"Sir, the Gigas has destroyed four of our ships already, with no signs of tiring. And the mercenary has decimated our ranks - the prisoners have joined him. They are making for the deck."
"Kill them! Kill them!! KILL THEM!!!" shrieked De Loco, eyes wild and demented. "I want their blood covering the deck! GO!"
The massive black figure ambled out, spiked chain dangling from its hands.
"Admiral Alfonso, the Gigas is obliterating Admiral De Loco's fleet, but the Chameleon shows no intention of backing down."
"And why would he? De Loco is a damned fool." Alfonso watched the Green Gigas rampage De Loco's fleet with an inner sense of morbid appreciation, though outwardly he looked appropriately displeased. "I, however, am not. It appears that someone has already obtained the Crystal, and there will be no getting past it now... retreat is the only option. Charter a course north; we will pass through North Ocean."
"Yes, sir." The vice captain snapped a salute and turned to relay his orders to the helmsman, and Alfonso allowed himself to chuckle softly. Perhaps handing the Crystal over to Lawrence hadn't been scuh a terrible idea after all.
Lawrence sprinted back down the narrow corridor, Domingo a pace behind, Centime next, and Ilchymis bringing up the rear; outside the steel walls of the ship the mercenary could clearly hear the din of Grendel's outraged roars mingled with the firing of cannons. He led them around the corner at a swift pace and charged out the door and onto the deck, where sure enough Grendel had destroyed all but two of De Loco's ships, the Chameleon included. The others halted fast behind Lawrence, awestruck at the sight of the Gigas.
"By the Moons... is that the Green Gigas?!" exclaimed Ilchymis, eyes wide and disbelieving.
"Grendel! I need you to come and pick the four of us up!" ordered Lawrence, dashing to the rail.
It happened completely without warning; a menacing black figure darted onto the deck and descended upon a vulnerable Ilchymis, wielding a wicked-looking length of spiked chain. The mage cried out and collapsed to the ground, his blood flecking the steel deck, and the others turned immediately to rush to his aid.
A violet-colored bullet blazed from the barrel of Centime's revolver and struck De Loco's berserker in the breast, driving it a step away from the prone mage, and a red-tipped bolt fired from Domingo's crossbow bit deeply into their enemy's shoulder. As Lawrence dashed forward to engage the berserker it whipper around to face him and struck; the spikes on the chain bit mercilessly into the mercenary's chest, stopping his attack before it even began. A fiercely-growling Cupil morphed into a throwing axe but sailed harmlessly past as Ilchymis attempted a healing spell and failed.
Lawrence regained his feet, wincing away the newfound agony and swinging the falchion like a baseball bat; the purple blade sank into the flesh beneath the berserker's armor as a bullet whizzed by, horrendously off-target. Domingo dropped his crossbow carelessly and leapt into the fray with both red-bladed kukris leading, and with the berserker so intent upon Lawrence he managed to bury both curved knives into the thing's back. Ilchymis, weak now, fumbled another healing spell, and though the berserker turned completely around to counterattack Domingo, the treasure hunter had already dodged nimbly away.
Furiously Lawrence stabbed forward, only to be batted away, but Cupil fell from the sky and sank its axe-head form into the berserker's helm; Ilchymis rose back to his feet, completely healed, and began preparing his next spell. Centime fired again as Domingo, too, was thrown aside, and though the berserker swung the spiked chain again the engineer managed to dodge aside.
Dazed from the berserker's last blow, Lawrence was completely vulnerable to their enemy's next stroke. But it was foiled by Ilchymis; furiously, blinding fireballs descended from the smoke-choked sky, and while it set their target ablaze it still staggered, clinging to life, out of the inferno. Domingo and Centime, unfortunately, could not see well enough to pursue.
When the smoke had thinned, a final shot was all it took for Centime to finish off their foe.
"Grendel!" shrieked Lawrence, now clutching his side and doubled over in agony.
The massive hand of the Gigas reached down and scooped them all up, and on the shoulder of Grendel they retreated to the safety of Horteka.
Only De Loco's flagship escaped into North Ocean.
Author's Note: Lawrence is kind of slowly molding himself into a very snarky, unsung hero.