“Excuse me?” Vorin raised his eyebrows at what the pirate king had said.

  “There is something foul taking control of the oceans. We need to stop it or there will be no more safe passage for anyone on these seas.”

  “Okay, but why do you need us for that? You have an armada.”

  “This creature is elusive. We don’t even know what we are looking for. About a month ago we started getting reports of our ships being destroyed along with those they were pirating. We started to put pirates with special skills on our ships to report back on any attacks and only one was able to contact us before his death. The only thing we could take from the message was that this creature seems to feed on fear.”

  “Ah, so you hunted us for days to keep my passengers afraid, and now you got closer to be ready for when this beast shows up. We are the worm wriggling on the hook. My ship is drenched in fear from those that haven’t gotten their classes yet.”

  “Exactly. This is where we will make our stand and put an end to whatever shows up. We ask that you don’t inform your passengers that they are safe. We need them to still be a little afraid. I know it’s cruel, but this will be better for all of us. The armada will act immediately, and we don’t expect any casualties from either side. After you sail away unharmed, we get to loot whatever this thing is, and the next time we meet will be as enemies once again.”

  “If you believe this is the best course of action from stopping a monster from killing innocent people, then we will help. How long do you expect this to take?”

  “Like I said, no more than two days. If it hasn’t showed up by then, our plan didn’t work, or our information was wrong.”

  “The class chosen onboard my ship will stay vigilant then. I will not tell the passengers they are safe, but I will not lie to them. I’ll tell them there is something out there that takes every pirate standing together to defeat and that we should be afraid. We will kill this together for the innocent lives it has taken.”

  Drackenn nodded and then gave some orders to Minily. They both turned and went back to the main ship. Pirates all across the massive vessel started to run to the edge to keep lookout. The main focus was the Windswept.

  Vorin wondered if this beast would even attempt to take the bait if there was this many ships around. It had to have been smart enough to know it couldn’t take all of them, but he would wait the two days with the pirates for the promise of safety. He went down and told the passengers and crew the truth which had them even more afraid than they were at the prospect of facing the armada. This would be one tasty worm for whatever lurked beneath the waves.

  ***

  Hours passed and midday was upon them. The sun was high, and the day was hot. Zuls, Prith, Kumo, and Synexus were standing at the railing of the ship at different points to cover their perimeter. They were to scan the water and the pirates off the side of their quadrant of the Windswept.

  Vorin stayed near the center to be able to give orders whenever it was needed. His head was on a swivel taking everything in. If the beast showed up, he was ready, if the pirates attack, he was ready, if anything happened, he was ready. The waiting was the worst part in his opinion. It took a lot of energy to stay this aware, but it was needed to counteract whatever was about to happen. In his head, he was hoping that nothing would happen. Maybe the pirates had gotten it wrong, however, he could see the fear in their eyes too.

  They wouldn’t be able to fully rest until the monster was dead or they were far away from the pirates. This unsteady alliance couldn’t be trusted. There they were in the middle of the ocean surrounded by enemies on all sides. One spell could ignite a war that wouldn’t end well for them. The small rests they could get were thanks to Zul’s animal companions. They were to fill in for the person scheduled to rest below deck. Vorin refused to take a break, however. He felt it was his responsibility to keep everyone safe even though the other four assured him it wasn’t. Everyone had made their choice.

  When Synexus went down for his resting break he had felt exhausted but found some energy to talk with Gene. The owl may have some knowledge of the situation. Synexus didn’t want Gene on deck in case the pirates did attack or attempt to steal his friend.

  “Gene, do you know what’s out there?

  “I’m afraid I do have some theories and none of them are good. I would advise we get out of here, but I know Vorin won’t do that since it’s taking innocent lives. We won’t be any match for either of my theories if they turn out to be true. That armada of pirates won’t either.”

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  “Well, that’s not what I wanted to hear. How confident are you?”

  “About 98% on one given the fear element, and 80% on the other based on the damage done so far. You know of these beasts too. Look back in your perfect memory at the story book series, Synexus.”

  His face lit up at the mention. “Ullashtt?” Then he thought back to each page of the story books. One depicted a great battle beneath the waves. A beast with hundreds of strange looking tentacles locked around a ferocious set of jaws followed by a body of shadows that seemed to fade out of existence as if it were halfway complete. These must be the two options Gene was referring to.

  Gene must have realized the recognition in his eyes and spoke, “yes Ullashtt. Fearsome ones. Two of the most powerful in my opinion. They should still be at rest for another fifty-three years though.”

  “So, they are waking early. Something is happening in the world. Do you really believe they are that powerful? There are hundreds of ships out there.”

  “Yes, these are two of the most ancient and both are combat related. They have been locked in an eternal battle for longer than the existence of people in this world. It is not something we want to be in the middle of, but those fools chummed the water.”

  “If they are these beasts, then I shall warn Vorin and the pirate king. There is no sense in provoking them.” He got up to go to the deck but stopped in the doorway. “What are they, Gene?”

  “Abyss, the Deepest Fear and Nihil, the Ethereal Jaws. Both are creatures seemingly born from nightmares. Horrors beyond belief. Most class chosen are never the same after encountering them and those are the small percentage that survive the encounter. One touch from either is enough to kill even the most skilled. Do not touch them Synexus.” Gene’s tone was serious and a little frightening.

  “Do they have any weaknesses that we can exploit?”

  “They will not die, no matter what you throw at them. Your best bet is to avoid until there is an opening to escape. You are not ready for this fight and I’m not sure if anyone living is. Nihil will be more interested in fighting Abyss. Use that, but do not get close. Their fighting has been known to shape the ocean itself. Trenches deeper than you can imagine, scar the ocean depths from the last time they battled.”

  “Thank you for telling me. I will go relay this to Vorin and see if we can switch tactics. Perhaps having us in the middle of this armada isn’t a good idea for anyone involved.”

  Gene nodded and Synexus ran up the stairs to the deck. Everyone was still standing at their post, including Vorin who was right in the middle of the ship.

  “Hey Vorin, I know I’m on my rest shift, but Gene provided some vital knowledge that may be some use. The owl thinks this is two Ullashtt and their only advice is to flee. Apparently, these are two of the most powerful. Gene isn’t convinced that anyone living is powerful enough to take one on. Even this massive armada isn’t enough.”

  “The Ullashtt again?” Anger washed over his face and his fists tightened. “The last encounter with one…” He trailed off which gave Synexus an opening.

  “I know. Zuls told me. That’s why I wanted to relay the information onto you. It sounds like they battle each other endlessly whenever they are awake. Gene advises that we not get in the middle of it and that none of us attempt to touch either one.”

  “We can’t touch them? Why?”

  “I’m not sure. Gene can’t give us all the answers. It sounds like it’s dangerous to do so. Only ranged weapons and flee when an opening presents itself.”

  “This went from bad to horrible. Okay, let me talk to Zuls and Prith. You talk to Kumo. I will send the signal to have the pirate king come over here as well.”

  With that they split off. Synexus walked over to Kumo and relayed the information from Gene. She didn’t look afraid. It was more like she was ready for the challenge. He felt a chill as a cold, defiant wind picked up. She was ready to fight no matter what the cost. It was like she was holding back the storm she had begun. Her class was powerful, and she had a personal stake in their enemy now.

  Synexus could see Vorin talking to Prith and Zuls. They had the same expression as Kumo did. It was clear they wouldn’t take Gene’s advice. They were going to fight. These beasts shared a connection with the one that took their friend from them. He needed them to see past revenge or a good challenge. He would stand by them no matter what, but Gene held knowledge none of them had.

  Shortly after their side conversations they all met up to greet the pirate king. Vorin took the lead once more to talk with him about the impending threat.

  “We have new information on what we may be facing. These are ancient creatures, and very powerful. Our informant advised us to flee. If we stand and fight, then know that no one should touch either monster.”

  “Either monster? There is more than one?”

  “We believe there are two. Two that are fighting each other for the scarce food sources. It will get ugly if we get in between them.”

  Drackenn put his hand to his chin and thought for a moment. “We can’t flee. This pirate armada wouldn’t accept that. I understand that tensions are high, and fear is in the air, but surely the power we have collected here will be enough for two monsters.”

  “According to our informant, it won’t be. You will lose many of your pirates. I thought I would warn you and give you the information to make your choice before telling you ours. My class chosen will fight.”

  “Then my pirates will too. Thank you for sharing what you have learned. This is troubling, but we knew it would be a battle when we devised this plan. Every single class chosen here knows the possible risks and has made their choice. We will either fight and claim the seas for humanity once more, or we will die fighting for a cause we believe in. I will tell all the captains to prioritize ranged attacks until we know more.”

  With that he took his leave to inform his crew and the other captains. The class chosen of the Windswept returned to their positions with a new drive. Synexus hoped Gene had overestimated these two Ullashtt and if the owl hadn’t then he hoped they wouldn’t realize it too late. He didn’t want to lose anyone, but that seems inevitable.