Tristan had been sick for two days straight.

  Curled into a ball in the far side of the small storage room, the priestess clutched her bucket like it was her only lifeline, her usually vibrant blue eyes dull and bloodshot. Sweat plastered her black hair to her forehead, and her skin had taken on a distinctly greenish hue—impressive, given Vral was the actual goblin in the room.

  Sophia cradled Tristan’s head in her lap. The noblewoman was humming a song I didn't know while gently rocking her. The melody was soft, soothing. A look of compassion filled her face, even though she'd been tending to the seasick woman for hours. Tristan groaned, her fingers gripping the bucket until the wood creaked as a wave of nausea visibly washed over her.

  Vral, perched on a barrel nearby and was pretending not to watch. She casually tossed a piece of jerky into the air, caught it between her teeth, and chewed loudly. Then, with exaggerated carelessness, she dropped the entire pouch next to Tristan's arm. "Oops."

  Tristan cracked one eye open. "You’re the worst."

  Vral grinned. "Eat it. Might help."

  Tristan's nausea seemed to have abated somewhat over the past few hours. The sea had been noticeably calmer, and the priestess was noticeably less sick.

  The quarter-elf reached out and brushed her fingers across the bag. She pulled it close, but when she opened it, her face blanched, and she threw it away. "Nope. Not happening. It’ll come right back up."

  Vral glared at Sophia. "See? Remember what I said a few days ago?"

  Sophia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. You were right, Vral."

  "You could say that more often." The goblin stood, snatched up her jerky, and walked up to my hammock. Jumping into the netting with me, she fished a piece of jerky out and held it to my mouth. "Eat. You haven't eaten enough."

  Tristan had forbidden me from helping her. Said she didn't want me to see her that way. After begging me with the most pitiful, insecure pleas I'd ever heard from the girl, I conceded and spent all of my time in the hammock. Not that it helped. I hated hearing her suffer.

  Vral rubbed the jerky across my lips. "It's really good." She batted her eyes, making her look like she had a fly in her eye.

  Laughing, I bit down on it and ripped a piece off.

  "Good dummy. Keep going." When I finished chewing, she pressed another piece against my lips. She tried to flutter her eyes again.

  I snatched it in my teeth and bit down. Through my mouthful, I said, "I don't think that trick works as well as you think it does, Vral."

  "What's that supposed to mean, huh?" Vral huffed and started gnawing on some jerky herself. She shoved half of it in her mouth, chewed it like an angry squirrel, then swallowed. "I can't do that thing girls do with their eyes when they want something from a guy? I can be cute too, damn it!"

  "Cute isn't your thing." I snatched the rest of the piece of jerky from her hands and popped it in my mouth.

  "Well, fuck you too!" Her lips stretched into a frown, and her eyes narrowed. Several moments of silence went by. The longer it went, the redder her face grew. I could see the steam building. "So what is my thing, huh?"

  Sophia answered from across the room. "Cute's not for you. You're more of a badass, fiery kind of gal."

  Tristan spoke through gritted teeth. "And a stubborn pain in the ass when she wants to be."

  Vral blinked up at me, her lips slightly parted. "Is that what you think?"

  "She's not wrong."

  Vral beamed. Without another word, she rolled onto her back and nestled into my shoulder, swaying with the rock of the boat while looking absolutely smug.

  "Alex..." Tristan sounded so pitiful. "Tell me about your home. Something new."

  I cast my gaze to the ceiling. What hadn't I told her about Earth before? She liked those best. I'd also told her most of my stories about school, my friends, and my family. She liked those best. I'd also talked to her about technology, games, and movies. She liked those too. There were also a couple of times when I talked about politics and war, but that wasn't the topic for right now.

  It wasn't until my eyes settled on the waves splashing outside the sole small window that I thought of something. "Back on Earth, we have a huge number of sea creatures. We had these underwater vehicles that let us go hundreds of meters into the ocean and explore everything. And because we have video cameras, there are documentaries that capture their movements and sounds and stuff. Every time they went down there, they found new stuff. New types of shrimp. Fish. Octopus."

  "What's an octopus? I glanced over at her. She looked curious.

  "They look like monsters. Big heads, big eyes, eight tentacles. They even have a beak thing where you'd think their butt should be that they eat from, and they spit out ink. It's honestly wild."

  Vral looked over at me. "How many crystals do you get fighting them?"

  I shook my head. "No classes, back there, remember?"

  She nodded. "I forgot. Your world is so weird."

  "My parents took me to a zoo once, and I saw some. There are places called aquariums that are man made and houses lots of different ocean animals and allow people to see them live. They're super smart. Can open jars and solve puzzles and all sorts of stuff."

  "I wish I could see them." Tristan sighed. "I bet it's beautiful."

  "Even more awesome were these giant mammals that lived in the ocean. They're called whales. They're the size of this ship and swim around in pods, families. They even sing songs to communicate. I saw some once when I went on a trip as a kid with my sister. They jumped out of the water and came crashing back down again. It was spectacular."

  "That sounds amazing!" Sophia sounded wistful. "We don't have anything like that in the Solara. Everything big is a monster."

  "Well, they all live in salt water, so that might be why."

  "What's salt water?"

  "Earth's oceans are full of salt."

  Vral's face blanched. "How do you drink it?"

  "You don't. It'll kill you."

  "So weird." She shook her head. "More jerky?"

  As she shoved a piece in my mouth, the hatch in the ceiling clicked, and Harrick popped his head down. He looked at me. "Wind’s dead. You know how to row?

  "Not at all."

  "Well, you're going to learn today. Need your muscles, Guardian."

  "Not a problem. I'll be right up." Vral squeaked as I picked her up and put her on the other side of me. Standing, I stretched my stiff limbs.

  Sophia spoke behind me. "We can help too."

  The captain shook his head. "No, you can't. You'll stay down here and tend to your friend. She needs you."

  Sophia sounded like she wanted to protest further, but I waved her off. "Don't worry. I've got it."

  "And me." Vral leaped from the hammock. "I'm coming too."

  "No. You'll stay." My voice brooked no argument, but, like always, Vral argued anyway.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  "Like hell, I will." She belted her daggers to her hips. "If you're allowed out of here, I'm getting out of this damn room too. Anything to get out of the stink."

  Tristan gave a weak swat in her direction. but

  Vral danced out of reach and blew her a kiss. "Love you, girl."

  "Love you, too. Have fun rowing."

  Above deck, the air was thick with the scent of freshwater. Six sailors strained at the oars, their shirts soaked through. Harrick pointed to an empty bench. "You two. There."

  Taking our places, both of us gripped the worn oars. The moment we pulled, I could feel my shoulders strain. Rowing was work.

  "Not like that. Like this." Harrick mimed the correct motion, his elbows held tightly by his sides and his back engaged.

  Trying it the way he showed me, I could feel my entire body work. But, I also felt the ship pull straighter with every stroke that I got right.

  "Not bad. Not great, but not bad. Keep that up, and we'll keep making good time." He clapped me on the back before returning to the wheel.

  After a few minutes of rowing, Vral grunted. "Shit, this is hard."

  "Yeah, but imagine how strong we'll get if we did this all the time?" I could see how sailors got strong doing this kind of work. And I needed to do anything I could to get stronger. Devon taught me that. I just wasn't strong enough.

  Her head jerked toward me, her red orbs gleaming in the afternoon light. "Stronger?"

  "Yeah, this is hard work. I bet it would pay off if we did it enough."

  Her eyes shone. "You think you're gonna get stronger than me?"

  "Oh, I'll definitely get stronger than you."

  "Yeah, well, I can row longer than you without wearing out."

  I laughed. Leaning in until our faces were barely an inch away, I said, "You think you can outrow me?"

  "I know I can."

  My voice was a growl. "You don't have what it takes."

  She grinned. "Wanna bet on it, big guy?"

  "Try me." I leaned back. "What are you betting?"

  Without thinking about it or trying to, she fluttered her eyes. It was a surprisingly cute gesture. "Hmmm... The best kind of gift. A day with Vral." She bit her lip and smiled. "Just you and me."

  "Deal."

  She blushed. "And what'll you give me?"

  "What do you want?"

  "Hmmm..." Vral stroked her chin. "What do I want? So many options." Her eyes glittered mischievously. Snapping her fingers, she said, "A rematch. I'm still pissed that you beat me that one day. I need to show you who's still the boss around here."

  "Done." I didn't have to think about it. If it helped motivate Vral to train harder, then I was happy to do it. Plus, it would be a lie if I said it wouldn't be fun to beat her a second time. "You ready to go down?"

  "Bring it, big man. Do your worst."

  Within seconds, the two of us were pulling our oar harder than the guys around us, treating it more like it was an arm wrestling competition than a job to push the ship forward.

  When Harrick returned to yell at us and correct our forms, we fell into a laughing fit, then found a rhythm with the other guys.

  ***

  By evening, the wind returned with a vengeance.

  The other Sailors cheered as the sails billowed, and Harrick dismissed us with a grunt. "Good work, you two."

  Vral, as usual, was smug as hell. "Told you I'd win."

  I was drenched in sweat, and my back was killing me. "I was doing most of the work." I had been. Her little body didn't have the leverage my six-foot body had.

  "Now, now. No being a sore loser." She held her head high the way Tristan did when she was being preachy. Affecting the priestess's tone of voice and mannerisms, she said, "Sometimes the lesson of humility is more valuable than the loss itself."

  "Little shit." I bumped her, sending her sprawling across the bench.

  She snickered. "You owe me now. Don't forget."

  "Don't worry. I never back down from a fight."

  She stuck her tongue out at me. "You better not."

  Standing up, I held my hand out to her and helped her up. "Ready to check on the others?"

  "No." She took my hand. "But fine." She stood. When she did, her nose twitched. "Smells like dead fish."

  I felt that humming feeling from my sword. Then, its words were in my head.

  The ship lurched.

  "Monsters!" Harrick's voice cut through the air as the ship shifted violently sideways, nearly sending me skidding across the deck.

  Words appeared in my mind.

  The area quest [Danger in the Sea of Light] has opened.

  [Danger in the Sea of Light]: Monsters have attacked your ship. Defend them and the crew.

  Do you accept this quest?

  "Yes!" I shouted to the words in my head.

  [Danger in the High Seas] accepted.

  In a massive explosion of water on the far side of the ship, a thing—scaled, gilled, with too many teeth—vaulted onto the deck and hurled the nearest sailor overboard.

  I moved without thinking. Sprinting to the back of the ship, I snatched the sailor’s collar just before he cleared the end of the boat. With a heave, I flung him back onto the deck. The kid, who couldn’t have been older than sixteen, landed hard, gasping.

  "Hide! We've got this!"

  The boy nodded and sprinted away.

  The water around the ship roiled, and four or five more creatures leaped onto the ship.

  "Adventurers, to arms!"

  I drew my sword. The red gem in its pommel flared to life, and I felt as if its strength flowed into me. The world slowed slightly as its essence poured into me. At that same second, all four creatures rushed me, moving far faster than something that size had any right to move. One of them leaped, and I barely had time to raise my sword before its claws tore out my throat.

  Somewhere to my side, Harrick roared. The large man shoved me back and grabbed the creature in his weathered hands. Lifting the creature over his head and bringing it down on his knee, a loud crack sounded as he snapped the monster’s spine bare-handed before drawing twin sabers. "Below decks, men! Now!"

  The crew scrambled for the hatch. One of the creatures tried to cut a man down, but, in two flashes of metal, its chest opened up. It fell to the deck, dead. An instant later, Vral appeared next to me.

  "You ready to do the thing, big guy?"

  "Fuck yeah I am."

  Together, we charged. The first creature met me head-on, its fangs biting at my arm.

  [Iron Skin]

  Its teeth bit into my arm. A horrible crunching sound followed as all its teeth shattered on my skin. A blade erupted through its skull, and its eyes rolled back into its head.

  "One point!"

  "This isn't the time for a competition!"

  "I'm gonna win!" The goblin jumped atop my shoulders. Launching herself forward, both of her daggers sank into the throat of the next monster. It gurgled as purple blood spilled from its ruined throat, which bled away into black mist wherever it landed.

  Two creatures rushed to her.

  [Provoke]

  One of the creature's heads cranked up to look at me. Stabbing my curved sword forward, I struck it between the eyes. Tearing my sword from its skull, I cut into its fellow's shoulder. It countered with an awkward slash with its far arm, but a twist of my blade severed its arm at the elbow. A second twist saw its head fall to the ground.

  "That's two."

  Vral growled and sprinted to the other side of the ship.

  There, Harrick fought like a man possessed. More scaled things were climbing over the sides and onto the boat, but the old captain hacked apart anything that came close to him.

  "We'll cover you!" I yelled.

  "You'd get in the way! I've got these. You keep covering that side!" He smiled. It was tight and thin, but genuine. With a double slash, he cut down two with brutal efficiency.

  A creature jumped onto the deck from my left and slashed with its claws. Ducking below the attack, I buried my elbow into its abdomen, causing it to double over. I stabbed downward, piercing through its neck, and it was dead.

  "Alex!" Vral shouted. I looked up to see that three creatures were circling her. Like wolves, they nipped at her back, and it was only her skill and instinct that kept her alive. Her eyes met mine for an instant, and one of the creature's claws snagged her cheek. Crimson streaked through the air.

  White hot fire erupted in me. Fueled by pure rage, I pushed myself faster than I ever had before. I felt the wooden deck creak under my feet as every step dug into the ground. My sword flared. I could feel its power resonate with the anger inside me. Time slowed to a trickle as I felt my sword's power enter me. In one instant, I was watching my beloved companion be harried on three fronts. In the next, I was carving through a creature's torso, its death spasms shuddering up my sword arm. Another lay dead at my feet, the third was completely gone.

  I kicked the dying monster off my blade. Pushing the goblin next to behind my legs with my free arm and holding her close, I circled and roared, challenging any living thing to come meet its death. However, aside from Harrick on the stern cutting down a final monster, nothing else remained. After hacking it down, Harrick looked at me.

  I felt the sword's power bleed out of me and back into the blade. When the last of its power left me, my vision swam, and my knees shook. I stumbled back, but Vral caught me when I nearly stumbled. Turning, I looked down at her. A thin scar ran through the long, thick one I'd given her a week before. Her eyes were wide.

  "Alex..."

  Kneeling down, I wrapped her in a hug. "Are you okay?"

  "I am now." She pulled back. Looking at the carnage, she said, "Holy shit, that was badass."

  I went to stand, but my legs were shaky. I sat down on the deck and laid my sword across my lap. Looking down at it, I watched as the gem in its pommel slowly dimmed until it was dark. Mentally, I thanked the sword. A thumping noise behind me pulled me away, but I couldn't stand in time.

  "Shit, look out!" Vral jumped around me, throwing her daggers up as she did.

  I tensed, waiting for a blow to hit me, but it never did. Instead, I heard a thump, a loud crack, and the creature gurgle.

  "Tris?" Vral asked.

  Turning, I saw Tristan holding her large mace, its head smoking as the black monster's blood bled away from its head. Beside her, Sophia was holding an oar.

  "Got here right on time," Tristan said, her voice shaky.

  "We thought you two could use some help," Sophia added.

  Harrick walked up. "Never could tell you to stay put. But, glad you didn't today, my lady. You saved his life." He walked up to me and held his hand out. I took it. "And you fought well, boy. Damn well. Saved our lives today, too."

  His words sank in, but my heart still raced, so I just nodded. A minute later, Vral plopped down beside me. "Of course he did. That's what he does." Her eyes met mine. "And it looks like we both won our bets today."

  I huffed out a laugh, which hurt more than it should. Whatever the sword did, it pushed me past my limit, that much was certain. "Sure looks that way."

  The monster beside us began fading away. As it did, black mist poured off of it and dissipated into the air. When the last of its body faded away, a pile of crystals glinted in the dim light. I stared at them, taking stock of what just happened. Shaking my head, I asked, "Is that where the crystals come from?"

  Tristan laughed. "Didn't you learn that with Arden? That's introductory monster stuff."

  I shook my head. "I honestly pretended like I understood at least half of our lessons for the first six months. I was always too embarrassed to tell him."

  "When we get back, we should fill in those gaps." She plopped down next to us. "But for now, I just want to sit on this deck and breathe the evening air."

  Behind us, the hatch to the crew's quarters opened, and voices filled the upper deck of the small ship. In the distance, peels of thunder echoed across the waves.