HoloJourneys

by vanderblast

A fateful encounter with a fluffy sheep inside a castle dungeon, begins a journey that will change the world. In a world of magic, swords, magical spirits and endless possibilities, Anon, sets forth on a journey with his friend Watame to see everything this world has to offer and to find their origins. The journey won't always be easy, but together, they can always make it through.

51. A True Test of Resolve

Blackfin lets himself fall onto his back and begins to laugh with utter insanity. Your neck is pulled in the direction of the restless sea, amidst the darkened skies and waters, you can just make out the shape of Marine's ship further up the coastline, it sways back and forth along the thrashing waves, but holds true to its course. Further out towards the open horizon, your inner senses pull you to where the ocean churns and spirals inward to the ocean floor like a drain. A low hum, as if someone just plucked a baritone string in the far distance, vibrates through your ear drums. Your body becomes frozen, focused solely on the opening maw within the sea, and then the curtain begins to lift to unveil the next part of the terrifying spectacle you are entranced by. A ragged, hungry vibration shakes your entire core, and every instinct tells you to run, but you can't seem to look away. Something begins to stir within the churning pools, something…huge.

"You heard that, right?" Botan hobbles over to join you, her tail curled and firm in her grip as she tries to smooth out the on-end hairs of her brush. Another tremble waves across both your bodies, and the ship you stand on. "I definitely just felt that. All I can think about right now is running…but no animal should be able to do that to me."

While your own fears and uncertainty begin to mound, you reach and place your hand over Botan's that clutches her tail. Her gaze turns to you, thankful for grounding this predator who suddenly felt like prey, at least that makes one of you. Your eyes stay glued to the open seas, your focus regained just enough to make out the growing shadow that must be the Crimson Quarter trying to fight against the choppy waters. Your heart leaps at the sight of that ship still in one piece, but something suddenly gnaws at you from within your gut that makes you feel as though you were dropped off a cliff, and then you see it.

From the center of the distant whirlpool emerges a beast whose size alone has you awestruck. The powerful physique of an aquatic creature that your mind could only comprehend as the compilation of all the would-be apex predators of the sea, begins to show more of itself. A massive maw with long feelers along its lower lip that could swallow an entire ship, gigantic frontal flippers that could split apart the sea, scales so threatening in shape that any foe would shrink from its presence before even testing the natural armor, and a tail that would create tidal waves with a simple flick of its natural oar. Three crystal blue eyes then glow along its side profile, and you feel completely stunned by their gaze. Thunder begins to roar through the air, and the white crash of the waves shattering across the stormy expanse assaults your eardrums, and the iron warship teeters against the coming swell.

Undine's presence is like a hot flash in your mind, breaking you from the hold the scene has over you, and you focus on communicating through your connection.

Undine Am I actually seeing this? Are you seeing this!?

Summoner. It is as I feared, something in the depths has been awakened. I cannot be sure what exactly this is, but all of the aquatic life are fleeing for their lives. I cannot sense anything from it like I can other life. It is as if its mind is shielded from me.

Shit. Blackfin was telling the truth then. The weapon HoloX gave them was some shell thing that could control whatever the hell that creature is, and the nutcase just shattered it to pieces! He said it's gonna go on rampage until Shallah is in ruins. I'm not sure what we can do. I'm barely standing and now there's possibly something even bigger than this demented warship to deal with!

We are not beaten yet. We may still have a chance to reverse whatever foul affliction Koyori bestowed upon whatever it is that comes to the surface. Together we are stronger. Let me be your sea legs, and we shall rescue this poor creature from its servitude. You vowed to free all of Shallah did you not? Then let us see that promise through, together.

Together huh? It's definitely what has gotten us this far. You're absolutely right. Okay, I'm gonna make my way to you…however I can…

Fear not. I will always be the tide to catch you when you fall, summoner. All you need do, is take the dive.

With only precious seconds to spare, you exit your mild trance and look at Botan. She looks like she was put twice through the ringer, but she looks beautiful in the scars of your shared victory. Your shared admiration of one another is then cut short when the wind blows to tickle her ears and carry a strange hum through both your senses to remind you that you are still in very dire straits.

"I'm seeing it, but I can barely believe it. That monster was under the pirate's control? Is that even possible?" Botan utters, her hand still clasped within yours.

"Unfortunately, it is." You almost spit, even the thought of Koyori sends a red hot anger through your spine, but also chills your very blood at the same time. "The coyote responsible for this is capable of doing some messed up things to a person. I've seen her change a peaceful cave snake into a gigantic bloodthirsty version of itself…this is completely within her power, but even so! That doesn't mean I'm going to let it destroy what we've been fighting so hard to protect. I need to go, Botan. Undine is waiting for me."

"Are you sure? Look at yourself right now. You're in just as bad of shape as I am. I can't let you do this alone." Botan takes a possessive hand around your wrist. "We can take this ship and use it to distract it. We don't even know what we're up against yet."

"Whatever it is, it's not doing this because it wants to. It's being forced, and I'm going to help it wake up. Undine and I did this once before, we can do it again. The magic of our resonance should have the power to undo whatever twisted mind warping Koyori did to it."

"I'd like to see you try, boy." Blackfin cackles from his defeated position, his laughter interrupted by an excruciating cough, but he perseveres nonetheless. "You're up against a hunter with no known equal. The true king of the seas. I just wish I could see the look on your face just as the beast is about to swallow you whole."

Botan chuffs, letting go of your hand to march over to the deranged orca. She looks down and delivers a swift kick across his face to shut him up, no doubt relieving herself a great deal as she sighs.

"I am so glad I could finally shut him up." She dusts her hands off then looks you square in the eyes. "Alright, I know we don't have a lot of time, but what exactly do you plan to do?" The lioness inquires, concern weighing heavily on her voice.

"I'm gonna jump off the ship and the sea will bring me to Undine." You say plainly. "Then we can resonate and try to heal that beast from within. Our waters were able to cleanse the last animal that got mutated by Koyori's madness."

Botan raises an eyebrow at you, as if waiting for some sort of punchline, but her frown upturns and she holds a giggle against her palm. "That is the type of insanity I'm quickly starting to expect from you. I don't think I can be much help at this point, but if there's anything I can do, name it."

"Thanks Botan." You take a quick look around the ship and spot a coil of free rope to the side. Scooping up the thick twine, you hand to the lioness and place your other hand over her cheek, forcing your mana to do you one last service while you are still on dry land. A meager amount, but more than enough healing to bring some more color back to the lioness' face. "Tie that bastard up and go find the rest of the pack. Hopefully by then I'll have undone whatever Koyori did and we can start celebrating. Oh, and one last thing."

Unstrapping your spell book, you unleash three quick spells into the sky, another beacon for Marine to see and hopefully distract that beast for even just a second. With your last task aboard this ship completed, you hand your book to Botan, who takes it unquestioningly, but gives you a curious glance.

"Hang onto that for me, okay? When you find Watame and Polka, they'll know what to do with it." You leave your instruction and begin walking towards the ship's guardrails. Hoisting yourself onto the rail, your weary body teeters forward and backward when you struggle for balance, but your flailing arms manage to steady you. Down below are the choppy waters that rage with such force that you would be swallowed whole by them in an instant. Your natural instincts tell you not to jump, that it would mean certain death, but the faith that will ferry you through this ordeal outshines it. The waters are part of your home, in both the calm, and the storm, you will not perish within their embrace, not today, not while you are bound to their creator. You take one more breath before turning to give the lioness a simple wave in farewell. She nods to send you on your way, and the lioness' firm faith in you helps ease some of the apprehension you feel.

Time to make the plunge and put an end to all this.

Forcing yourself forward, you drop off the side of the conquered vessel, plummeting to the darkened deeps that await. You bring your arms over your face, and the second the chilling waters grace your skin, you are swept underneath their raging current. You give your body up freely as the darkening abyss jerks you in all directions, you can feel yourself sink deeper, your breath gets caught in your chest, and your battered bones cry out in pain. Fighting against the external distractions, you calm your mind and reach out, and like a flash of lightning that tickles every pore, and fiber of your being, you sense it; Undine's unseen hand, reaching for you, inviting you to her side. You seize the magical tether, and you are pulled through the briny deep.

The frigidness of the waters begins to wane from your skin as you pick up speed, you zip underneath the building waves like a fish on a line, being drawn ever closer to your destination, where the next mounting task awaits you. With your eyes sewed shut, the sounds of the passing underwater world become more clear; the push and pull of the waves, the sound of a large ship hopping along the surface, and resounding inhale from a great beast that hopes to devour anything in its path. When your mind pleas with your body that now is the time to action, you feel yourself breach the ocean's surface, and your hand outreaches for the one that pulled you here, bringing you together with someone who is at one with the seas.

With the aid of your spirit-bound partner, you burst into action, the very waters you swam in rise into the air to bring you to the defense of the crimson red ship that flees its pursuer. You are then suddenly face to face with an aquatic behemoth whose mere appearance would cause the fiercest of predators into trepidation, and you fight to remain in control of your senses. All six of the beast's glowing eyes fixate upon you, and its maw begins to reach forward, promising to use its spiked mandibles to shred you to ribbons. You struggle to make a move, you're here, you feel Undine close to you, but what can you even do? This monster wants to fight, and you are practically an ant in comparison. What on earth can you-

"Anon!?" Flare's voice shrieks, cutting through the tidal churning of the sea, and your purpose is suddenly so clear.

You pelt a fist full of starlight in the monster's direction, and when the radiating orb you created is close enough, you squeeze your fist to detonate it. A burst of light big enough to cast shadows over the island miles away blinds the sea creature, making it reel back on instinct and let out a pained roar whose force pushes you backward along the magical geyser you float on. You force another pulse of silver-white light from your palm to prolong the monster's blindness, and much to your own fortune, it actually turns to shield its eyes from your celestial assault, but not without answering your transgressions with the flat of its finned tail as it whips its body to an about face. Undine raises the waters higher to act as your shield, if only to lessen the impact the scaled appendage strikes you with, but you are swatted down all the same.

The next few seconds are lost to you, but your body thumps in pain as your eyes slowly open to see a pair of relieved faces huddled over you. Flare; bruised, tired, and her hair completely flat from the rain, lets herself breathe again when your eyes meet.

"Phew! Thought we lost ya there for a sec, Anon." Pomu wipes her sopping bangs out of the way of her face. "Nice save with the light show though. We might have been fish food if you hadn't shown up when you did."

"Just glad I made it in time." You chuckle wearily. "Which by the way…I bet that only bought us a few more seconds, so I better-"

Flare's fingers then clamp down on your shoulder, you expect this to be another argument between you two, but instead she pulls you up to a straight seated position, and then from there Pomu helps the two of you to a full stand. The entire vessel is in an uproar of organized chaos; Marine's orders cut through the noise of men and women scrambling to do what they can to keep the ship marching onward within the storm it finds itself in.

"We don't have time for any of your cute remarks, so just tell me what your plan is so I can fix it." Flare demands, waving over someone as your mind races to catch up.

"R-Right. Well long story short, HoloX gave the pirates something that controls what just tried to eat this ship whole. I'm going to undo whatever Koyori did to it. Just like last time." You relay, and then you are met with Kiara who stands in front of you with an expression that doesn't make you feel like she wants you to fall off a cliff. That is certainly new, but nothing would have told you what to expect next; her hands aglow with a soft orange, hovering a few inches from your chest. Flames then begin to gently caress your body, bringing a powerful warmth that seeps into your body, almost like you were being injected with pure sunshine. Your body's cries for mending soon cease, and your breathing becomes less of a chore, Kiara is actually healing you. "Tha-"

"This is gonna cost you extra." She deadpans as her spell finishes and she takes a sluggish step backwards to put some needed space between you. "Now if you and Undine can actually do something about that…that thing, get to it. I burnt through most of my mana holding up my end of our bargain and then some. Now you gotta pull through for me if my ass is gonna have any hope of getting out of this alive. Digesting in the gut of some sea monster is not how I'm going to go down."

"And you won't. Undine and I will set it free." You say with a stoking fire in your belly. "We'll resonate and bring this battle to an end."

"So you mean-" Flare starts, her amber globes already glimmering with pride.

"Botan has that bastard all neatly wrapped and ready to deliver to the Shallahan people. He won't be able to hurt anyone ever again." You grin, the words cementing the fact that the orca warlord had truly been defeated, now all that remains is to squash his last resort. "So the plan?"

Your question is met by a brief pause from the half-elf, unsure what exactly it is you meant by it.

"Is there anything you'd like to fix about it?" You inquire again. "We are on a tight schedule here and-"

"Oh just go get on it with it, you dork." Flare huffs, spinning you by the shoulders to point you towards the ship's stern. "You know you're the best man for the job when it comes to this stuff with nature. Now go." She leans in and gives you a farewell peck on your cheek. "And don't forget your promise to me. Got it?"

You reach and place your hand over Flare's that still holds your shoulder, giving it one loving squeeze before letting go. The gesture alone is enough to cement your answer. No matter how many times you'll dive into danger, you will always find your way back, you have far too many hearts attached to yours to do otherwise now. A wonderful feeling.

A muffled wail echoes from below the ocean's surface, spurring you onward. You ascend the steps to the upper deck in just two leaps, where you see Marine at the helm, clutching the ship's wheel so that her pride and joy doesn't get turned overboard.

"Just keep the ship steady, captain. I got this." You remark as you run past the Houshou Captain who accepts your declaration without question. Behind you she continues to shout orders to any who can hear them aboard the ship, not willing to leave anything to pure chance.

Standing at the stern guardrail, are Undine, and two men; Sammy, and the younger man from earlier who took the helm; Mako.

"Undine, are you ready?" You announce, the water spirit sparing only the lightest of looks over her shoulder to acknowledge your advance.

"I am. I have been trying to reach out to the creature, for now we may be able to use its name to break through to it and free its mind from the manipulation Koyori's foul instruments have cast upon it." The water spirit resounds with confidence.

"That's right! That mighty beast has to be Chacu Challhua." Mako exclaims. "My father once told me its legend was passed down from fisherman to fisherman. He was said to be a creature with no equal in the seas. He could create tidal waves with just his passing…even to just behold such a creature, it's incredible."

"To think that's what Morgan had up his sleeve the entire time." Sammy utters somberly. "It was no wonder he never chose to use it."

"What do you mean? Is this Chacu Challhua something you've known about? He wasn't just a fisherman's tale?" You ask, but your eyes are held by the raging whirlpool the creature in question had retreated into moments ago, and you can feel its coming return with every beat of your heart.

"Mhmm. To some he is said to be a guardian of sorts that watched over Shallah's land and seas when it was all still young. To others, an opponent of fishermen like no other, a rival to be bested to make one's mark in history. I have never even seen something that could even come close to the descriptions until just now…but even as just a story, Chacu Chullhua was always respected." Sammy goes on to say with a bittersweet remembrance beginning to lace his voice. "Which is probably why Morgan never wanted to use him. He was a pirate, but he loved this land, its waters and all that would call it their home."

"If it really does watch over Shallah, then it probably doesn't want to destroy it. The device Morgan was given to control it was shattered to bits, and Blackfin said it would likely send Chacu into a rampage. Undine, we need to try knocking some sense into it, maybe just enough to clear its head so it wants to go back to its lair."

The king of the sea then emerges from the depths, raising its head several stories above the ship. Undine and you act in sync, sword and trident rise in the defense of your comrades and countless innocents. From pointed prongs fires a jetstream with the power to reduce walls to rubble, and from shining blade flies forth slash over slash of silver-white crescents. Starlight and water crash into the lower end of its throat, the smoke clears to reveal not even a scratch, and the leviathan lets out a reverberating battle cry. The vocal shockwave washes over you and makes your own legs quake, and amidst the almost deafening vibrations you think you hear a single word.

"Fight."

You and Undine share a glance. Did she hear that too? In any event, Shallah's supposed guardian is on the attack, and you need to act. Another flashbang of starlight is flung from your hand to disorient the creature once more, and under the cover of your light, Undine completes the weaving of her next spell, launching a torrential force that hooks out and then in to drill into the opposite side of his jaw, throwing its body off balance, its neck pushing back until the water wanes. Again, another low hum, another utterance seems to speak to you from the inside of your being.

"I have to…devour…everything."

Chacu Challhua shakes off the minor discombobulation and postures itself. The entire back end of the ship will be crunched to pieces if he makes contact, it's now or never!

A bright flash of the deepest pure blue sparks around your body, and the mana around you tosses and turns with this world's lifeblood. You are launched into the air by the geyser placed under your heels, you grip Undine's trident tightly in your grip, and look directly into the maw of the beast. Among the fleshy garden of teeth that were five times the size of you, you see your potential salvation; the abyss of the creature's throat. You wind your arms back, channeling yours and Undine's collective energy into her weapon, you focus on the healing and purifying properties of water, you WILL save this creature from being a mere tool for HoloX. You WILL knock Chacu Challhua back to his senses!

"Time for you to wake up!" You yell with your down swing, sending a massive tidal wave of water right into the predator's gullet. You swing again, sending another volley that builds and swells like the natural tide of the ocean, each crash impedes the beast inch by valuable inch. The world darkens further as the beast's open maw eclipse the sky above you, and before you can be pressed against bone crushing teeth, your trident directs a surging waterway that you submerge yourself within to bring you further down the canal, and you ready your polearm again, and when the dangling bit of flesh that hangs from the interior ceiling comes in range, you swing with all your might.

Your strike rings out as though you slammed on a gong, the beast's entire stomach pulses and ripples as it tries to prevent the reflex you just put into motion. A pained growl emits from deep within its owner's bowels, and then the rush of unrestrained fluids rings out through the fleshy hall you swim in. With no other way to go but out, you are ejected from Chacu Chullhua's maw in a spray that is nothing short of disgusting and unsettling around your skin. You then let yourself fall into the welcoming sea and use its salty waters to cleanse yourself of some of the bile before rising back to the surface to count the damage and potential progress in freeing your opponent from its blood haze.

In front of you, Chacu Challhua sways, shaking off the discomfort your invasion had made it endure, and you can't help but be awestruck by this pinnacle of beasts. It was like standing off against a mountain, but there is still a chance to end this without any more collateral damage. Within your mind you speak to Undine that you should both try to reach out to the beast again. She nods and closes her eyes to focus. You can faintly feel her heart reaching out to the great creature as it slowly recovers, calling its name. When all you continue to hear is the harsh symphony of the sea, you close your own eyes and try to aid the water spirit in her communication. You are not sure how she might talk to marine life, but perhaps like the trees, you can try to sense their lifeforce.

The life of the tide begins to flood into your mindspace. You feel its unrest, its anger, and know this to be its own natural cycle, but then something invades and overpowers your still heart, a voice cries out.

"Where am I? Who is it that challenges me? Is it you, young one?" A calm, but imposing tone rings through your body, almost breaking you entirely out of your pseudo meditation.

"Is that you? Chacu Challhua? My name is Anon, and I am a summoner."

"A summoner? I do not know what that is, but your voice seems to carry with it another, someone familiar to me." The voice talks back, although with more strain.

"Yes! You must know Undine! She's the great water spirit, and together we are trying to protect Shallah and the lives of everyone who calls this place their home. This is your home too, so there isn't any reason for us to fight."

"Undine?" Chacu Challhua then groans, and you open your eyes to see the great leviathan winching in supposed pain.

"Great Chacu Challhua, it is as my summoner says. I am the ruler of the waters, Undine. It was I who created the depths in which you swim, sleep, and thrive within. We have no quarrel with you, why is it you attack us?"

"Undine…yes…I remember, you are…the ocean mother. I have been resting in the lower waters for centuries…but something brought me closer to the surface recently…I can't remember. Only one thing seems to be clear…I have to hunt."

"No you don't!" You shout with your outer voice. "Chacu Challhua, you don't have to do any of this. You can just go back to living how you're meant to. A group of very bad people wanted to control you, to use your might to cause destruction and heartache, but you don't have to, you can-"

Chacu Challhua interrupts your pleading with a song of anguish, its front flippers pounding the sea, sending tidal waves in all directions. Even as your focus is taken by making sure you are not swept away, your heart begins to weep.

"Human…you say a group of your kind sought to control me? Is that why I yearn to kill, not for sustenance, or territory, or even pride, but because they are somehow forcing me? It is…unbearable to try and resist. I will lose myself if this goes on."

"Try to hang on just a little more." You beg. "Undine and I can fix you, if you let us use our water magic to cleanse you, you can-"

Again you are interrupted by the sea behemoth, this time he plunges his head down to try and snap you between his jaws, a quick push of the waters under your feet ferries you away so that all Chacu Chullhua catches in the choppy waves.

"I don't understand, we sent enough into his gut to clean him out…I even made him throw up anything that Koyori might have used to change him…I don't get it, why is he still suffering?" You ask, unwilling to entertain the potential truth that maybe your resonance wasn't the answer. Undine's incorporeal hand then lays on your shoulder to bring your face to hers. She wears a regretful expression that makes a pit form in your stomach.

"Summoner, what that scientist has done to this denizen of the sea…I do not think it was with mere chemicals. I think she or possibly another of her comrades has accomplished something truly horrid. Chacu Challhua's mind…it is changed. This may not be something that we can reverse…so we must make a choice."

"The ocean mother…speaks the truth…I may not understand what has been done to me, but I do understand this, this is NOT how the mighty Chacu Challhua is meant to live…under the command of another. Human…if you really are one with the ocean mother, I have a request of you. You must kill me."

"Kill you?! Nuh uh! No way! You haven't done anything wrong." You argue, taken aback by the creature's plea. "I vowed to protect everything good in this world, that includes beings like you. I couldn't-"

"Human…Summoner, while I still have my mind, please reconsider my request. I have roamed the vast sea for millennia, I have watched my kind dwindle to a mere few, until only I remained. I will not face my brethren in the stars with the shame of behaving like some lowly shark; mindless, a violent savage. The more I choose not to pursue and kill, the more my body fights me, the more my own self slips away. Do not let me die this way. You said you want to be a protector? Then you must put me down. If not, I will surely decimate the nearby shores, and whatever remains of this land will be in ruins."

You force your eyes shut, trying to shut out Chacu Chullhua's voice, but within your inner sight, a familiar, unwanted visage enters. Her fangs glisten at the corners of her crooked grin, her triangular sound receptors wiggle to hone in on every beat of your heart, and her purple eyes show themselves under half-hooded eyes with a deranged glee that could make the fiercest demon second guess its own potential for malice.

Don't you see, Anon? This is what you try so desperately to fight against. My genius has not only made this once proud and endangered species a mere puppet of destruction, but it even makes it impossible for it to fight against the nature I have decided it should be given. If I can control him, what hope do you have once I have you within my claws again? My perfect, magical, starlit research subject. Just like how this specimen will reduce Shallah to wreckage, you will conquer countless places in the name of My Darkness. You will pave the way for the world to be repainted. Just give in. Surrender yourself to me. It's our destiny.

Koyori's mad cackle that feels so real in your eardrums, like she were right next to you, freezes you solid. What if she's right? If she is capable of turning this ancient and massive being into a weapon, will she do the same to you? Will you end up being this world's downfall? Will you live up to the curse you were branded with? Maybe it would be safer for everyone if you just disappeared, that way you would never be used to hurt anyone…maybe you should

A thwack stings your left cheek, shocking your mind blank. Beside you Undine floats above the rolling waves, her face narrows with such fierceness that it makes any natural urge to retaliate vanish before it has time to even fester.

"Anon, I know you do not wish to take an innocent life, but we are left with no other recourse." She scolds. "I also know that fear is also holding you back right now. The coyote who once tampered with your own mind still haunts you, but if you give in to your fear, won't that make everything worse? Won't that be the same as surrendering to her and the organization that seeks to disrupt the natural harmony of our world? Will you really shrink from the charge you have given yourself? Would you abandon our pact?"

"I would never abandon our pact!" You snap, angry by the mere suggestion of such a thing, but a lot of your resentment is also stemming from another source. "But-"

"No buts." Undine interjects. "We both know what is at stake here. You must rise above your doubts and do what is necessary. If we do not, then who will?"

"The ocean mother is wise. You would do well to heed her words, human. This is the last time I will ask. Child of light and man, if you truly call yourself worthy of swimming alongside her, prove it! Strike me down if you can and give me a final hunt worthy of an apex predator of the seas. Take your rightful place within our never ending cycle."

The connection you shared with the supreme beast is then severed, but through your conjoinment with the great water spirit, you still sense its life amidst the vast sea, like it was always a part of it. Chacu Challhua looks down at you, a deep clicking can be heard from the depths of his throat as he lurches his body and begins to swim towards the Shallah mainland. Your mind continues to race through your options, looking for some scenario where this magnificent creature does not have to expire, but you know that's not solely for the benefit of a life or your conscience, but for a more selfish reason. You wanted so badly to reverse the damage Koyori had done to further prove you can outshine any darkness she tries to cast upon the world. If you have already failed in doing so, her grip over your heart will remain…and that scares you more than fighting an undersea predator who utterly dwarfs you in size and stature.

"I know I do not have the power to erase your fears," Undine speaks out, no doubt sensing your inner turmoil. "but you do not have to wander into the unknown all alone. I shall always be with you along any road you choose. You will be a spark of hope to all living things in this world, Anon. The people of Shallah, Watame, all your loved ones, they are all waiting for you to deliver the light back to this land. Even Chacu Challhua has placed his faith in you. Do you not see it?"

Several pieces then collide together to form a harsh realization. The never ending cycle. It is not strictly the cycle as it pertains to ALL living things, but the cycle of Chacu Challhua and his kind. This part of your journey has given you some first hand lessons in how those more deeply nested within nature and instinct live their lives, their codes, and their beliefs. To be the last one standing of his kind, this was always the only road for him to take. HoloX's interference with his life may have caused your paths to cross this way, they may have tried to strip this aquamarine monarch of his will, but you will not let him die as some soulless weapon.

"I understand." You exhale. "Sorry, Undine…but I get it now. Chacu Challhua needs my help just as much as everyone else does right now. I said I would help set him free from whatever Koyori did, but I know I can't do it all on my own, are you ready to do this?"

"It will be a difficult battle, but together I know we can triumph." Undine says and to seal your convictions, offers her hand to you, and as you go to take it, a third hand appears out of thin air.

"And don't think I'm missing out on this summoner pow-wow." Sylph chirps, having decided to join your conversation in spirit. "Summoner, you got one the best hearts I think I've ever known. You put yourself on the line so that others can stay flying free. That's a lot for one guy to have to do on his own, so just like my big sis, I'm always gonna be there with ya too. We're more than just a pact now, we're like…like"

"We're family." Undine finishes her sister's thought with a bright smile, and takes your hand palm to palm with hers, and the physical connection initiates an unexpected fountain of power to begin forming between the both of you. Before either of you can register what was happening, a bright blue light flashes and dims in an instant, leaving your body radiating in a thicker, stronger mana than what you are used to from your normal resonance. You look up at Undine and become shocked by what you see; her, completely solid and radiating the same outline of magic that you are, her trident has even returned to her free hand.

"Woah! Look at the two of you!" The wind fairy exclaims, her head darting between each subject, her eyes then become entranced by you in particular. "And check you out, summoner! Loving what you did with your ears."

"My ears?" You repeat, and then crane your neck to look at yourself in the sea's reflection. Even amidst its ever moving waters, you can still make out your face, it is certainly you, a lot more glowy than usual, but all in all the same…except for the shimmering projection of amphibian-like ears enveloping over your own. You run a hand around your lobes, only to feel the familiar shape of your flesh, your digits go right through the incorporeal outline that bears a striking resemblance to Undine's. "What just happened?"

"I am not sure, but it appears I am solid during our resonance." Undine checks herself over to confirm. "My mana, my body, is as though they hold the power of the entire ocean! Do you feel the same, summoner?"

"I feel incredible actually." You flex your fist, and along your knuckles ropes of water begin to dance to match your elation. "It's also like I can feel every brush and sway of the water we float in. I can feel where Marine's ship jumps along the waves, and where Chacu Chullhua is right now…I can also feel more life; fish, algae, even birds, although it's much farther away. Is this what you can feel all the time, Undine?"

"Indeed. It would seem that our growing bond has enabled you to feel some of the world as I do. I too feel a deeper connection with you." The water spirit remarks as she runs her hand over a thin magical tether that runs between her chest and yours. "To think that our resonance could reach new heights…" She muses while her smile turns into a fierce and determined grin. "Let us not waste a second more! I want to test our new abilities and Chacu Challhua is waiting for us. I will take us to where he wishes his final resting place to be." The water spirit then turns her back to you and lowers her tail below the water's surface. "Climb aboard and hold on tight."

Equally thirsty to see what new feats you are capable of, you wade over and wrap your arms around Undine's waist, careful as to try and not get in the way of her tail. "Alright. Ready."

"Go get 'em you two! This fairy is gonna high-wing it to the ship and let them know what's about to go down. After that, I'm coming right back to watch this ring-side and cheer you both on!" Sylph gives two big thumbs up before floating off in the opposite direction.

Undine gives a silent acknowledgement to her sister of the wind and dives into action, her front half completely submerged with her powerful and elegant tail kicking against the rolling seas to propel you both along the water's surface. Her body slips between the rise and fall of the waves with awe inspiring grace and stylishness, not once does your body experience any aquatic turbulence or become in danger of being dislodged from the mermaid water spirit, the only thing you have to focus on is keeping your grip strong, and burning this wonderful sensation into your memory. You were being ferried across miles of ocean faster than any boat, or even any bird, and you can't help but share the thrill of the high speed travel with the water spirit. Your face stretching smile is soon brought to an abrupt downturn when the outline of a massive seabeast swimming to overshadow the port of Shallah comes into view.

Chacu lets out a massive roar that you feel in the bottom of your belly, and the apex predator lunges down to dive into the choppy waters, and in his wake he creates a massive tidal wave that rolls straight for the pier. The swell builds and builds, casting a dark blanket over the buildings that line the port main street closest to the ship dock. The thunder of water crashing on top of dry land, snapping and crunching wooden structures and stone underneath its white foot echoes across the land. You fight the urge to entertain thoughts of despair, and can only hope that no one was still at the port to be washed away by that.

"Steel yourself, summoner, Chacu Challhua intends to face us with all the power he has. If we do not stop him here, he will unleash his rage upon all of Shallah, and maybe even shores beyond. We cannot allow him to dishonor himself in such a way."

"I'm ready. Let's show the whole world the power our bond has. Even if we can't always reverse the damage Koyori or HoloX does to our world, I will NEVER let anything be a slave to that twisted coyote's inventions! I will NEVER do her bidding! You hear that, Koyori! Whatever you did to Chacu Challhua, I'm gonna set his heart free!"

The aquatic giant eyes then glow from beneath the sea's blanket, acknowledging your hunter's spirit, and hereupon vanish within the darkening abyss below. It has started; Chacu Chullhua's final hunt, or so you hope it to be. The waters around you become eerily calm, as if the entire ebb and flow of the tide has fled, Undine slows to a stop and listens, prompting you to do the same. While you search for the beast's movements, you bring a hand over your sheathed blade, ready to unleash Shining Comet and all the power of your resonance. A sharp tug of your perception brings your attention downward, and you can feel the approach of your opponent, Undine shares in the reveal and dives down to meet your foe head on, and your body follows suit.

You swim downwards into the ocean, gliding within Undine's jetstream and following the light of your shared resonance. In mere seconds you find yourself deeper within the murky depths than any human has probably ever gone on their own, but you feel perfectly normal. No excess pressure threatens to turn your body into a pancake, and your lungs are also considerably light, you even feel more powerful than ever within the sea's embrace. Every ounce of your strength and resolve will be needed to combat the beast that hopes to use the mysterious depths to hide its form, but with your unique gift, you will leave no place for someone who hopes to stalk in the darkness to hide.

Focusing the tip of Shining Comet with celestial mana, you put all your arm strength into a wide slash that moves in slow motion under the ocean's depths, and a single orb of silver-white plummets towards the ocean floor while you shout to Undine in your mind to shield her eyes. An eruption of haven's light then reveals the entire seabed, shines luminescence on the predatory creature that lurked within. Chacu Chullhua's eyes take the full brunt of your blinding spell, forcing themselves shut in pure anguish as his head thrashes to bring himself away from the focal point of your celestial light.

Your body then falls into battle instinct, with both you and Undine pushing the magic from your conjoinment to fire you through the nautical underworld and at the monster-whale's cheek. With your own bodies acting as torpedoes, Chacu's left cheek is struck like he was slugged with a mean left hook. With the first blow made and your target still catching up to what had befell him, it was time to move your battleground to somewhere with a little more oxygen.

Undine raises her trident towards the sea's ceiling, and the space around you both begins to twist and churn, shimmering your view with each passing. Chacu shakes off his disorientation and squints at the strange pull of the water that surrounds his prey, but before he can make any sudden moves, the twister Undine has created spirals towards the surface world, taking you and the water spirit with it. You spear through the ocean and pierce its outer shell, and the azure typhoon brings you to a high vantage point above the waves that begin to bubble and ripple with the oncoming assault of the denizen who climbs up from underneath. You and Undine begin to gather your energies, your combined will makes azure light dance through the skies around you as it shifts into the free flowing shape of water that paints the shape of a circle of power in front of you.

"O' indigo purity, be as a holy beast to devour the wicked."

"Rise and unleash storms of rage!"

"Grand Spirit Magic, Twin Water Dragon!"

From the magical pool you both have created, pours out the majestic and imposing shapes of two sea dragons, their blurred fangs bared and ready to feast. The pair of mythical water dragons dive down, intertwining their lower halves as they surge to face Chacu Chullhua who erupts from the sea with his jaws unhinged. The first dragon crashes headfirst into the marine behemoth, but is unable to pressure it back into the water. Its twin continues the assault, branching out and coiling its length around its neck and upper body. Fangs of water bite and sink in to barely crack the natural armor of their prey, but earn his aggression. Chacu's neck flexes, freeing his form enough to snap his mighty jaws clean through the torso of the first dragon, reducing its body to a torrential downpour, and the next would soon follow it when he tosses his body to make the remaining dragon buckle and with a lightning quick turn, he brings his tail around to slap its form apart.

To have one of your most powerful conjoined spells outclassed by only raw muscle and instinct was intimidating to say the least, but you half expected as much. If Chacu Chullhua's dying wish is to have a worthy hunt, then you'll give him one. A smooth wave of Undine's arm forward changes the course of the living geyser you both float on, pointing its white wake downward, and then you drop. The water slide mails you with such speed towards the earth that your breath gets caught in your throat, but you harden your grip and raise your sword for your coming assault. Chacu watches the cascading waterfall with peaked interest, and he poises himself to meet his next prey head on, bobbing through the waves and using the rise of the tide to aid in his kick into the air so that he may snatch you with his maw. A sharp hand gesture from Undine splits the wave you travel on down the middle, avoiding the jaws of defeat and sending you both sailing along different sides of the beast as it flops belly first onto the sea.

Your sword shines with the bright magic of the element you surf on, your power swelling and becoming crystal clear around your blade as Chacu rises from the sea. The glowing cord that connects you with Undine on the other side passes through his hulking form, signaling to you how she too is bringing the sparks to her own magic. In harmony you unleash a flurry of magical slashes, striking its scaled skin with the sharpened edge of water. Chacu winces at the attempt to break through his hide, but does not slow in his response, he turns for you, using his tail and flippers to pivot himself, but you and Undine are already orchestrating your next coordinated strike. The water under your feet bursts, catapulting you through the air and through your flight you conjure water within your free hand, molding its shape into a pointed javelin, and when you reach the height of your arc over the beast's ridged forehead, you throw your azure weapon that strikes like a bolt of lightning. Water and scales are tossed up around the point of impact, and your battle spirit accelerates with the sight of a clean blow.

As Chacu reels from the sudden rattling of its skull, you command the waters to encase your extended leg as you land and stomp atop his head that feels more solid than stone. You raise your sword to plunge it deep into the red patch of broken skin, but you are suddenly upheaved by the mad fling of Chacu's head. You fly through the air, unable to adjust yourself or bring the waters to your aid fast enough to catch you. You flail for something to grab hold of, and by some miracle your hand snatches the tip of the ribbed fins that line Chacu Chullhua's back. When you beat the pushing wind and pull yourself forward, you slide along the navigational appendage and keep a tight hold when met with the imposing scene of the great sea creature's back that stretches like an endless road of scales.

You follow the line of your magical tether that drops down into the sea. A focused request of your mind tells you Undine is quick at work zipping through the waters, and you can feel how she hops out of the rolling waves like a dolphin to deliver a barrage of harsh jetstreams into Chacu's side to slow his swim and batter his body ever closer to exhaustion. You stab Shining Comet as deep as you can muster into the back of the great beast, winning a pained growl from his head as the blue scales become tainted red. You retract yourself just enough to leave it's keen tip underscale, and then you utter a soft apology for what you are about to do next. With all the strength your legs can give you, you begin to race towards the head of the great leviathan, shaving a thin streak of red along its spine as you run.

Chacu starts to buck erratically, desperate to dislodge you from his back, but every time you feel the world shift under you, you plant your feet and dig in your sword to keep you in place. The beast then grows more enraged, and motions to throw itself underwater, but Undine swims steadfast in its path, twirling her trident to orchestrate the rise of a tidal wave that smashes into the beast before it can make its dive, jostling you against the webbing of one of its fins, and spraying you with enough water to drench you five times over. Chacu Chullhua's next attempt to remove you then begins, you watch the backside of his head take a nosedive and foot by foot he disappears into the vast abyss.

You are left with no recourse but to abandon ship. You release your sword from the creature's skin and make a mad dash for the edge. You leap off the side with only the restless sea below you, but the blue line of magic that connects you to your partner is quickly shortening in front of you, and you are then whisked away by a flying current that carries the water spirit within it. The spiraling jetstream brings you both safely down and disperses, and you take this opportunity to catch your breath while the pulse of your magic pushes a gentle stream of water to hover you against the sea's surface.

"He's really living up to his title." You remark between breaths. "Nothing I'm doing is making enough of a dent to really take him down. Any ideas?"

"When I was swimming underneath Chacu Challhua, I noticed quite a few scars along his underbelly. No doubt from attempts on his life from previous battles. Perhaps he is more vulnerable there?"

"He did have a lot of scars…all over his body, and that part of his skin did break a lot easier. Let's try our best to set up a final precise strike. I want to make it as painless for him as possible." You say, still regretful over the grim conclusion this battle needs to have.

"It will be difficult to restrict Chacu Challhua, even with our new level of resonance." Undine states, but she isn't showing the faintest inkling of defeat. "Even so, as long as you're at my side, I feel as though there is no enemy we can't overcome. Since the day we've met, we have used the power of our bond to make the world a better place, and today will be no different."

Maybe it's the overwhelming power of the ocean you feel surging through your entire being, the high you feel in the heat of battle, or perhaps just the unbreakable trust and sense of safety you feel when you are one with the water spirit, but you feel like she is absolutely right. Since the night you met, you watched miracles happen when you were at her side, and she was willing to risk everything to fight alongside you. Just as you want to be a light that the world can look to for pulling them through the darkness, Undine has been a light for you to turn to as well, and together, you'll shine ever brighter.

The tide comes to a full stop, making the entire expanse as still as solid ground. Your brow furrows, your pulse quickens, he is coming, you can sense it. Shallah's oldest native then breaches the water with such force that it creates his own tide, forcing the waves to grow and lash in every direction. Chacu spots you and raises a flipper, slamming it down in front of him to send a tidal wave barreling toward you, and along the building swell you spot something; a two-by-four no doubt part of some wreckage from the port, enticing a wonderful idea. Launching yourself with a blast of water from your heels, you and Undine jump to meet the curling tide head, with you landing your feet firmly against the wooden board, and Undine jumping right into the mouth of the wave as it reaches its peak.

The wave begins to descend, and you lean your body forward to let yourself drop into its curl, you carve alongside Undine through the rushing current with immense speed as it falls to break behind you. The board you surf on wobbles atop the sheer power of the water, but it just needs to hold on a little longer, the rush you feel in your heart as you glide along the water, as if you were soaring through the air, the sound of the ocean singing its natural song in your eardrums, and the way it tickles your hair and skin with the gentlest of sprays, please let this feeling just last a little longer. You ride the surf until the last possible second, and at the top of its declining lip you see the side profile of your opponent, and you make a deep cut to turn you towards him where you use the momentum of the crashing wave to launch yourself at him like a cannonball. You bring Shining Comet down along the crinkled outer skin of Chacu's mouth that opens to snatch you out of the air, unaware that you are about to make a quick escape via your soul-bound companion.

Undine surges through the air along a soaring river that bursts from her lower half, and before you can become fish food, she takes your outreached hand once more in hers and pulls you close before her magic crawls up her body to envelop you both entirely. You both spiral through the sky, and direct the cone of your aquatic bullet to curve around Chacu's front and send you hurling towards one of his flippers. The water then bursts, sending you and Undine in different directions, her towards the flat of the dorsal fin, trident poised to strike, and you are fired at the nape of neck that sports an impressive scar. Steel digs into natural armor, but your own blade only travels a few inches before your momentum fades away, forcing you to dislodge yourself from the beast and make another water propelled escape.

As you dive towards the sea, you feel Chacu's heavy breath blow against you from behind. Upon hearing the bellow of the great beast, Undine ceases her attempt to damage his fin further, and plucks her trident from it before diving back under the veil of the ocean. You can feel the leviathan's colossal form move with great haste, and as soon as you hit the water, you use your resonance to skirt you through the waves as fast as any shark could. The shadow of Chacu's tail is then cast over the surface under which you swim, so you kick and ignite your magic to send you deeper, just avoiding being slammed by the stern of the creature. Although you avoided direct contact, the strength of Chacu is enough to move the ocean however he sees fit, you are caught in the undertow, pulled down several feet one second, then jerked forward the next, all to find yourself being carried upward by the raging unpredictableness of the sea. You cease your struggle, closing your eyes and letting your oceanic senses find your route of deliverance. Like finding an open door within a labyrinth, you find your exit, in the form of a slipstream that runs alongside where you are forcibly carried. A swift roll, like the most acrobatic of fish, you enter the underwater railway, branching you on a new path that brings you down, around, and finally up through the water's surface where Chacu's body wades the sea apart.

You bend your knees, gathering your energy, and with a strong spring forward, you dart through the air, blazing an azure streak behind you, as your sword gleams with purpose. Shining Comet strikes true at the destination of your flight, burying its blade several inches within one of the scars that adorn Chacu's chest, but it still isn't enough, his physique bucks you out of him and leaves you falling once more, but you refuse to give him another free shot at you. You unleash another blast of water from your heels to fire you back at the beast, chopping your sword down at his skin despite you being barely anything more than a rat nipping at his heels. Although a rat in size you may be compared to this behemoth, he answers you with his full attention, swinging his head to bash you with his jawline, to which you can only answer with water-strengthened steel as your defense, but you are flung away all the same.

Your shuttle through the air is then brought to a cushioned stop when your back meets the caress of a wave that has risen to catch you. You let yourself take a quick breath and survey the battlefield; Undine is perched atop her own made geyser, her focus and spell work flourishing with more light and strength than you have ever seen from her before. The ocean itself bends to her command, tides push and pull along the waters to keep the beast you fight from choosing where he wants to go, three more waves like the one you sit on rise and enclose Chacu within an arena befitting the ruler of the waters, and with the tides being hers to create and steer, her assault begins with renewed fervor.

Stream after stream funnels out from the surrounding walls that suspend themselves in motion, all striking the apex of the sea, making him roar and try to force his way forward towards the spell caster who has wrought his pain. Creator vs ruler, even in the face of the one who gave life to the world he lives in, Chacu does not relent in his charge against Undine, his eyes fixated like she were his first meal in weeks, and she returns his gaze with a glare of pure opposition, and she clenches her open hand shut to act on her own silent threat. The geyser sprouts tendrils of liquid that dart forward and coil themselves around any section of the great beast they can, struggling to maintain their form against his resistance. As he thrashes against his watery binds, the water that strikes him like cannon fire continues to punish his body, but every jerk of his body succeeds in causing one of the azure tendrils to come undone, forcing Undine to focus on replacing it with another, but as the next one tries to ensnare Chacu's tail, he whips the appendage across the water, not only shattering the wiggling weapon, but sending a fierce pulse through the sea that rocks the water spirit's balance.

"Alright. That tail's gotta go." You snarl, having rested enough with the precious seconds Undine gave you, and you kick up the gear of the resonance around your ankles, letting the mana of water build higher and higher, but keeping it locked behind its own mental doorway, the boiling point soon approaches, and you place a hand on the cascading wave you prop yourself up on for grounding. When Chacu makes another attempt to lunge at Undine, you send an internal cry to put everything she's got to holding him down, and she complies, she lets her watery tower disperse, directing its remnants to spread out to form a net that drapes over his top half, and when the ends of ropes that have forged with water and mana touch the top of the sea, it was as if they become nailed like stakes into the earth, tightening and constricting the mammoth's movement, save for his tail. The magic you've been keeping contained then explodes, springing you down towards the writhing tailfin. You prepare your blade, the waters begin to spiral around you as you soar, and not a second later you reach arm's length of the giant fin that titters to and fro. An instantaneous action, your sword swings against the flick of Chacu's tail, your edge slices with such strength and precision that both fin and water droplets alike are sliced clean through.

The path you tore through the webbing of Chacu's tail reveals only the choppy ocean beneath you, which you dive straight into, you can't afford to be left flailing this close to your opponent after leaving such an excruciating blow. Within the water you swim to bring yourself back around, kicking back to the surface with your sword already mid-swing and when you emerge, you let loose a single crescent of water mana infused with your own starlight fly up through the air to take another bite out of Chacu's tail. The beast has had enough of your insolence, he roars and shatters the liquid net that attempts to bind him, and the very water under his body ripples, sending you backward with the bump of the tide.

"Yes. Keep fighting, human." Chacu Chullhua's voice reaches you, almost shattering your focus in the process. "The more we battle, the more you and the ocean mother force me to use every ounce of strength I have, the more clear my mind and heart feel."

"Could you have broken free?" You reach out with your thoughts, entertaining a glimmer of hope that Koyori's foul manipulation could indeed be coming undone. "Chacu Chullhua, if you can control yourself again, maybe we don't need to keep fighting you can-"

"No." His voice interrupts you, and his form turns toward you slowly, bobbing along the water, his molars peeking through his gums. "If I think of anything but the battle, my body turns against me. This is the only way I will know peace. You and the ocean mother must not relent. If you hesitate to take the kill, I will not. Now we finish the hunt, it is the way of our world."

With his last warning given, Chacu lowers himself and begins to swim forward, everything in his path is sucked within his open maw. Undine takes your wrist and pulls you along in a hasty retreat underwater, human legs and mermaid tail kick against the vacuum of the predator's lungs, leaving you both only a hair's length away from being consumed. You both turn to begin a potential counterattack, but Chacu has already begun diving deeper into the depths, where you dare not chase him, so you return to the surface to catch some air.

"How shall we proceed, summoner?" Undine asks, her face continuously searching the waters for any sign of an ambush.

"I'm not sure. I know we have the power to beat Chacu Challhua, but the difference in our sizes might just be too much. I'm barely doing any more damage than rat bites right now." You admit. "I just can't build enough speed to pierce that skin of his. And while your magic is amazing right now, he might be able to outlast us at this rate."

"Agreed. The more power we use at once, the shorter our time. We shall attack as one then. I will create a current so powerful that it will have enough force to send you straight through the creature. That is how we shall end this."

Your brief plan is made just in time for Chacu to rise out of the ocean headlong, forcing you both in quick action. Undine lets her trident vanish in a glimmer of light, and begins to churn her arms in a slow circle, and around your waist the water starts to hasten and spin. A thrust of her arms forward then makes the deep blue around you rupture, sending you straight at Chacu's jugular, but the point of your sword misses its mark, the aquatic apex shifts his body to submerge one side while the opposite's flipper points straight up into the air, so that your edge only scrapes the furthest protrusion of his underbelly. You curse, now left vulnerable against an opponent whose seasoned sea legs easily outmatch your magical ones.

Chacu pivots with awe inspiring acrobatics for one of his size, and prepares to seize his prey. You bring your own magic to the surface, ready to defend yourself however you can, the beast then cranes his neck to dive upon you, but the whistle of something whizzing through the air makes you both hesitate. Before Chacu can even turn, the side of his body is pelted with a barrage of cannonballs. Another battery soars through the air, and you take your chance to make your own escape before you get blown away by a wayward slug. Chacu is greeted by this rude arrival, this time taking two iron balls to his face, the smoke from their impact simmering above his head.

When you and Undine are swimming side by side again, you curiously survey the sudden interference, and in the distance you spot the unmistakable reds of the Houshou Pirate's flagship speeding towards your battlefield.

"Let's give it another round!" Marine shouts from her place behind the shipwheel. "You're all going to earn your spot in history today, we don't stop until that monster of a whale is dead! Watame! Step up the tempo!"

"Aye aye captain! I've never altered a song before, but I'll do my best." Watame salutes, readjusting her bow over her violin's strings and tapping her foot against the deck three times. She slides the metal-toothed rod down, strumming a pleasant reverberation and the bridge of her instrument begins to glow a deep blue hue. Watame's fingers press themselves down and begin to dance along the strings to create a scale whose tune puts a jolly jaunt in the steps of all who hear it, and makes their hearts yearn for adventure along the open seas.

"Come one come all it's time to see, what awaits across the sea. So don't delay, today's the day, along the waves we'll ride."

"If it's freedom that you yearn, climb aboard and soon you'll learn. We surf the tides through oceans wide, with our hearts as our guide."

"The skies a' blue and winds are fair, so blow a kiss and raise the sail. It's time to row, and so we'll know what fortune there is to find."

"And when all is said and done, we all end up as skeletons. But through voyage short, and voyage long, our lives will be our song."

Watame continues to sing, hopping and stepping across the deck to bring her melody closer to those who need it the most right now; the current temporary crew of the Houshou Pirates who now operate the Crimson Quarter with unparalleled enthusiasm and vigor. Cheerful smiles plaster their faces as they hold ropes attached to the mast to keep the sails wide to catch the blowing winds, carry ammunition across deck levels, and man whatever post they can find. The more Watame plays, the more her magic begins to manifest itself; the notes from her instrument fly around the vessel, and their line blankets over its crew to give them the second wind they so desperately needed. Everyone was giving their all to come to the aid of a young man and the ancient water spirit to protect a country from sinking to the bottom of the sea.

Botan adjusts the barrel of a tall, iron mobile cannon, and when her sights are set, she lifts her hand up to signal Polka to light the fuse with a small snap of foxfire from her fingertips. The fennec then skips across the rest of the battalion, all sporting her signature colors, she flashes an elated grin as the symphony of gunpowder and confetti rings through the air, sending another battery for the sea monster that wants to make her favorite human its next meal. The beast is staggered when his cheek is bombarded with colorful spheres of iron, but shakes off the blast and bares its fangs at its next adversary before slithering through the water to meet this new challenge.

You burst through the waters after Chacu, Undine makes the tide rupture from underneath to springboard you both up and over the great beast. When you reach the height of your arc over the finned vertebrate, you channel your collective energies, shaping the water that dances through the air in a four-pronged star above your hand, and with a conjoined overhand throw, you send the rotating weapon down into Chacu's back. The impact digs into his scales and forces a portion of his lower body to dip underwater, but he continues to charge the ship that continues to fire wave after wave of cannonfire upon it; some merely grazing his head while others miss their mark.

When Chacu shows no signs of stopping or diverting his attention to the assault of your resonance, Undine prepares you as her next projectile; caressing your lower half in a building spiral, and with a wave of her hand the cycle around your legs contracts and then expands with a crack so loud that it was almost like thunder crashes through the sky as you shoot down and strike your sword into Chacu's skin like lightning. You bury your blade almost halfway down, and you feel the giant's body heave with the unwanted entry.

A second strike lands several feet behind you in the form of Undine and her trident, but despite your weapons digging into Chacu's scales, he is still unrelenting in his hunt for the ship that also assails him. You twist Shining Comet what meager inch you can in an attempt to distract the behemoth, but even with the blood starting to seep from the pores where your edge stings, it may still not be much more than a bug bite to him. Fine. If you can't stop him from getting to Marine's ship, you'll be right where you need to be to make a counterattack strong enough to keep him from sinking it. With every passing second, you feel the ironclad connection with your spell book grow closer and closer, and your heart becomes ignited with the feeling of the soul who currently holds it in her grip; Flare.

"Follow me, Undine! We're gonna finish this with everyone's help!" You shout, yanking your blade out and making a mad dash for the head at the end of the scaled way, making wild slices for each ribbed fin you pass by. Each pump of your legs tests your balance and your strength, but you refuse to be thrown off, and the surface you tread soon slopes down as you reach the ridge of Chacu's head. In front of you sails the Crimson Quarter, now desperately trying to alter course as to not engage in a meeting of skulls with the oceanic giant. Your eyes are drawn towards the middle mast of the ship, you can't see for sure, but you know Flare is there. You call out to her as you and Undine make a desperate jump into the air with the aid of water, you need a spell, any spell, now.

Standing at the cross of the mast, Flare wraps one arm around its wooden pillar, and the other pours out any wind she can squeeze out of her lingering mana to help propel the ship forward. Pomu stands close doing the same, and her face scrunches with the concentration of pushing her magic to its limits. A flash of surprise streaks across the half-elf's face, having heard your internal call to her, and her amber eyes grow to saucers when they spot you leaping from the head of the apex predator of the seas. She ends her spell casting and takes your tome that was secured under her arm with her opposite hand and opens it; its pages already shining with the pure splendor of its unique magic. She hears you, she knows you need a spell, but her face hardens with hesitation and unwanted analysis. The fae notices her engine partner's change in position and looks over at her curiously, but her face then sparks with excitement when she puts the pieces together, she can also guess the half-elf's trouble without even requiring a single word from her.

"Do it, Flare!" Pomu commands, her hands aglow with a new spell; a pocket of air held tightly between her hands. "Anon will hear you, don't worry."

Flare looks at her friend open mouthed, but her concerns are dashed away by the call to action. She takes a deep breath, focusing on the spell and doing all she can to make it reach where it needs to. "Stellberna Ma Aquarius!" She shouts, and when the last syllable leaves her lungs, Pomu takes the ball of wind that churns between her hands and chucks it out towards the sea, where you descend from your leap of faith from Chacu's dome.

The words of power suddenly fill your ears as if Flare was right beside you, and your body shines with the beauty of pure starlight, radiating the sky dazzling lights that connect together to form the constellation of the water bearer. The sudden light makes Chacu's eyes force themselves shut for an instant, and that would be all you need to begin to feel the swell of your special brand of magic enhance your resonance to even greater heights. The mere thought of water causes the formless element to spring forth from your being and begin to intertwine with itself, growing larger and faster. You concentrate all that power through your sword, and prepare to bring forth a surge like no other.

"Waters rising from both heaven and earth, rage forth through this blade and drown my enemies within your unstoppable tide. Unleash your brave new voice and break down all obstacles that stand in my way. Aqua Star Shower!"

From Shining Comet's soaring edge fires an array of deep blue stars that more than triple in size as they roll through the air, and streak trails of water that expand and converge to form a rising swell that crests as it casts a tall shadow over Chacu who can only look above at the change of light before he is pelted with the watery projectiles. Star after star crashes into his body, breaking apart scale chip by chip as they lose their shape and fall to become one with the ocean. The second wave of your attack falls upon him next, its swell so great that it even knocks the beast back, thrashing and flailing within its mighty current. You prepare your sword to dive, with the power you and Undine harness, you could do it right here, you can pierce Chacu's heart and free his mind from the chains Koyori put around it.

"Come, summoner! We shall strike him together!" Undine shouts, and through her own orchestration of your resonance, she encases her entire form within surging water, flying forth to create an everliving river for your descent.

Riding through Undine's waterway, you both surge through the air, twisting and turning all the way down to keep your opponent guessing. A final burst from behind fires you both forward like a bullet, aiming right for the old scars that shield Chacu's heart. His glowing eyes narrow, and he tosses his body to the side, changing your target to cause your sword to graze the underside of his left flipper. Undine ushers the waters to wash over her form once more, and she lifts them directly up in the sky to take her with them, where she uses the new vantage point to send another volley of jetstreams into the head of the great beast while you grind your travels to a halt right atop his flipper.

You won't let your momentum stop or give Chacu a chance to throw you off him again, you command the water at your heels to burst, sending you headlong at the side of his body. Your sword swing comes down like a tidal wave, striking your steel against his body. One. Two. Three. Four quick slashes through his scales leaves the flesh an irritated pink, but still not enough to be a debilitating injury. Chacu roars again, his defiance and battlelust giving him the strength to endure Undine's watery assault from above, and turns his neck to snap his mighty jaws at you. You bring your sword up to guard you, and the force from his maw clashing with it sends you flying backward into the sea.

Shaking some of the excess water from your head, you regain your composure and kick your legs through the water to bring you back into the fray. Chacu sways to avoid another collision between himself and Undine who swerves along her own conjured jetstreams, and you arrive to be her backup and attempt to scale the beast from behind. The apex of the sea senses your presence and whips his tail to swat you away, the torn fin still packing enough of a punch to shake your brain within your skull as you splash down into the sea. A pain-fueled temper then takes control of your body as your eyes dart open from underwater, and you begin your own retaliation by gliding through the undertow and giving the perpetrator a few more hits along its underbelly.

It seems that no matter how fast you and Undine try to swarm him, Chacu is able to move through the waters with such agility that you can't find an opening to your true target. Each attempt results in you or the water spirit being batted around like a fly, but as long as your resonance and the Stellberna spell infuses you both with energy, you won't give up.

As your high speed struggle continues, the Crimson Quarter then begins to pivot, attempting to get even closer to the fighting.

"What the hell are we gonna do?! Even when he's amped up with that crazy magic of his, our packleader is getting slapped around like a cub." Frala growls, her fists shaking in frustration.

"We're gonna go in and help him, that's what!" Bransha says, ready to make a break for the guardrails and leap off into the battle, but Botan takes a firm stance in front of her and her twin.

"Out of our way, Botan." Bree snaps. "Live or die, we're gonna fight with our packleader. I won't sit on this boat and just wait."

"And what do you think you can do out there? That's his turf. You would just get in the way. He would have to rescue you the second you jump off, and you both know it." Botan scolds, her glare cold enough to paralyze the younger lionesses.

The whizz of harpoons and ropes flying from over the guardrails of the ship, cuts a knife through the feral-women's argument, followed by the curses of several voices as each barb bounces off Chacu's hard skin. One of the men at the firing line; Mako, throws down the simple launcher in frustration.

"How can we hope to take down such a beast? His hide is so thick. Dammit!" He curses, the other men and women around him sharing the sentiment. Botan turns and looks past the group, her eyes searching, she spots you continuing to make failed attacks aimed at Chacu's midsection, then she finds her answer.

"We just need to keep that thing still long enough for Anon to make the kill. You can help us do that, right?" The lioness asks, walking up to Mako, although she had already found her own conclusion as she sweats and forces her mana to obey her once more, creating a wooden rifle where a silver harpoon lays mounted within its launchpad. "Here. This is the last thing I can probably make today, so make it count."

The Shallan native takes the weapon with respect and nods. "Thanks. I will. On the memory of my father, I'll play my part in bringing that legend of a beast down. No weapon in a fisherman's boat can hope to slay such a creature, but if we can restrain it, for even a second, then maybe-"

Botan gives the eager young man a firm nod and turns to march towards the upper deck of the ship, the pack following close behind their alpha. Along the way she motions Nene; who was in the middle of getting ready to shot put a cannonball at Chacu, Watame; who was in dire need of a small break from playing her violin, and Flare, who continues to funnel the power necessary to keep your constellation spell in place, the sweat and worry run along her cheeks that weigh heavily on her own face. Botan leads everyone to the captain's wheel where Marine keeps steady hands on its spokes to keep the ship from veering too far to one end or another. The Houshou Captain eyes Botan questionably, but the lioness starts to speak.

"We need to slow that monster down. Got any good ideas?" Botan asks.

"Eh?! How should I know?!" Marine cries.

"You're the captain!" Flare snaps. "I thought you've been on some crazy sea adventures. Or at least heard stories about other pirates fighting something like this."

"And this captain has never seen anything like that before!" Marine whines. "I'm barely keeping the Crimson Quarter intact right now. I was hoping that our surprise barrage would have at least left it limping or something."

"What about the seventh spell, the regular version of it?" Watame proposes. "Flare, if you let me read the spell, I can use it to trap Chacu Chaulla like we did with Grendel."

"But then Anon loses the power of Aquarius, it's too risky." The half-elf argues, and between them Nene exhales, her patience reached.

"Instead of starlight ropes, we use regular rope. Big rope. Big enough to be tied around big fish's neck. Red pirate lady have big enough rope on ship right?" Nene says, sure of her own logic.

"Wha? There ain't a rope on this ship big enough for that! And even if there were, I'd have to bring the ship right up next to that monster and-" Marine starts to protest, but upon her confirmation, Nene nods and begins to walk away. "H-Hey! What are you-"

"Flare, stay up here. The pack and I are going to help Nene. Keep backing up Anon, for me. Okay?" Watame asks her friend, who returns her request with a forced smirk and a shaky thumbs up. Once the demi-humans descend to the mid-level of the ship, Marine sighs and looks over at her remaining companion.

"They're serious about it aren't they?"

"Yup." Flare replies. "Sorry. We're gonna need your ship to come through for just a bit longer. You might need to do some repairs though."

"If I even have a ship after today…" Marine sighs before resigning herself to her predetermined fate. "Well, if this is gonna be The Crimson Quarter's final dance, let's make it one to remember."

While its captain steers its rudders to turn its bowsprit towards the battle that rages along the sea, Nene has already cornered Polka who was currently eyeing up the crossbeam of the mast and creating an internal picture with her raised thumb and forefinger while mumbling something about a proper trapeze trajectory. Nene then tells the fennec of her needs, and the plan she feels cocksure of.

"Nenechi, you are a genius." Polka claps. "That kicks the butt out of my idea. Okay! I don't know if I can make something strong enough to not come apart at the seams, but we won't know until we try!"

Polka's first attempt results in a twenty foot rope made of interwoven handkerchiefs, each sporting a different fun and vibrant color. The next creates a long rope whose twine was painted with bright blues and pinks. The fennec sighs and kicks the failure to the side. She slaps her cheeks, straightens out her skirt, and rubs her hands together.

"Try to think heavier." Botan suggests. "All the stuff you make is from ideas for your circus shows, right? Don't you have any acts that involve chains?"

"I think so, but I haven't really mapped the entire thing out yet. I was thinking maybe I could make some sort of escape act for Anon to force his way through and-"

"Do that. Think of that." The lioness cuts her off.

The ringmistress nods and is brought back to her task. She widens her stance, takes a deep breath through her nose, and brings the spark of her magic into creation. Purple vapors simmer up from her palms, gently dancing with each other and joining to become something bigger, something more, something real. A red chain link the length and width of an average person appears, then another that is colored a solid pink, then blue, and white right after. Metal thuds against the floor of the deck with every hand of the chain that gets made. Polka pushes herself, not willing to stop until every last effort is made to create the tool that her friends need. The high she feels from feeding on the soul of another still lingers, and it's for the sake of that very soul that she will use all that she has.

The last link of the chain clings against the rest of its coiled up body, and Polka's body slumps to bring her face to face with the ground, sweat pouring off her brow and even wetting the damp deck further.

"Here ya go," Polka huffs. "Nenechi. It won't be too heavy for you, eh?"

"Nothing too heavy for champion of Ursol." Nene assures her and she squats down to attempt to pick up the chain by the head. With some effort, the primal powered warrior hoists up several links and drapes them over her shoulder; her body shudders from the concentrated weight, but she begins to put one leg in front of the other to take her to the edge of the ship.

Each of the lionesses then take it upon themselves to help the girl, picking up a section of the chain and helping lighten the load. The convoy reaches the barriers of the deck and Nene eyes down her prey, her paws tighten around the joined links, her breath impatient, but she needs to wait. Meanwhile, she gets a closer view of how the man she admires fights, but her fierce smile turns sour when she sees you and Undine batted away from your latest clash with Chacu by the weight of his cranium.

That last hit made you and the water spirit reel, your bodies skip twice over the water before plopping beneath the rolling tide. You try to consider your options, and you observe Undine who floats next to you, searching her form for any injuries that would need to be addressed, but she actually looks…happy?

The water spirit gives you a soft smile and tilts her head to the side, turning your attention to the Crimson Quarter that rushes dive its frontal point right into the side of Chacu. Its bowsprit snaps clean off on impact, and the vessel takes a sharp turn to grind the side of its hull; for every scale of the beast that chips off, it's paid back tenfold as the ship's siding is shaved off. The damage to its once proud frame is no doubt a regrettable sacrifice, but one that its captain has made her peace with making, for the plan of its crew is being put into action.

Nene is hard at work, the primal powers of her blessing in full force as she strains to swing the chain over her head. While each circular pass builds the momentum of her metal rope, her arms wobble against the force of gravity trying to take the iron weight, almost forcing her overboard, she begs, pleads, demands, that her patron god grant her the strength to come to aid of her trusted comrade, and through her own force of will or perhaps a higher power, her mana begins to crackle and ignite. With unparalleled strength Nene stabilizes and swings the chain above her with awe striking feral grace.

The course of the ship soon brings her face to face with the steel gaze of Chacu Challhua, and even in the presence of a king within nature, the Champion of Ursol does not feel the slightest twinge of fear or intimidation, she only feels what her muscles tell her to in this moment, there is no time for other thoughts. A thin sliver of silver flies through the air towards the great beast; the harpoon entrusted to Mako, and the fisherman of Shallah lives true to his title and the barb finds its mark in the one of the trailing lines of the largest scar that paints Chacu's upper body. The beast flinches at the sudden intrusion, and Nene's instincts scream to seize the moment.

Nene gives the strand of iron links a final swing before loosening her paw to let them fly towards Chacu; it curves and wraps itself layer after layer around his neck, forming a loose leash around it. When she is satisfied that the chain was secure, Nene yanks the end she now holds hard, tightening its coil around the great beast and causing it to jerk its own head forward. His eyes narrow and a low wail thunders from his throat as he begins to reel his head up to its full height, slowly fighting against the reins that would constrain him.

"You…won't….beat…Nene!" Nene growls back, holding the end of the chain with such ferocity that her nails begin to dig into the iron, but even with her grip strong, her feet skid along the wooden surface of the ship.

"Don't just stand there and gawk. Help her pull!" Botan commands, rushing to join the bear-maiden in her struggle, taking a free chain link and putting her entire body into keeping it from being pulled any further.

One by one, the pack joins in aiding Nene and Botan in their game of tug of war, each set of hands puts them one step closer to equal standing with the great sea leviathan, but even with all of their demi-human strength and one blessed by primal power, they were still losing ground. Nula's hands begin to slip, her body begins to tumble, but a pair of bright orange clad arms swoop in and keep her on her feet.

"No slouching, you mangy cats!" Kiara grunts, now taking her own link in the chain to tug with all she has with Pomu quickly joining on the other side. "Our lives, along with the lives of everyone else on the land, depend on us!"

"Come on, Nenechi!" Polka then grumbles, pulling backward by her waist. "Let's see that Champion of Ursol energy."

"We all got this! Anon and Undine are counting on us." Flare chimes in next, hooking her free arm under Polka's and adding her own weight to their tow.

"Don't give up! Pull your hardest! We can do it! Work together! One! Two! One! Two!" Watame begins to cheer as she takes her own spot beside Botan, and her rallying chant begins to have an effect on her comrades, filling their arms and legs with newfound vigor, and they begin to retake inches.

The group walks and pulls as one, and once one of the masts are within arm's reach, Nene reaches out and sinks one of her claws into it; the wood cracking and struggling to act as a solid hold. Frala is next to try and anchor their cause, her fiery mane standing on end as she forces her mana to create earthen boots around her feet that she stomps into the floorboards, digging her legs in past her shins. The combined might of the lionesses and their allies is enough to bring the great sea king to a stalemate, his entire body shakes as the iron cord around his neck tightens and lifts him ever so slightly from the water's surface.

You can hardly believe it, Marine, Botan, Polka, Watame, everyone…they actually have Chacu Challhua unable to move. This is it! This is really it, your one chance.

Undine responds to the determination within your soul and begins to unleash the full power of your resonance, the tide bends to her command once more, forming a swell that curves and curls as it rises above Chacu. Even when it's life or death, the feats she achieves with the water is nothing short of awe inspiring. You gather your resolve and dive off through the currents alongside your soul-bound partner, dashing through the flat of the waves until you reach the edge of the wave that sits still at its full height in front of Chacu. Through your resonance and bond with the waters, you swim up the azure cascade, and every drop you pass through becomes part of your tail stream, gathering and compressing its power. You leap above the white crest of the wave and look down; Chacu still struggles wildly against its chains, and the Crimson Quarter is on its last sealegs. You will only get one more shot at this, but you'll make it the final blow, there is too much riding on this; the lives of your friends, an entire country, Chacu's own soul, you'll protect them all. It's time to make good on all the promises you made, and your determination to remain true to your vows fills with you with strength.

"Here we go, Undine! We're putting everything we got into this!" You psych yourself up with a readying swing of your sword.

"Yes! Now is the time to set Chacu Challhua free!"

Both your collective energy is poured into spiraling and quickening the water around you like you were in the barrel of a loaded gun, Undine positions herself at the behind you, and acts as the hammer slamming down, using the last of your resonance to make the waters behind you explode with a force that fires you downward faster than any bullet or arrow. You aim your sword forward, the remaining mana forming a quick spinning drill of water and starlight around Shining Comet's steel. The world ahead of you becomes a blur of silver and blue, and before you can even try to bring focus to your eyes, you feel yourself collide with the great Chacu Challhua. The sound of crashing water booms in your ear drums, and the splitting of flesh comes next, then the world dims around you, the parting clouds are replaced by a pitch blackness as you travel through a tunnel of flesh and blood. You feel a slight bump in your flight, and the spattering of an even thicker substance all over your body tells you that you must have just penetrated your target; the heart.

A final burst of your mana sends you surging through the rest of the beast's insides and a second later you exit from the other end, you look over your shoulder to see Chacu Challhua sway slowly from side to side, the life having already begun to leave his body. In a final act, he manages to turn and look over his shoulder at you; the blues of his eyes flickering out like a dwindling flame.

"That was impressive, young one." His voice speaks in your mind when you breach water. "You have made my final hunt one that I can be proud of. Finally…I will rejoin my brethren in the stars."

"Chacu Challhua…" You call back, forcing yourself back to the sea's surface to look upon the great beast while he still hangs on. "I'm-"

"Do not spoil your hard earned victory." The ancient creature chastises you. "My heart is clear once more. I have fought with he who swims with the ocean mother. I have forced the collective might of man to come to his aid in order to defeat me. I have no regrets and neither should you. Goodbye, child of light and man. Do not forget the resolve you have shown me today, and may the currents always favor you."

The last bit of life then fades from the great denizen of the sea's eyes, and the metal noose around his neck loosens as his shape becomes limp, allowing him to flop into the calming sea. The weight of what you've just done and what you went through begins to drag you down like your legs were made of lead, and the roll of the disruption within the ocean that the fall of Chacu Challhua caused was fast approaching you. You manage to sheathe your sword before being dragged under, you are far too tired to fight back, there is nothing more you can do than let the tide take you. Even as you sink deeper into the darkening abyss, you feel a strange sense of accomplishment. You and Undine did it. The battle is finally over, and the people of Shallah are free. That is the last thought you have as you look up at the shimmering ceiling that seems to get further and further away, your exhaustion then overtakes you just as something appears to be coming towards you from above.

A violent retching from your chest shocks your body out of unconsciousness and you fight to open the shutters of your eyelids that feel heavier than boulders at this moment. Something soft and silky can be felt against your lips, but before your mind can catch up to whatever it may be, you feel a breath of foreign air blow into your pathways to bring your lungs to demand an explosion of the seawater that they had been carrying. Your body is suddenly free to roll to your side and begin hacking up what feels like a barrel of saltwater into the damp sand you apparently now lay on. When your coughing fit ends, you lay yourself flat on your back once more to catch your breath, and the shape of someone comes into your view.

Marine, soaked to the bone, leans over you shining her pearly whites in a relieved smile.

"Marine? How did?" You begin to ask, but as some of your strength returns, you notice the presence of another next to you; Undine and Sylph in their incorporeal forms and beaming at you with pride.

"Your Senchou wasn't going to let you drown." Marine answers, repositioning herself to sit on her knees along your free side. "When we saw Undine lose her shape, Flare told me that meant what's called your resonance ended, and without really thinking about it, I gave her the wheel and jumped overboard after you."

"But you could have drowned too, how did you even find me?"

"True pirates have always known that if they put their trust in the tide maiden, she will always guide them to the treasure they seek." The Houshou Captain recites from likely an ingrained memory. "And since you're attached to the woman herself, I figured that was a sure thing. Lucky for you I was right!"

"You have our eternal thanks for rescuing our summoner, Captain Marine." Undine bows her head, and Sylph then follows suit.

"Aw, don't mention it." Marine waves off, trying to hide a slight flush coming to her cheeks. "After all you three have done for me, why wouldn't I risk my butt for you? Anon is still a cabin boy of the Houshou Pirates, and as his Senchou I will do everything I can to make sure he's safe…and speaking of…." her modesty vanishes and she purses her lips. "I should really make sure we got all that seawater out of your lungs. I know I'm pretty good at giving mouth to mouth, but I should really do it again~ Just to be sure."

"I think I got it all out the first time, thanks. But if I start to feel short of breath, you'll be the first I come to?" You offer, not wanting to flat out reject the woman who just saved your life, but also not wanting to indulge her at the moment. "I should really try to get up and-"

"Not so fast." Marine keeps you from rising further than an upright sit. "There's no need to push yourself any more, Anon. It's over. We won." She then places a hand on your head, and the way she gently strokes you gives you a wash of comfort. "Just rest here until my ship gets here. Everyone is probably worried sick about you, so we're staying put. Senchou's orders."

"I guess you're right." You sigh and let all the muscles you tried to force into action fall where they may. Your gaze looks out to sea where the mid-afternoon sun pokes its rays through the parting clouds, the broken shape of the Crimson Quarter bobs along the water at a slow pace, and you can just make out the shadow of something bigger than it being towed from its port bow; Chacu Challhua.

Marine follows your eyes and the somber look they must give. Her own expression droops, but she continues to soothe you with her gentle brush along your dome. "I could have never imagined that the weapon Morgan was given was another living creature…especially one like that. How does that even happen? Was it magic?"

"If it was magic, I probably could have reversed it…I could have spared Chacu." You answer with blackened bitterness. "I don't know exactly what they did to warp his mind, but I know who I need to ask…I know who I need to make pay for this….because of her, because of them, I had to take his life…I…"

Bitterness quickly turns to sorrow, you know you made the right choice to grant Chacu the death he yearned for, but it was also by your hand that he was put into that position. He was an innocent being, just playing its own role within nature, and you had to strike him down to save a nation. You may have just caused an extinction. Nothing can stop the tears now, even if you're a man, even if you're a hero, you want to cry, to grieve for the life you were forced to take. It still feels so strongly in your heart, the sensation of that great animal's life force leaving for the world beyond…it's just too much for you right now. When the dam is about to break, you are suddenly pulled into the embrace of the woman who comforts you, your head nestled along her feminine collarbones.

"It's okay, you can let it all out." Marine coos, holding you tightly around your back while her other hand combs through the back of your hair. "Everyone is going to want to see their hero when they arrive, and he should have the look of a man who just saved a country, maybe even the world. So cry on Senchou until all your tears are gone. We have time."

You nod in thanks and let yourself lean more into her support, then the waterworks start. You don't really know how long you've been crying for, it could have been five minutes, it could have been an hour, but your heart was lighter for having been given the time to grieve. What also made your heart quick to recover was the support of someone you can without a doubt call your friend. Marine is as kind of a woman as she is skilled, and you owe a lot of your current victory to her.

When your tears seem to have finally dried up, you lift yourself out of Marine's embrace and do a rough cleaning of your face with your sleeve. She looks at you with nothing but support and acceptance on her face, so you do your best to give her a winning smile. Your eyes still burn, your nose is clogged, and every single part of your body berates you for what you put them through, but this woman deserves to see that she's helped you.

"Thanks, Marine. I really needed that." You look at those two different colored eyes of hers that radiate against the glistening sea. As your eyes catch the Crimson Quarter almost reaching the shoreline, the anticipation of the reunion with your loved ones puts some life back in your bones, that is, until you remember there is one last thing you need to make sure of. "Hey, so is-" You start to ask, but Marine's prideful smirk interrupts you as she begins to know what you are about to ask.

"Blackfin is all chained up and down in the brig. I gotta say, you sure know how to send a girl for a loop, ya know? Pretty much everyone from Shallah wanted to slit his throat the second your lions brought him aboard. Hell, even I wanted to make his insides spill onto the floor…I was about to, but Botan kinda held me back. She said you wanted the bastard to stay alive to answer for his crimes. So, that's what he'll do. You really are something else."

"I just did what I thought was right." You sigh, feeling a little regretful of your decision to spare the orca's life. "But I'm thinking maybe I should have just killed him when I had the chance. If I did, maybe Chacu wouldn't have had to die. Maybe-"

Again you are interrupted by your captain, this time by a gentle tap of her palm against your cheek.

"Hey. No thinking of the 'What ifs' or 'Could be', a true pirate lives by the compass of their heart and never regrets where it might take them." Marine smiles at you, her eyes again shining with the utmost honesty and certainty. "That's exactly what you did. You faced too many impossible choices today, but I think you made the right ones; the ones that gave the innocent people of this land the best chance for a life of happiness. Besides, it sounded like the big guy was ready to go, and you gave him a hell of a send off."

"You heard?" You raise an eyebrow. "You could hear him talk too? I thought only Undine and I could because well…summoner stuff I guess."

"'Talking' might be a generous way to put it." Marine chuckles awkwardly. "All I heard was what would pass as its call or language, but I could feel the gist of it, if that makes sense. A couple of the other people on board could too. They all know you did the right thing." The captain's eyes then fall to the ground, as she becomes somber. "You helped him get to a better place; his next voyage, in the stars. My grandma always told me that once our days of sailing along the seas end, we move onto new horizons in the seas of the stars. A true seafarer's dream, to roam along the waves of earth and then heaven. A journey never having a true end. It's kinda romantic, huh?"

"A never ending journey?" You repeat to yourself, and then a glance from the corner of your eye at Undine and Sylph helps to fill your spirit more with the faith behind Marine's words. It comforts you. If she believes Chacu's soul is truly at peace and embarking on a brand new journey right now, you can choose to believe that too. Perhaps one day you'll even meet again. You owe it to the apex predator to live in a way that would make him proud to greet you when the time comes.

"Someone's head sure is turning in there." Marine snickers with a mischievous smile. "Could you be thinking about a never ending journey with yours truly? Of course you're welcome as my cabin boy, but there's still too much I don't know about you still to want to commit the rest of my life to you. I know just how we can fix that though! When we get to sit down for that drink you owe me, you're going to tell me ALL about yourself. I want the full story, from start to finish with you. I'll of course tell you mine too~ and maybe we can learn a few new things about each other."

The sudden shift in tone and topic from the Houshou Captain makes you giggle, and the weight your heart feels continues to evaporate. "You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to a good drink." You say sincerely, but how your body droops and hangs with exhaustion betrays your ambitions. "Although it might only take half of one to put me down for a long nap. Which wouldn't be a bad idea either actually."

"Not without the rest of the victory party. C'mon, let's go." Marine gets up and offers you her hand. "You're not going to make all those lovely ladies come to you, right?"

Smiling at the question, you take your captain's hand and let her hoist you to your feet. She guides you until you are both shin deep in the water before letting go of your hand. She slows her pace, interlacing both her hands behind her back as she strolls behind you. Your own pace quickens when the pirate vessel comes to a full stop and its frontal anchor begins to lower. Several figures line up near the gap in the guardrails that allows for passengers to come and go, and one suddenly can't seem to contain themselves any longer and jumps right off into the water.

Furiously paddling through the ocean water, riding the tiny waves closer, is Nene. Your legs start to pick up, wanting to meet her halfway, but the Champion of Ursol reaches shallow water before you manage to wade another ten or so feet.

"Anonnnnnnnn!" She cries, leaping right into your arms.

You happily take Nene into your embrace, your feet having to dig into the sand to keep you from falling over. Her blond hair rubs back and forth across your chest as her arms constrict tighter around you. You open your mouth to begin thanking Nene for all that she did to help you in the final fight, and that you're overjoyed beyond words to see her safe and sound, but the splashes of more arrivals interrupt your thought.

A parade of bodies begin to pile themselves around you; Watame, Flare, Polka, Pomu, all of you are thrown off balance and fall ass first into the water. The pain through your body is excruciating, but you couldn't be happier with the circumstances.

"Anon! You did it! You did it!" Watame cups your face and nuzzles your cheek against hers.

"Only because of you guys!" You begin to laugh, giving the sheep a tight squeeze before struggling to sit up and turning to face your half-elf. "I'm really glad you all showed up when you did, you're all amazing."

"Says the guy who was surfing through the skies with a brand new set of ears on his head." Polka pokes your cheek playfully. The fennec then leans forward to bring both you and Flare together with her for another hug. "As soon as Sylph told us what you had to do, we didn't want to make you deal with that all on your own."

"That's right. We started this together, and no matter what kind of crazy stuff you try to dive into, we'll always jump in after you." Flare beams before her smile contorts to something more playful. "Although…maybe next time you can jump into danger that's a little smaller? That's two times in a row we've been up against monsters bigger than buildings. We're gonna get squashed some day."

"Awww don't sweat the small stuff right now, Flare." Pomu stands behind you all and reaches down to ruffle your soaked head. "What matters is that we won! We're heroes!"

"Pomu right! Nene and everyone save Nene's people!" Nene cheers, snatching you away and spinning you twice through the air, her excitement taking control of her arm strength and twirling you a bit too fast for your liking right now. Then sure enough, her wet hands slip out of yours, and you are tossed through the air.

Everyone's celebratory laughter is hushed when your body is seen tumbling towards the sea. You close your eyes and just brace for the impact, but instead of falling into the crystal blue waters, your trip seems to end early, in the arms of someone that cradles you with the utmost security. Smiling down at you with gleaming fangs is Botan, she grabs your underside a little tighter before walking carefully through the water to talk you both to the rest of the group. Her eyes glare at Nene who is practically shrinking from embarrassment, and lets out a small sigh.

"You should be more careful with this. He's exhausted." Botan lightly scolds, but her frown upturns as soon as Nene nods meekly.

"It's okay, Botan." You speak up at the alpha lioness. "Nene didn't mean it. Besides, shouldn't we be celebrating?"

"She's exhausted too. You all are. A celebration's no good if we're all too tired to enjoy it. Now come on." Botan states as she begins to stroll past the group, and any jostle you make to possibly free yourself is met with her tightening grip under your legs and around your shoulder. "Polka, grab Nene before she falls over."

"Nene isn't that tir-" Nene begins to argue when the fennec makes a single step toward her, but then her body begins to teeter, her legs fighting to keep themselves upright. Polka's quick reflexes, even in her sluggish state, are able to rescue the girl from falling shoulder first into the water. Nene tries to pout, but a high pitched yawn that makes her jaw open to the brink of unhinging, voices her true condition.

"Easy there, Nenechi. Botan's right, and you've been going full throttle since this morning. I'm about to pass out too, and I'd rather not do that in the water." Polka says as she gingerly hooks her arm around Nene's and begins to walk them both back to the sand, while letting out an adorable yawn of her own.

You immediately let out a rather unattractive yawn yourself as your body begins to ache, followed by Watame, who gives her arms a soothing rub down, then Flare who tries to keep the sudden escape of breath concealed by her hands over her mouth, and then to make the group effort just a little more pathetic, Pomu hovers over towards you, shrinking herself so she can fall to lay upon your chest. You want to scoff at the gesture, seeing as the fae always complains how taxing it can be to change her size, but you are too tired to even tease her at the moment.

The next few minutes are spent drifting in and out of consciousness, the comfort you feel within Botan's arms combined with the gentle sway of the low tide in your ears almost lulls you off into slumber. When your back is met with the warm touch of the sand, you become more aware of yourself, and you strain your eyes to open and be met with Botan's looking down at you from overhead.

"Take it easy. We've done enough for now." She coos, and her chin lifts back up to point her towards the horizon. "Marine said she would take care of things on her ship, and the rest of the pack is gonna help her with making sure all the prisoners we have behave themselves. We'll meet back up in a few hours."

You give a lazy nod in response. The longer you lay, the more your body finally begins to let itself relax. The battle is really over, and the feeling of your loved ones in close proximity, and Botan's hand stroking your head eases you further back to sleep. The distinct mew of a certain sheep whose head is almost touching your own also gives your soul a dose of serenity. You let out a small smirk at the thought of Botan comforting you both at the same time.

Sleep. The idea feels so good to you right now. You've gone well beyond your limits to keep the promises you not only made to new friends, but to a group of people who needed someone to step up for them.

Botan, the pack, the good people of Shallah, and Marine, they all became friends you wanted to protect and ensure a life of freedom for, and because of the stalwart hearts of the people closest to you, you helped make that dream into a reality. After today, a new future begins for this country, and it's one you can't wait to experience for yourself

All of this was set into motion because of a tip you received from a kind and attractive stranger at a bar, someone you know wants to see the world shine like it's meant to. Your victory today also brought you one step closer to HoloX. Despite how difficult the challenge was, Blackfin was just a stepping stone for you on your way to dismantle that deplorable organization for good.

This world is too wondrous for it to be tainted by HoloX's ambitions, and your actions today will no doubt reach their ears, but you're counting on that. You'll keep getting stronger so that you can protect this world from them and anyone else like them who wants to snatch the light of dreams away from others. This is your place in the world, and you are becoming more sure of it with every step of the climb up. The best part of it is, you're not making the climb alone.

The picture of each of your friends giving their all in the pursuit of doing what's right burns within your mind's eye, and fills you with pride. It's time to rest up so you can all enjoy the rewards of your efforts together. A well earned vacation, filled with laughs, smiles, and special one on one time with the women closest to you. The mere fantasy of it all pulls your body down into the sweet embrace of sleep where you'll no doubt dream of what is hopefully to come next.