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The Shanty Codex I, by Saint Morgan LeFay.
Valeria had no time to flinch as she plunged into the freezing water.
The ships were drawing nearer, forcing her to search for a solution as she closed the distance at an inhuman pace.
The ripples she detected were nothing remarkable, but years at sea had engraved caution into her bones, even toward Supplicant ones.
As the submerged hull came into view, Valeria noticed figures that were not fish.
This time, she had company.
The privateer felt no anxiety. Underwater Submerged battles were a breeze.
A breeze that let her soar.
As the figures prepared to lunge, Valeria destabilized them with Acceleration. The brief confusion bought her enough time to freeze the group solid.
The resistance was pitiful, until two more figures plunged into the water.
One of them fired ice at her.
It would’ve been a death sentence for most. Valeria sidestepped faster than the eye could track, then refocused and unleashed a second wave of Acceleration.
The telekinetic push launched him from the water, but he recovered quickly and dove back in.
Rejuvenation.
That confidence, paired with ice and healing, meant only one thing.
One of her adversaries was Warlord Read.
***
Leonie’s boredom was at a breaking point.
Normally, she was the kind of woman who did anything but remain stationary. Whether it was gathering intel, investigating, or even making silly bets, she was constantly on the move.
At least until she committed that fatal error.
To his credit, Francis’ presence offered great aid, but the claustrophobia still left much to be desired.
Poor guy. If only we had never met.
The Submerged world was a funny one. She spent months preparing for her new role as a broker. Yet, here she was, throwing it all away because of one bad job.
“Perhaps big brother was right,” she mumbled with a sigh.
As much as she hated to admit it, her brother had a point. Hosting a gathering spot was one thing; personally doing the fieldwork was something else entirely.
And as much as Protection was a good Stanza, she didn’t want to push her luck.
As the boredom gnawed at her further, Leonie rummaged through her belongings in an attempt to find something stimulating. Fortunately, she didn’t have to look for long, as she pulled a card deck unlike most.
Despite its supposed English origins, the cards quickly grew in popularity around much of the Atlantic. It was to be expected, however, as many claimed that they made divination an accessible art.
Leonie neither knew much about the cards nor took them at face value. But giving it a try was far preferable to the monotony that befell her.
The shuffling method must have been far more complicated than the one she used, but it didn’t matter. The universe, or whatever governed them, must have valued one’s intentions far more.
Leonie curbed her anticipation as she drew a card and was instantly rewarded with scorn.
The card depicted a carefree youth carrying a bag of sorts, and beneath it read the words “THE FOOL.”
“It even has a zero!” she remarked indignantly. Whatever governed those silly cards certainly had a twisted sense of humor.
Then again, were they wrong? She was a fool, was she not?
A fool in desperate need of atonement.
Luckily, Leonie wasn’t left with her thoughts for much longer, as Francis entered the cramped room frantically.
“Leonie!” he shouted. “I found us a ship.”
That made her stand in anticipation. “Really?”
“Yeah,” he said as he headed to his belongings. “We need to hurry, though.”
The bounty hunter barely had much on him, allowing him to finish as fast as he started.
“Is something wrong?” Francis asked, before Leonie realized that she had stood still for a while.
“I’m okay,” she replied. “Just… overwhelmed.”
“I see,” he said, calming down noticeably. “Well, we still have an hour left, anyway.”
His reply was the most Francis way of saying take your time, but she appreciated the gesture nevertheless.
***
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The duo’s attacks were relentless. Yet, Valeria held.
The longer the fight dragged on, it became increasingly clear that the second pirate was a Deprivation Reverend. The nuisance did some damage by extracting an artifact and stealing a few of her thoughts. But thankfully, her Rejuvenation provided a reprieve.
And a reprieve it was. Read might have been weaker than advertised, but he was still a rank higher. Communication might not have made a difference in such a fight, but the Reverend status implied all of his Stanzas were qualitatively stronger than hers.
Except for Acceleration.
The Reverend-level Stanza made all the difference in such a fight. Still, she was outnumbered, making winning an urgent affair.
As the Deprivation Reverend extended a hand to use another Stanza, Valeria pushed to the left using her telekinesis, then shot toward Read at an unimaginable speed.
The Warlord moved his arms in an attempt to block, but the strike never arrived.
Valeria changed her trajectory mid-push toward the Deprivation Reverend and was seconds away from freezing his heart.
The brother must’ve used a cognitive enhancer of sorts, however, as he instantly saw through it and teleported further away.
The failure left her vulnerable to a Read counterattack, which the Warlord exploited to a fault, landing an icicle in her shoulder.
The Deacon simply removed it, counting on her healing to fix the damage, then swam further down the blue depths.
The two pirates must’ve read it as retreat, as they triumphantly gave chase. Her gifts left a sizable distance between them, but the Deprivation Reverend drew ever nearer.
The icicle must’ve gotten cocky, as he instantly forgot what would happen if Read didn’t have his back.
Valeria didn’t, however. The moment the Reverend drew near enough, he halted, before pulling him closer using Acceleration.
Valeria half expected panic to get hold of him. But again, he simply teleported away.
Guess that leaves only one option.
The Reverend might’ve had exceptional agility, but healing was her forte.
Valeria dodged another of Read’s spears, then reached for her coat pocket.
She put on Pedro’s glove and launched toward the pesky Deprivation Reverend.
This time, he didn’t even have time to teleport.
The charge leapt from Valeria’s outstretched hand and carved through the water, striking him square in the chest. His body convulsed violently before he went limp.
Had it not been for Rejuvenation, both Valeria and Read would’ve met the same fate. But putting down the latter was never the plan.
Thankfully, the show of force finally convinced the Warlord that fighting her wasn’t worth the trouble, prompting him to abandon his fallen comrade and head toward his ship.
Valeria wanted to turn the fallen Reverend into an artifact, but time was of the essence, and so she swam toward the main island instead.
Read’s cowardice thankfully provided enough time for her to reach the town in mere minutes.
On the surface, Daisy appeared to handle the evacuation seamlessly, as even the elderly were close to boarding the enchanted ship.
Valeria’s comfort was short-lived, however, as the inevitable Warlord attack left her with only two options: either fight him on land and risk annihilation, or rely on the ship’s fourth Stanza and hope for the best.
The first was glorified suicide, the second was hope.
Dim, sure, but hope nevertheless.
As the last of the villagers went aboard, Valeria climbed the gangway and rushed to the helm. The motion was purely performative, but one had to keep up appearances.
“Exalted Reverend,” she said. “Could you kindly use your fourth Stanza?”
“My fourth Stanza is no trifle matter, Deacon of Demise.”
“I’m aware,” Valeria replied. “But it can’t be helped.”
The ship grew quiet for a long moment.
“Very well, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
The moment Read’s fleet drew near enough, they began firing cannonballs by the dozen. Some sank, some hit homes, and a few nearly struck the ship.
At the heels of it, a few Submerged appeared to swim toward them, undoubtedly having all sorts of surprises up their sleeves.
“What should we do, captain?” Daisy said frantically.
“Nothing,” Valeria replied as she turned to her.
Daisy’s expression sank, causing Valeria to elaborate swiftly. “Just trust the ship.”
“The Stanza of Extrication?” Daisy asked, her voice a mix of awe and anticipation.
Valeria didn’t even have the opportunity to nod, as the scenery quickly turned illusory.
The quiet town, clear skies, and treacherous waters quickly gave way to a tapestry of colors. The villagers looked horrified, with some even fainting.
That was of no consequence to Valeria, however, as her objective was accomplished.
She didn’t know where the ship was taking them, but it offered survival.
And that was enough.