"
Angry, Bjorn glared at Donovan, still clinging to his shoulder. "Grr! How could you lose her!?"
"I don't know? One minute the port was empty, the next, Me and everyone were running from a giant version of Charla!"
Bjorn scoffed. "I see that your fears persist."
"Shut up!" Donovan huffed. "I didn't think it was real either, but I was caught off guard! Still, I'm glad you helped break me out of that trap."
"Pah! You should consider yourself lucky they didn't grab you, too. or worse."
"Yeah! Yeah! I get it. "Donovan climbed up Bjorn's shoulder, getting a better view. "It's far more important that we get Kalika back as soon as possible, and I think I know the group that did it. I'm confident it was that group of Incubus with that old-looking ship."
"And how could you know that?"
"Those demons we killed earlier, they were part of that same group, I just know it!" Peeking onward, Donovan's heart quickly sank as they arrived at an empty port where the incubus worked. "Shit!!"
"What happened?" Bjorn stopped.
"This was it. This is where everything happened. Their ship... It's gone...."
With narrowed eyes, Bjorn traced Donovan's gaze and moved the empty docks. He peered at the water and saw a ship full of incubi transporting a large crate into the ship. "
"
Bjorn turned a glare, surprised to see Weth with several of her men in tow.
"" Weth asked.
Frustrated, Bjorn glared back at the ship. "
Weth peeked and scrutinized the sailing ship. "
"
"
Without a moment's hesitation, her men stormed away, pushing past the curious crowd of other sailors.
"
"
"
Bjorn glanced at Donovan, then turned to Weth with a deadly seriousness. "
Unconvinced, she narrowed her eyes at the two.
"
Weth scoffed. "
In awe, Donovan jumped down and watched Weth's crew kick into overdrive. Demon's behind pulled the ramp and scuttled around, untying and retying knots as others lugged huge racks of spears and swords and tying them down, ready for use. He slowly wandered to the rails of the ship and watched as a Karnal's flew and climbed up to the sails along with two others and, in a focused concentration, shot pulses of wind to the rhythmic beat of the pounding drums below.
The ship jerked forward, and in the final beat, the Karnal's pushed a single continuous gust into the sails, launching the ship into the waters.
Shaken by the sudden speed, Donovan attempted to balance himself on the swaying vessel. Feeling more comfortable, he glanced up, surprised. "This is the fastest ship I've been on. Who knew using your own wind could make a ship sail this fast!?"
"
"< That's out of the question.>" Bjorn said. "
"
Bjorn, catching his spear, handed it to Donovan. "
"
"
With a deadly focus, the drum beats hastened, as everyone's eyes glued to the open water. Searching among several sailing vessels in the water. The ship turned and sailed through. Even Donovan stood on the edge of the ship's railings as the chilled fishy air smacked against Donovan's mask. "It's got to be around here somewhere…"
"
Donovan ignored the cackling of Weth's crew. Instead he desperately scaned the water, scrutinizing each ship until finally it was in sight. He straightens, ready to shout, when.
"
Satisfied, Weth smirked. "
The demons scrambled, grabbing iron spears as other conjured spears and other weapons stained in red. Confident, Weth strutted to the front, eyes glued on the half-hidden vessel. "
Knot by knot the their ship sped closer to their targets. Bells rang, their target turned, and from the old ship, demons flew. And like a call for war, fireballs crashed onto their deck.
Weth sneered. "
Another hail a fireball hurled at them like a disastrous storm, only to smolder away at the touch of a conjured wall of water. The wall expanded, taking hits of fire from the flying Karnal that desperately moved to destroy them. Unconcerned with their efforts, Weth stepped and formed a sword of blood and pointed. "
On her order, spears thrown, pierced through the water, stabbing a pirecing the demons in a one sided slaughter,
"
Drums banged, filling the air with their rhythmic beats of war.
Weth pointed at their target, inching ever closer. "
Her men posed. Soon their ships sailed side by side. With scrutinizing eyes, she scanned the ship's deck of equally prepared incubus and lupeus demons, eventually gluing her eyes to her pink-eyed, grey-haired target. "
In a chaotic symphony, shards of wood and stone exploded. Donovan braced along with Bjorn, shocked by the intensity of the exchange. He peeked out and watched as one of their men took several spears in the chest, falling flat to the ground,
He hesitated and watched as Bjorn returned fire, launching a stone spear at the enemies, in a flurry attacks that struck only a conjured stone wall.
Suddenly, from behind their wall of stone, spears shot at the karnal's above, with a scraping sound, the demons.
"
Acting fast, Bjorn conjured a wall of earth. Intercepting the spears, then quickly slamming his wall against the enemies, shattering their defence.
"This is my chance!" Donovan prepared his first spear, only to shake and lose his balance at the turn of their ship. It veered off path, forcing everyone to look back at the helmsman.
"
Koph quickly pushed the demons off the large wheel and grabbed the inner ring. He glared forward and tattered right, avoiding a cascade of rocks; however, ahead, a mine full of shallow land and rocks littered their path, "
"
A solemn nod from the three as all she needed to take to the front, prepared to dish out her orders. Focused, she quickly turned a glare to the ship that tried to escape them, and watched as even more fireballs came hurling their way.
On queue, barriers of water killed their attack, but soon they met as the spear of earth shot in their direction. "
"
"
"
The ship turned again, leaning left into a narrow path of sharp rocks. The ship steadied and rose, scraping the dirt and rocks below as a determination hung in the air among the crew. They all clung tight to the rails, eventually sinking back into the water with a hefty splash.
Cheers erupted among the crew of demons, and Weth smiled widely at the sight of the old ship. With burning confidence, she raised her sword once again and commanded her men. "
The winds whipped, and water splashed. The element that once worked against them, turned in their favor, bringing their ships into a clash as they rammed their target.
Wood creaked and cracked and splintered into the water. And with clear authority, the two captains shouted. "
Spears flew bombarding the two ship in a cacouphany of splintering woods and chucks of stone.
Donovan braced through the chaos, and with his two spears in hand, throwing the first the missed and another that struck. "Hah!"
"
"
"
Donovan, reaching for his pipe, watched as the ogre woman charged without hesitation, cutting down Incubus and lupeus alike until she clashed swords with their grey hair incubus captain.
Donovan dodged and hid behind the mast. Mustering courage, he dashed out, weaving through the storm of spears lodged at him. Focused, he reached into his pocket and pulled a red crystal, then with practiced ease, he pressed and held a red crystal in the handle and spewed fire at the ship of incubus.
The crew, ready to invade, jerked away as fire engulfed the deck, forcing them to watch in shock as many of their oppositions were scorched. From the fire, Weth jumped from the ship, tattered in small flames. "
At the corner of his eye, Donovan saw Weth storming at him. He stopped firing, and not long after, the fire created was doused by water magic just before he was inevitably grabbed and pulled by his shirt. "
Bjorn quickly grabbed Weth's wrist. "
She shot a glare at the ogre,
Suddenly, the ship shook and quickly splashed back into the water. Alarmed, Weth darted her eyes back on the old ship that they fled. "
From the top of their target deck, they watched as several demons carried out several barrels and tossed them in their direction.
"
"
From inside the ship, a demon leaped out. "
"
""
Weth growled and snapped the handle of her blood sword. "
"
"W-wait a minute." Donovan quietly spoke. "What about the ship!?"
Bjorn, crouching over him, lent a hand. "If you didn't try to burn down the ship, perhaps we would've saved Kalika."
"B-but I wasn't trying to burn down the-"
"Shh!! It doesn't matter anymore." Bjorn glanced back, watching as Weth kicked over a weapons rack. "What you did was reckless. And now the only thing we can do is hope for a swift repair of the ship."
Donovan, frustrated, clenched his fist and painfully stared at the ground. "D…Damn it!"
********
"
"
Lyra waved the women off. "
"
"