Serbo au Serbo let loose at Yu Chen’s words.

  A bolt of lightning seared a white line across his vision, flying across the space to strike at the malevolent eye glaring at them from within the darkness. The eye vanished before the bolt could arrive, disappearing into that inky blackness as the creature darted away. It was fast, faster than Yu Chen could imagine, fast enough to avoid being blinded, but not fast enough to dodge the hit entirely. The bolt lit up the darkness as it slid through space, revealing the creature’s fearsome form for a split second before exploding against its side as it attempted to escape.

  A sharp screech sounded out before cutting short. The world around them fell silent as the beast cut off its attacks, leaving them hanging in suspense. It was like walking on a knife's edge, waiting for the beast to make its move. When it did Yu Chen nearly jumped, a loud splash sending drops of water splashing against the shield as the creature dove back into the river. Yu Chen frowned, the hairs on the back of his arms standing up as he swiveled his head back and forth in an attempt to follow the creature, but all he saw was the same darkness swelling around them.

  Yu Chen took a slow breath, considering his options as he looked around. He could hear it out there somewhere, swimming in the darkness. Although where, he couldn’t say. The dark fog it had summoned pressed against them unnaturally, warping sound and distorting direction, making it impossible to tell where they came from. The creak from the rigging above, Sun Yuan’s short, panting breaths in his ear–they blended together with the shifting noises out there in the darkness, and the swells it sent crashing against the ship as it moved through the water.

  A particularly violent wave swelled up against them. Yu Chen grabbed the railing, hanging on as the boat was sent rocking, but before he could catch his balance two massive tentacles came flying out the darkness to slam against the shield. He was sent stumbling across the deck as the ship rolled beneath him, before firming his feet as more tentacles rose up around them.

  He opened his mouth to call out to Serbo, but the barbarian didn’t need any instructions. He was already firing, gleeful to have something to aim at as he sent shards of lightning lancing through the darkness. White streaks cut through that empty void, lighting up the world around them as they passed by. The inscriptions the Riverlord had carved into the Lady were more than a match for the creature's techniques.

  Even so, none of the attacks the barbarian fired landed, he was unable to catch even the hint of its form. Not through any fault of his own. Serbo took aim as quickly as they appeared, but the beast was cunning, and the tentacles disappeared beneath the waves as fast as they came.

  This went on for some time as they fell into an odd stalemate in the darkness. They were unable to land an attack on the creature, while the creature was unable to breach their shield. Yu Chen cast a glance towards the masts, his brows tightening as he considered how much longer they could keep it up. The Riverlord had truly outdone himself, sparing no expense with the materials he had available. The second mast he’d created more than doubled their reserves, and even at this point they’d yet to burn through a quarter of the ship’s power. Still, it wouldn’t last forever.

  Serbo au Serbo spun around, filling the air with the sharp scent of ozone as he fired lance after lance of lightning into the darkness around them. Each attack would have been a heavy drain on the ship before, even with Elder Ming’s expert craftsmanship, but it was different now. The transfer of energy through the ship was fast and flawless thanks to the meridians the Riverlord had woven throughout the ship, while his masterful inscriptions allowed the weapon to draw far less power than before.

  Not that it mattered when they couldn’t hit their target. Try as he might, he didn’t land another hit against the monster pounding away at their ship. The boat rocked as another tentacle struck it, and Yu Chen cast a worried look towards the masts once again. The beast’s attacks were growing stronger as time went on, its abilities expanding, perhaps due to having returned to the river after so many years cut off from the wider world.

  “Move the ship,” Yu Chen turned, yelling towards Sun Yuan who stood beside him at the wheel. “We have to escape this darkness!”

  Sun Yuan nodded in reply. His face was pale, but his eyes flashed with determination as he sent a surge of qi into the wheel beneath his hands. The sails activated, raising up an empowered wind that began to push them across the river. Their movement was slow at first, but they began gradually picking up speed as they moved through the unnatural black fog surrounding them.

  Sounds swirled around them, making it nearly impossible to tell they had begun moving, but Yu Chen could pick them apart, recognizing the particular sound the ship made as it cut through the waves. There was another sign. The monster seemed to have taken offense at their efforts to flee and began redoubling its efforts to stop them. Great pillars of water began rising out of the waves, and more came crashing down around them, but Sun Yuan threaded between them like a needle. He moved the ship with practiced ease, and Serbo au Serbo kept up a wave of covering fire, forcing the beast to abandon its attacks as often as not.

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  Yu Chen’s hands twitched as they inched forward, desiring to do something but feeling helpless to do anything in the moment. The rebuilt ship was powerful, but he felt trapped within it, like a turtle relying on its tough shell. Soon he wouldn’t have to cower within, afraid of the foes outside.

  At least the others could contribute somehow. Sun Yuan handled the ship, Serbo fired the ballista, and Yan Ziqi stood by the mast, his eyes screwed up in concentration. The artificer had taken control of the shields, manually moving the hexagonal plates around in an attempt to reinforce the areas the monster was targeting the most. Xue Lan was the only other one with nothing to do. She stood near the edge of the ship, gripping the railing as she stared out into the darkness around them with a hungry look on her face.

  Yu Chen frowned, thinking for a moment before walking over to stand beside her.

  “I need you to be ready,” he said, his voice low and serious. “I want you to let him have it, once we reach the light again.”

  Xue Lan looked over her shoulder. Something shifted in her eyes, and he couldn’t help but notice the way her hands trembled before clutching the railing tighter.

  “I am.” She said, before turning back to look into that inky blackness, her eyes peeled for the slightest sign of movement. Yu Chen sighed in his heart. That brief moment was enough to show him how deep the layers of pain she still carried in her heart ran. Perhaps today would be the day she finally received her vengeance. He could only hope it would be enough to salve her heart.

  Yu Chen doubted it would. He’d known Xue Lan for a while now and understood a bit about how her personality ran. Nothing he could say would help anymore, the best thing he could do was line things up as best he could, giving her a chance at what she sought. He leaned in close, whispering something in her ear before clapping her on the shoulder and giving it a light squeeze. He stared at her, waiting for her to nod in reply before making his way to the others one by one, whispering some encouraging words and laying out his plans for taking down the beast.

  And he did have a plan.

  All of a sudden, the ship burst through the darkness, shocking the senses with the sight of endless yellow waters stretching on endlessly. The monster let out a shriek, howling in rage as they escaped the dark bubble it’d created. Its short assault had been ruthless, draining a good portion of the ship’s energy but it wasn’t finished with them yet.

  Two heartbeats passed before it shot out of the cloud of darkness, spiraling through the air above them as it took free. Its lone eye gleamed with a vicious light as it watched them flee. Half a moment passed as it swelled before shooting forward, flying through the air towards them with its long tentacles undulating out behind it.

  Yu Chen let out a yell as the beast appeared, but Serbo au Serbo was watching. The boy spun around, unleashing bolt after bolt at the beast soaring through the air behind them. The beast dodged, weaving through the air as it opened its hooked beak to let out a screech that reverberated across the deck of the ship.

  “Spin the wheel!” Yu Chen shouted out, chewing his lip as he watched the monster twist through the air, dodging the attacks the barbarian sent his way. He was forcing it on a path that would line it up with the side of the ship where Xue Lan could open fire. The beast tried to duck through the storm of bolts, spinning out of the way, but Serbo au Serbo spread the shots out and hemmed the beast in.

  By the time the creature realized what was happening it was too late. The cannons were primed, Xue Lan was ready.

  “Fire!” Yu Chen barked, yelling towards the girl. She didn’t hesitate. A dozen and a half cannons let loose, flooding the river with spiritual energy as a barrage of blasts roared across the river between them. The creature was trapped, with no escape except one. It dived, splashing into the water below as the artillery exploded uselessly above it.

  A cruel smile crossed Yu Chen’s face as the beast shot out of the water in front of the ship, spiraling through the air in a maneuver that sent yellow waters flying through the air to spatter against the shield as the ship pressed forward, cutting through the river.

  The beast spread its tentacles, hovering imposingly in the air before them as it let out a screech that was nearly a roar. A roar of dominance, a roar of power, as it floated in front of them, safe from the barrage of the ship’s artillery.

  Yu Chen looked over at Xue Lan, giving her a nod.

  “Fire.” The word was simple, yet it carried weight when it left his lips. It lingered in the air between them, heavy and full of meaning.

  Xue Lan understood what he meant. A port at the front of the Lady slid back right beneath the figurehead, revealing the tip of the harpoon that lay waiting within the ship. It glinted beneath the sunlight, giving off a palpable sense of danger. The beast could sense it. It attempted to jet away, but Serbo was ready for it, relying on experience to tell him which way the beast would move. He cut off its escape with a series of shots that sent it twisting through the air, desperate to avoid being hit.

  That was all the girl needed.

  Xue Lan let out a scream, releasing a sound of pure emotion as she fired the harpoon, sending it rocketing forward. The barbed tip gave off a wicked gleam as it spun through the air. It was fast, despite its weight, designed to crash through the reinforced planking of a spiritual ship and hold it fast in place. It ripped through the soft rubbery flesh of the river kraken like a knife through butter, digging in deep before the barbs caught hold.

  The beast roared out in pain, twisting through the air in an attempt to escape as Xue Lan pulled the cord taunt and began reeling it in.