cringed when Yang did, then bit her lip when Yang began to gag and choke. The wheezing might have been a bit much, and when Yang put a hand to her forehead and fell back with an exaggerated 'blegh', Weiss felt anything but concern.

Ruby, bless her heart, still leaned over, and shook her sister's shoulder. "Yang? Are you okay?"

The bumbling blonde buffoon wheezed, turned her head, and her tongue lolled out.

"Oh no, she's dead," Blake mourned, voice flat. "Looks like we'll have to throw her overboard."

Yang almost spilled all over herself as she shot up and narrowly avoided headbutting Ruby. "I'm good! Alive and hale, see?"

Weiss closed her eyes and folded her hands beneath her arms. Hearing Ruby laugh made the insult sting a little less, and when Yang and Blake joined in she sighed, a small smile finding its way to her face too.

"You are the absolute worst, I swear."

"You love us," Yang shot back.

"Begrudgingly, yes." With a good-natured huff, she took the stein and mug back, pouring half a cup for Ruby. Staring at Yang to keep her quiet, she held it for her partner and let Ruby drink at her pace. Once the contents were gone, she carefully placed it on the end table, used her own sleeve to clean Ruby's mouth, and checked her forehead. "Your temperature has gone down, and I'm assuming you don't feel the need to… Relieve yourself again?"

"Nope! I feel better already!" Ruby's stomach grumbled and she held it with a nervous smile.

"We'll try some plain bread in a little while to see if you can hold food." Weiss took a seat on Ruby's other side and took one of her hands with a smile. "You need to rest though, which means no more scuffles with the crew." She narrowed her gaze at Yang. "And that means no more being a bad example for your sister either."

Yang sputtered, then waved her hand dismissively. "Psh, I'm the best example!"

"You got in a fight, got drunk, and almost threw the ship's captain overboard." Blake snorted. "I've seen better examples in a prison cell."

"Can't blame a girl for wanting to have a good time!" Yang did a double take then raised her eyebrows. "Wait, you've been in a prison cell?"

"I fail to see how assaulting the people responsible for transporting us is a 'good time'," Weiss muttered.

"If doctor Weiss says I should rest then I will!" Oh now you're going to listen to me? Ruby's infectious smile erased her minor annoyance and the brunette giggled. "If I want to start feeling better then I need to take this seriously, right? So what Weiss says, goes!"

Yang bumped her shoulder to her sister's and waggled her eyebrows. "Does that include kissing?"

Even with heat rushing to her face Weiss managed to stay composed. "I'll be doing no such thing until I'm certain my patient feels better."

"Aw,"

"O-Or until she's cleaned her mouth out," Weiss amended quickly.

Pleased, Yang snickered and eased back, clasping her hands together. "My baby sister and her girlfriend are so cute! You guys are like kissing maniacs now!"

"We've kissed twice, Yang!" Ruby whined.

"Four times, actually."

Ruby gawked. "Weiss!"

Giggling to herself, Weiss pat Ruby's head. Her partner smiled and leaned against her side, eyes closing while she, hopefully, tried to keep the tea from making an encore appearance. Medicine it was not but with any luck they could go a few hours without Ruby feeling horribly ill. With still a day's worth of travel until they reached Corfu it was all they could do until they reached land.

"Hey, Blake? Do you wanna -"

"Kiss? I'll pass, thanks."

Yang gasped and clutched her chest. "Ouch, my heart! My soul! So cruel, Blakey!"

Weiss shook her head while Ruby tittered beside her. "Have you had any luck with that book, by the way?"

The leather book in Blake's hands had been one of a few useful things they had found aboard the ship, Ship - a name Weiss still balked at - and one Weiss hoped would help Ruby more than her tea might. A collection of medicinal concoctions to help a sailor at sea, along with more basic mixtures for non-lethal injuries to stave off infections or help provide some relief. When Blake shook her head Weiss felt the wind flee from her sails, something the ship itself had no issue with as it lurched forward around them.

"Nothing about miasma poisoning. I doubt they usually transport many Magi." Blake sighed and closed the book, casting it aside on the bed. "Sorry, but we'll have to just settle for what we've been doing for now. Although now that I think about it Opal did have a stew she would make for us after a mission." She smiled wistfully. "I don't know how much it actually helped in hindsight, or if we even have the ingredients for it, but maybe we could try making that."

"Opal?" Ruby asked. "Was she a member of the White Fang?"

Blake answered with a nod, then sighed and looked at the ceiling. "She was like a grandmother to some of us. A lot of us. Whenever we'd get back from a hard mission, she'd always have a hot meal ready." Her ears went flat against her head and she drew one knee to her chest, arms wrapping around it. "I hope she's doing okay…"

From what little they had learned about Adam, Weiss didn't feel much confidence about that. Blake didn't look to either, closing her eyes and curling up tighter even as Yang moved across the room to pat her back.

"Everyone needs food! And you'd be totally crazy to get rid of someone who can prepare it. I doubt even Adam is that crazy." Ruby smiled encouragingly. "She's okay, Blake, I'm sure of it! And when we get back to Vale, we'll help her and the rest of your friends get away from the White Fang, just like Ilia!"

"Right. They'll be okay." Blake didn't sound as convinced as Ruby might hope but she still managed a smile for her. "Thanks, Ruby."

"There's a lot of people we need to get back to. Ruby and I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to dad." Realizing she'd stuffed her entire leg into her mouth Yang quickly added, "But we'll see him again! Maybe after we're done with our stuff on Corfu we can head up to Patch. It can't be that much of a trip, right?"

Without a map Weiss had no idea. She shrugged then nodded when Ruby looked at her for confirmation. "Right. We'll find out how to help you. Both of you," she said, glancing at Yang before smiling at Ruby. "And then you can see your father again."

"Then we can help the others too, right? Pyrrha and Jaune, and Ren and Nora?" Ruby's eyes fell and she smiled somberly. "I hate to think what they're going through right now."

Although she had experience with it Weiss decided to keep that to herself; the less she could talk about her own proverbial timebomb the better. Although her Warden's mark remained dormant and Qrow seemed content to leave her be she still worried if it might trigger. What she might be made to do if Ozpin decided to act on it. The lone saving grace was the assumption that the spell had a distance limitation. Just as waystones couldn't work past a certain distance so too could the mark reach a range where Ozpin couldn't access it anymore.

It might have been a foolish thought, but Weiss clung to it for solace anyways.

"Hey, enough of this broody stuff! That's Blake's thing."

Blake looked at Yang unamused, shrugging the arm around her shoulders off. "I don't brood, I'm thoughtful."

"You wear all black and you're always super serious." Yang smirked and held a finger in Blake's face. "That's brood - ow!"

"Put the finger in my face again and I'll really bite it off," Blake warned, lips pressed in a hard line.

"Sheesh, someone's feisty."

"You did kind of deserve it," Weiss giggled.

Yang pouted, which wasn't nearly as adorable as Ruby did, and threw her hands up. "Did not! Blake is a total brood-meister, right, Ruby?"

Silver eyes danced between Yang and Blake while Ruby fussed with the blanket beneath her. After a moment she smiled and shook her head. "Nope, Blake smiles plenty! She's just not manic like you."

"Manic? Are you saying I'm crazy?"

"That is what the word means, yes," Blake answered.

"No, it doesn't! It means, uh…" Yang folded her arms and frowned. "Not… Crazy?"

"Denial is the first stage of grief, Yang." Weiss smiled apologetically. "You'll come to terms with it eventually, I'm sure."

"I liked it better when we were picking on you!"

Weiss begged to disagree; this was much more fun. "Aw, is Yang upset?"

"Me? Nah, never! I'm all smiles here!"

"That's mania for you." Blake shook her head and looked at Yang deathly serious. "I'm afraid you're going insane. But that's okay," she reached up and patted Yang's head. "We still love you anyways."

Yang's pout inverted and lilac eyes gained a new spark. "Aw, you guys love me?!"

"I tolerate you," Blake admitted.

"I love your sister," Weiss said.

Ruby laughed, leaning against Weiss and smiling. "I love you, Yang!"

"Wow, the unconditional love of a sibling." Blake snorted and it was her turn to pat Yang's back, smirking. "One out of three isn't bad, honestly."

"You guys are the worst!"

Without missing a beat, Weiss sat up and did her best impression of Yang. "You love us." Which was an absolutely awful impression that probably should never see the light of day again, but it got the reaction she'd hoped for.

Yang laughed, then grinned and threw an arm back around Blake. "Yeah I do. We're all pains in each other's asses -"

"Yang, language!" Ruby whined.

"But we're each other's pains!" Yang paused, frowned, and knit her brow. "Wait, that doesn't sound right."

"Real eloquent, Yang. If you weren't so loquacious maybe you wouldn't put your foot in your mouth so often."

"Lo-what-ious? I'm gonna guess that means beautiful."

Blake nodded. "It does. And so does gullible."

Yang beamed, then slowly but surely settled down and looked at Blake critically. "Wait…"

Weiss shook her head, smiling as Ruby laid her own on her shoulder. She'd let Blake and Yang bicker for now. Right now, she had her patient to tend to.

/+/+/+/+/+/

It occurred to Qrow that he should have spent more time studying maps.

Before there hadn't been a need to. Vale he knew like the back of his hand after nearly thirty years of parading around. Towns both new and old he'd visited, and ones long vanished he'd committed to memory. He knew all the roads, ways around the roads, and paths not marked on any map; why use one then when he knew the kingdom better than any piece of paper?

Well, for starters he didn't know the other kingdoms well. Staring at the crude, charcoal scribble that could generously be called an approximation of map, likely drawn by a toddler, Qrow attempted to make sense of where they were going.

Corfu was an island off Mistral's western coast. That much he knew and finding it on the map was easy enough. As for the rest of the kingdom…

Where was the kingdom's grand cathedral? Where were its major cities? A vague blob hardly told him much. He couldn't say where they should avoid or where they could count themselves among allies. Considering the Church of Remnant's not insignificant proliferation it was a safe bet there weren't many places he and the girls could lay low.

All of this was only further compounded by the fact that calling Mistral a "kingdom" was inaccurate as hell. Sure, a single branch of the Church oversaw it, and sure, a king and queen ruled, kind of, but that's where it ended. Anima was so large and fragmented that any one ruler would struggle to maintain control, which was why no single ruler led the kingdom. According to Raven and this crew, the kingdom consisted of four smaller sub-kingdoms, little city-states, whatever the hell you wanted to call them. Considering his sister was as helpful as a fireball up the ass he took that with a grain of salt.

Except the crew confirmed as much when he'd asked, meaning he now technically had four mini kingdoms to somehow navigate.

Ah, but that would come when they made landfall, which they hadn't. If the map was anything to go by then they were somewhere between big blob on the left and little blob on the right.

He really wished he'd thought to hire a navigator.

Glancing at the captain to his right he slid the map over, quirking his lips in a smile that didn't even try to hide his skepticism. "Naranča, you got any clue how close we are?"

"Day away!" The immediate answer surprised him and he raised an eyebrow for elaboration. "In clear, yes? Day travel then shore. Landfall, ground, Corfu."

"And you're sure of it? Not that we haven't been enjoyin' this little ship of yours."

"Ship! Fine vessel!" Naranča grinned and flashed two rows of jagged teeth.

"Yeah, fine. So a day off then."

The boat pitched to one side again. Not hard, not like they'd hit anything, but enough that Qrow needed to plant a foot down to keep upright. The smaller crewmembers nearby had more issue and one toppled over, another grabbing onto a nearby crate. One of them, a dim-eyed Varuna with more fins than teeth, pinwheeled comically before falling forward and face planting. He rose, dusted himself off, then turned and walked right into a crate.

Between kicking the shit out of each other for fun, their inherent incoordination, and a flagrant disregard for nautical tools it was a wonder they'd made it this far. Beyond their reassurances too there was no guarantee they were heading in the right direction; if he woke up tomorrow and saw Atlas on the horizon Qrow wouldn't have been too surprised.

Another bump that sent the ship tilting to the right. Before it had a chance to get away from him Qrow snatched his flask back from a cheeky Varuna, patting them on the back before giving them a little shove. They tumbled, somersaulting, and ending up crossing half the ship before it righted itself.

"Restless waters, huh?" he mused.

"Not waters!" Naranča laughed. "Grimm!"

Despite not having taken a drink yet Qrow still managed to sputter and choke. "What?!" he groaned, punching his chest and grimacing.

"Grimm!" As if it weren't a serious issue the captain waddled to the railings and pointed down. Qrow followed, peering over the railing and blanching at the sigh.

Threshers. Sharks, more or less, if sharks were perpetually pissed, covered in bony plating, and had a hateboner for humanity. Using their bodies as battering rams they surfaced one after another, slammed into the side of the ship, then dove again with a raspy snarl.

The fact the hull was reinforced with metal plating didn't help soothe Qrow's fraying nerves.

Fighting Grimm was child's play. Even something like the Ambrosia they fought outside of Liar's Bay wouldn't have been too hard if he hadn't had the girls with him.

But battling out on the open sea? Where the ship being destroyed meant floundering helplessly as the Grimm swarmed? Qrow was a little bit less of an optimism then.

While the railing creaked between his fingers he exhaled through clenched teeth. "And you didn't think to mention this earlier why?"

"Ship strong! Grimm small, won't break Ship!"

Still the dumbest name for a boat I've ever heard. Qrow watched another Thresher surface, bodily lifting itself out of the water and smacking the side of the ship. The resounding thud echoed beneath them but the hull held.

"Can the cannons reach them?"

"Why shoot? Harmless!"

"Can you shoot them or not?" Qrow ča nodded and he pushed off the railing, marching towards the center of the deck. "Load the cannons! When the Grimm surface I want you to blow 'em to hell, got me? Shoot until none of 'em are left!"

It wasn't his ship nor his crew to command and the Varuna made that clear by standing idly. Snarling, he ran a hand over his face. "Oi, I said shoot them! Unless you wanna sink?"

"Ease, friend! Relax, steady, breathe!" Naranča smiled toothily again. "Ship is strong, Grimm weak. Happens all the time!"

"That's not the point you idiot. Grimm don't just pop up for no reason, and not in a group like this." The ship rocked again and Qrow slammed a foot down to keep himself from toppling. "Where there's smaller fish there's bound to be -"

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby's pitched call cut him off and she came rushing out, flanked closely by the Ice Queen. Blake followed soon after, and Yang brought up the rear, brow furrowed as she itched at her arm irritably.

She can feel 'em. Figured as much.

"Uncle Qrow! What's going on?" Ruby looked at the nonplussed crew before addressing him. "Why does the ship keep tipping?"

"No tip! Rock! Ship is fine!" Naranča assured her.

"Grimm," Qrow answered flatly.

"What?! Why aren't we doing anything about it?" When he pointed to the captain Weiss huffed, stomping forward and putting a finger in Naranča's face. "Listen, you fool, we can't allow Grimm to attack the ship!"

Another hit. "Why?" the captain asked, earnestly puzzled. "Ship fine, won't sink. Worry about nothing!"

"Because we can't swim to shore!"

Maybe a moot point when shouting at a Varuna who very much could. Be it three miles or twenty the entire crew could easily make the trip if they needed to. Well, provided the Grimm didn't tear them to bloody ribbons first.

"Grimm small," Naranča repeated. "Safe! Fine! Okay!"

"They're small, but that's not the point. Grimm like that don't congregate on their own." Qrow shook his head and sighed. "Only when there's something bigger. An alpha variant."

Then, because fate, nature, or the gods themselves always looked for an opportunity to fuck him over, a heavier body slammed against the ship. Crates scraped across the deck as they slid and a collective chorus of startled screams rang out. Qrow grabbed Ruby and Weiss before they fell and one of the crew tumbled into and over the railing, disappearing over it with a shrill, hissing scream.

"Carl!"

Qrow almost laughed at the name. Carl? At least Naranča sounded something exotic, even if it was just Vacuan. It was difficult to laugh however when he caught sight of the Alpha Thresher breeching, rising to the deck to stare at them before crashing back into the ocean. Water threw up in its wake and soaked half the ship.

The crew screamed again. Several of the smaller Grimm crashed into the ship. Qrow groaned, released the girls, and stormed towards the helm. "Get on the fucking cannons!" he commanded.

This time the Varuna were too happy to oblige.

/+/+/+/+/+/

Sharks. It just had to be sharks!

Technically they weren't sharks. Sharks were actual animals; Threshers were abominations. Unholy copies of a natural if terrifying creature.

Grimm didn't normally make her panic, but then she wasn't normally out at sea either. Sinking meant being at the mercy of the Grimm, and even if they killed them, they'd be stranded. A meal for the real sharks if they were bold or hungry enough.

The ship rocked again, and Weiss blanched as she watched the Alpha Tresher sail skyward, long red fins flapping as if to provide flight. It crashed into the ship and it veered hard, boards snapping and creaking. Unable to plant itself however it rolled off with a monstrous bellow, gnashing twisted teeth at empty air before disappearing with a thunderous crash.

"Oi, girls!" Qrow shouted over the ensuing panic. He rifled through a barrel, scowled, and moved on to another. "Feel free to start killing 'em any time now!"

"But what about magic?" Qrow looked at her like she'd sprouted a second head and gestured to the ocean. The ship rocked again and Weiss gulped back nerves. "R-Right."

"What can I do to help?!"

Ruby grasped her arm hard and gave her a pleading look, determined and wholly useless. Weiss rolled her tongue before pointing towards a crew struggling to lift cannonballs from a crate. "Help them!"

Her partner took off without a second of hesitation, albeit much slower than her magic would've allowed.

It always had to be something! They'd made most of the journey without incident and now the Grimm decided to show up. Weiss ground her teeth and drew her rapier, grabbing the railing for support as the ship rocked precariously. Two Threshers surfaced and began a headlong charge towards them, bony, pointed skulls no doubt aiming for any weak spot they could find.

One went up in flames and the other died with a large chunk of ice dragging it into the depths. Yang cheered nearby and two more Grimm were set alight, the blue flames hot enough that the ocean couldn't hope to extinguish them.

Something - the Alpha, obviously - struck the back of the ship and made it pitch forward, lifting it up and causing the front to dip under water. Someone who had been in the crow's nest came screeching down and Weiss silently thanked Blake on the man's behalf as shadowy limbs caught him before he became a pancake. More ephemeral limbs erupted off the ship's hull and formed a wall that the Grimm crashed against, flailing in a fit of hisses and snapping jaws. Weiss sent the Threshers into the air with wind and Yang immolated them before they had a chance to hit the water again.

Cannons went off and Weiss' ears rung painfully. The smell of gunpowder was welcome however as she heard bone shatter and watched the Alpha Thresher turn away from the ship, throwing up gallons upon gallons of water as it dove again.

There couldn't have been too many of the Grimm. Another two fell, a third faded as flames licked away at its dying carcass. Weiss watched one leap out of the water only for Blake's magic to catch it mid-flight, flailing until a harpoon buried itself in its skull. Qrow grinned triumphantly at that and grabbed a second, bouncing it in his hand as he waited for another chance. While the smaller variants were all but an inconvenience the Alpha had wised up and began using its smaller kin as distractions. Threshers hurtled along the water's surface and drew cannon fire, and only once the concussive rounds were shot did it surface, opening its gaping maw and attempting to clamp down on the side of the ship. A fireball courtesy of Yang kept it at bay and Weiss grimaced watching black flesh sear away as it dove again, desperate to extinguish its agonizing meal.

When the Alpha rose again it did so alongside the ship. Half as long and not quite as wide, the still imposing beast slammed itself against the vessel. Metal creaked, boards snapped, and Weiss gripped the rail with one hand to keep from falling. A cannon swiveled and a round bore through the Grimm's eye. The meaty, fleshy sound and the eruption of grime made her gag as putrid flesh spewed against the ship, coating two unfortunate Varuna.

Shadow ensnared the Grimm. Yang's fist crackled, white flames engulfing it. Weiss followed her lead and two runes of fire sprung to life, her own red flames nowhere near as hot but, hopefully, just as lethal.

The Thresher thrashed, gnashing its teeth and, if it still had its eye, probably glared defiantly at them. Yang's flames engulfed it and Weiss' added to the mix, sending a hauntingly beautiful pink flame racing along its body. Blake released it. Another cannonball shattered its jaw. Weiss felt no small measure of pleasure as she watched it writhe and squirm away, body fading even as it tried to submerge itself. The tailfin was the last part of it above water when it disintegrated, leaving the air above it smokey and the water stained black.

Weiss expected more Threshers. After so many prolonged bouts against Grimm it seemed too easy for that to be it. Even as the Varuna aboard cheered and celebrated she remained focused on the ocean, watching as the Grimm's essence dissipated in rolling surf. Her friends didn't look to be any better at unwinding either, and seeing Qrow prowling the rear of the ship on lookout made her feel a little less paranoid.

Yet no more came. No fins or snapping jaws surfaced, and after a moment of expecting another attack Weiss exhaled heavily and slumped against the rails.

She supposed the elation felt by the crew wasn't unwarranted. For an ambush like that they had conducted themselves well; this was not the first time they had been attacked at sea, clearly. Although the ship had doubtless sustained damage it remained afloat, neither pitching nor sinking into the water. That was good. Not sinking was always good.

Weiss found it hard to be happy when she noticed the sound of rushing water. It was faint but she scowled and looked around for the source, half expecting someone to be relieving themselves nearby. No one was, and with a confused frown she looked to Blake for help.

"Do you hear that?"

Blake's ears swiveled, eyes narrowing. A curt nod said yes. Then as the sound grew louder her friend's face went slack, eyes widening in alarm.

They were in the middle of the ocean. No land, no clouds in the sky, which made the increasingly loud fall of water all the more disconcerting.

When the crew took note of the noise it had become terrifyingly loud. Morbid curiosity drove Weiss to the front of the ship, stumbling up the steps to peer over the edge. Still a ways off but closing fast she saw water swirling, collapsing in on itself and sucking more into a growing pit. The ship which had been running straight now began to slide slideways, the front going one way and the rear the other.

"Turn the ship!" Weiss howled, rushing back down the steps. "Turn the ship! Turn the godsdamned ship!"

Even before her pleas Naranča had made a mad dash for the helm, and with Qrow's help fought with the wheel to redirect them. The ship continued to twist, edging closer and closer to the whirlpool.

"It's pulling us in!" Yang screamed, looking overboard. "Fuck. Fuck!"

"Row! Grab something!" Blake looked around empty handed and groaned, using magic to attempt and paddle them free. The vessel swiveled but continued its descent.

They needed to redirect the water somehow or find wind strong enough to pull them free. If only they -

Oh. Right.

Weiss wasted no time in putting together runes. To counteract the pull of the whirlpool she wove three of water. To redirect the ship and hopefully not tear it apart she used wind. Since the strength of the runes were proportional to the magic dumped into them, and she really didn't want to die in the ocean, she made sure each was especially potent before unleashing them.

Maybe a little too potent. The ship cracked as water jettisoned out from its hull, causing it to almost fall over sideways. Wind slapped the sails so hard the masts creaked, and one or two crew members almost flew off if Blake hadn't snagged them.

The whirlpool seemed to screech louder as if enraged by her defiance, and yet for all its fury they pulled away. Less graceful, like a bird coasting along the breeze, and more like a drunken farmer riding a sheep to market. The ship scraped through the water, buckled, but remained above water. The three runes of water gave first and without pressure pushing it over the ship fixed its orientation. The wind cut out soon after and the sails relaxed.

While the whirlpool continued to churn they had pulled free from its grasp and now coasted perpendicular to it. This time when the crew cheered Weiss joined in, amazed that her hairbrained scheme had worked and the ship had withstood it.

Oh, and she wasn't fainting from using magic. So that was nice.

Things settled. The crew continued to celebrate, and Weiss smiled broadly as Yang jaunted over and threw an arm around her shoulders.

"Quick thinking, Weiss! You really saved our asses!"

Always such crude language with her. Ruby hadn't begun speaking that way yet but between Yang and Qrow it felt inevitable. Weiss sighed, patting Yang's back and opting to embrace camaraderie rather than chew out her friend. She could argue about poor word choice once they reached dry land.

Then the rushing of water grew louder again. She and Yang both shared a look of confusion, then horror, and the ship's collective focus went to the whirlpool again. It hadn't magically moved closer nor had it caught them again.

An ear-splitting roar made Weiss clamp both hands over her ears and even then it was still agonizingly loud. Loud enough that the boat itself shook, and even the Varuna, who lacked any distinct ears, doubled over in pain. Clenching her teeth, she cracked one eye open and looked for the source; it wasn't difficult to find. Ahead of the ship rose a literal mountain of a Grimm, easily dwarfing their vessel twice over. That fact was made even more concerning by the fact it was still underwater, and gods knew how much larger it really was then.

Weiss felt all her vigor leave her, and despite the intense sun overhead she felt frozen to the core. The Grimm lifted a long, sinewy limb out of the water and a three-digit clawed hand cast a shadow over them. Breathless, she still managed one word as the ship sprang into action again.

"Fuck!"

/+/+/+/+/+/

"Fuck!"

That seemed to be the popular word going around the ship, although a few other obscenities worked their way in too. Qrow liked 'fuck'. Short, sweet, to the point and versatile. It worked for a declaration of surprise or one of pain. You could use it to express anger, exasperation, or if you were feeling bold and not verbose, a proposal for a fun evening.

Now? Now it was a simple summation of the terror everyone was feeling, himself included.

The Grimm barreled towards them after having narrowly missed cleaving their ship in two. Large enough that it could blot out the sun they could only watch as the ocean parted, hasty to get out of its way. Unlike the water they weren't malleable or easily moved aside. If the Grimm reached them, and there was no reason to think it wouldn't, a lot more than some saltwater would be up in the air.

As pants-shitting terrified as the crew must have been, they still spurred into action. Cannons were loaded, aimed, and a volley of explosive rounds rocketed towards the Grimm. For all the good it did. Explosions struck its body but the heavy white plating along it didn't even crack under the assault. Another volley proved just as ineffective and Qrow winced as the Grimm once again narrowly missed them. Its hulking frame came within yards of their hull and something beneath the ship still caused it to rock, lift out of the water, and slam back down with a creaking groan.

"The Charybdis destroyed this city. From what we understand the Church had a hand in it, and they've tried to cover up their failures since." Lady Malachite had looked contrite at the time and Qrow couldn't figure out why. He'd heeded the woman's warning for what it was but wrote it off; the ocean was massive, and the Grimm had plenty of ships to harry, so why would it come after them? "Considering its size, I wouldn't advise fighting it. If you see it, run."

Run to where? The Charybdis was faster than them, larger than them. It wasn't as though they could up and fly off, not unless Weiss was holding some serious spells back. Considering they were still water bound Qrow figured she wasn't, which meant their only other option was to stand their ground.

Or their water.

The boat spun counterclockwise by the sheer volume of water displaced. The Charybdis rocketed past them and a spiked tail lifted out of the water, narrowly missing shattering the cabin on its way down. More water spilled up and over, soaking him and the nearby crew. One went overboard, another hung on for their life as his crewmates fought to drag him back aboard.

Fight? How the hells did you fight something this big? Grimm this large were typically culled by a group of veteran Hunters, by people that had especially potent magic. He had none. Ruby was too sick to use hers, not that speed would do much here, which left Weiss, Blake, and Yang to fight it off.

He trusted the girls, sure, but this was one hell of a tall order.

Beowolves and Ursa were one thing, but this? The Charybdis turned its hulking frame around on them, the gaps in its bone plating allowing it to twist with surprising dexterity. Eyes as large as the sails fixed on them, the black spines running along its body beginning to glow red at the tips. Teeth too large to fit inside its own mouth parted and the creature opened its mouth, and Qrow made two realizations. One, the mouth extended almost halfway down its body, which was disgusting, and two: steam was building inside the Grimm. The Grimm reared up and the water around it seemed to boil, steam rising on contact. Its mouth split open wider still and, with a guttural belch, it released a searing cloud of mist.

"Get down!" Qrow screamed, hitting the deck as the cloud overtook them.

/+/+/+/+/+/

Hot.

Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Hot.

Ruby had been to a hotsprings once before, years ago. Yang had all but dragged her along under the pretense they were going to some super special hideout. That 'hideout' had been springs in the northern part of Patch, a place Ruby, ten years old at the time, didn't even know existed. Yang delighted in the idea of doing something she deemed 'adult' without their father knowing. Ruby thought it was a lot of walking just to sit in some warm water.

Okay, hot water. Springs were hot. But they could boil water at home if they'd wanted that.

The steam hanging around the ship was hotter than those springs. Even when pressed flat against the deck it felt like she was being pushed into a kiln. Sweat pooled on her face, hot air clung to her skin.

As unpleasant as it felt she was lucky. Somewhere above one of the crew howled in pain, the sound so pure and unadulterated that she squirmed in sympathy. It continued until the Grimm's roar overtook it, and when that too disappeared the ship fell eerily silent. Water continued to splash against the hull and the whirlpool raged on, churning but unable to get a hold of them. Ruby slowly rose as she found the heat unpleasant but not unbearable. With the steam surrounding them there was no way of telling which way was which, and even the sun had been reduced to a vague, shimmering orb above them.

She could still see the Grimm, sort of. A black, ginormous blob gliding silently through the water now rather than rampaging like she'd expect a Grimm too. Ruby sucked in a breath and almost hacked up a lung for it, covering her mouth and blinking back tears. Around her people were scrambling to prepare for another assault.

Not that the cannons they had could do much. And without her magic she couldn't help either. Heck, what would she have done even if she did have it? Run on water? Sure, but the thing was too big for her scythe to have any hopes of being effective.

Weiss came through the fog coughing and waving at the air. She grabbed Ruby by the arms and looked her over, pulling her close and into a hug.

"You're okay, thank goodness…"

"Weiss, what do we do?"

Fight, obviously. There was no other choice but to try. Ruby looked at the cannons wistfully and wondered if they could even put a dent in the Grimm, nevermind kill it.

"Go below deck."

"What?!"

"Go below deck and stay safe." As safe as someone trapped on a ship could be. Weiss smiled wanly and shook her head. "I can focus on fighting if you're not at risk."

"Hiding me in a room won't make me safer!"

"I know."

Ruby groaned. "Weiss, let me help! You guys need it!"

Rather than argue Weiss closed her eyes and nodded. "I know…"

But how? What could she do? Ruby looked around the ship again for anything that could be of use. Rope? Fat chance. Harpoons? It'd be like a splinter to the monster. The ship had all kinds of cargo so something must be useful. Spices? No. Food? They needed that, and unless the Grimm was just hungry it wouldn't do any good anyways.

Dust! They had containers of it, Ruby was certain. If they had enough, they could maybe load it into a cannon; surely a bunch of magic crystals would pack more of a punch!

"Eyes up! It's coming back!"

Qrow's warning wasn't necessary when the Charybdis was barreling towards them. The tips of its spines glowed again and Ruby yelped as Weiss pushed her aside. Her partner rushed to the edge of the ship and runes began to form. Earth and ice, and lots of them. Blake joined Weiss and the pair erected a wall to cover the ship just as another wave of searing steam blasted them.

The ship rocked in tumultuous waves and Ruby stumbled. Everyone did, and ironically the waves the Charybdis' body created saved them from it as the ship twisted and turned, spilling over one side of the waves as the Grimm smashed through the other.

Before the ship even settled Ruby had the lid of a crate off, finding packs of grain and oats inside. Growling, she started going through others as spells began to fire off.

And the Charybdis just kept coming.

So, next chapter will be fun. Not that this one wasn't, but lots of pew pew rawr next chapter!

And at risk of repeating myself, I hope everyone is staying safe. Even if you're okay yourself reach out to a friend or loved one, check on them.