NOVPUBThey needed to move.
Now.
But unfortunately, it was already too late.
The rift groaned, the sound echoing around them. And from the darkness within it came more creatures, not as massive as the dragon, but vicious all the same.
They erupted forward, serpentine monsters with translucent fins, spined backs, and mouths that opened far too wide for their skulls.
They screeched as they shot through the water, the sound like nails dragged across a slate, sending shivers through even the most hardened Tidecallers.
These monsters were leaner, faster. Their movement across the waves was unnatural, like they skated across glass.
The moment they surfaced, they veered toward the ship, their bodies undulating and cutting through the water like living torpedoes. In an instant, they were before them.
Before anyone else could react, Captain Hook stepped forward.
She was bleeding from a cut along her brow, but her eyes were anything but distracted.
Her knuckles cracked as she clenched her fists and took a single step forward, her boots squelching on the slick deck.
Her arms moved in a wide arc, the water around her rising to her call like it remembered who it served.
"Fall back!" She shouted to her crew. "Form up! Defend the ship!"
The smaller monsters slithered over the waves, shrieking. Hook raised her arms high above her head.
The water twisted and spun in the air, forming a longbow larger than a man. With a sweeping gesture, she summoned an arrow of compressed water, the tip shimmering under the light of the sun like a diamond spear.
Her face was stoic, her expression unreadable as she drew the bowstring, crafted from braided current.
Then, she fired.
The first shot struck one of the monsters directly between the eyes, snapping its skull back with such force that it flipped mid-air and crashed into the sea with a thunderous splash.
A second arrow followed, then a third, each one fired before the preceding one could even land. The water around the ship flowed constantly towards her like a river, making sure she never ran out of ammo.
The crew, inspired by their captain, rallied around her. Tidecallers raised their hands, summoning waves to knock the monsters back.
Shouts rang out as the warriors took position, protecting the vulnerable sections of the ship.
One of the beasts leapt toward the helm. Hook spun, drew back the watery bow, and let another shot fly. The creature exploded mid-air, dissolving into foam and sinew. Blood rained down on the deck like salt spray.
Still, they kept coming.
The monsters crawled onto the ship, clawed hands tearing into wood and flesh. One cornered a group of injured Tidecallers before Hook hurled another arrow through its gut, the projectile erupting into a geyser of scalding mist as it pierced.
She never stopped moving. Her feet danced across the deck, her bow firing shot after shot like an automatic gun.
At the same time as all this was happening, Ren had raced for the helm.
He vaulted over a broken railing, slid across the wet wood, and grabbed the wheel, spinning it hard to port.
Hook was focused on killing the monsters, and Ren would do what needed to be done. Get them out of the Deep's danger zone.
"Lilith, Elias, secure the sails!" He shouted.
The two moved instantly. Lilith reached into the air and fashioned a sword of soul energy. With it, she sliced through the ropes before her, allowing the sails to drop.
Elias pulled them tight and fastened them as best he could, cursing as salt stung his hands.
"Thorn, watch the rear! Call out if anything gets too close!"
"Already on it!" Thorn yelled back, hurling a harpoon into an approaching monster. It missed wide, but distracted the creature long enough for a Tidecaller to finish it with a trident.
The ship began to move, slowly at first, then picking up speed. Ren gritted his teeth, keeping the rudder steady as another wave slammed into the side. That was the Deep trying to draw everything within range into its maw.
Water splashed over the railings, soaking him from head to toe. The wheel groaned in his hands, fighting every move he made, but he held strong, guiding the ship away from the rift.
He could feel the pull of the Deep, like gravity itself was trying to drag them back. The sea tugged at them like a hungry beast. But with every inch they moved away, Ren fought harder.
"Just a little farther!" He growled. "Hold together, just a little longer!"
Hook's arrows continued to fly. Two monsters dove at once toward the mast. She spun on her heel and fired a double shot, both arrows arcing through the air like lightning.
The monsters collided mid-air, their bodies crumbling into chunks before they even touched the deck.
The sea around them shook as the rift began to shudder.
With a last screech, the final monster lunged from the water, only for Hook to meet it with a shot to the throat. The creature's head snapped back, its body writhing as it fell, splashing into the water with a hiss.
Silence returned.
The Hungering Deep gave one final groan, sending ripples all around them.
Then, it vanished.
The water folded in on itself, and the dark mist faded. The pull of gravity eased, and the waves settled into a gentle rhythm once again, as if the nightmare had never happened.
Hook stood on the deck, panting, her shoulders slumped and soaked hair clinging to her face. Her bow dissolved back into water, splashing harmlessly at her feet.
No one spoke for a long moment.
Then, she turned to Ren.
"You were right." She said. "About all of it."
Ren nodded, still gripping the wheel. His knuckles were white, his body aching. "That wasn't even the worst of it."
Hook wiped the blood from her face. "We kept you prisoner, and judging by how powerful she is," she glanced at Lilith, "you could've abandoned us. But you fought with us. Thank you."
She bowed slightly.
As she straightened, she glanced toward her crew, many of them wounded, some still standing, some kneeling beside the fallen. But they were alive.
"As much as I hate to admit it, I am scared. I cannot follow you into the Deep. But I won't stop you from going."
"The ship needs repairs, so we'll be heading back to Patoni. We'll escort you there." She said. "You deserve more than just safe passage, but that, at least, I can give."
"My only hope? You rip this evil out of our sea."
