Gin’s heart pounded and pounded, only to be drowned out by the unending drumming of the rain. He kept his ears pricked, twitching at every hallucination of a bird’s wings. He kept his eyes peeled, focusing past the waterfall that masked the enemy ships advancing toward them. His fire and water elementals waited below deck while the juggernauts remained peppered by water alongside him.

They waited. They all saw the update. Aquatic bestials could climb up at any moment. From behind? From in front? From the sides? Gin and his men couldn’t risk peering over the edge to find out lest they fall into a blind ambush. However, an uneasiness tossed and turn within Gin’s stomach as he knew a fifth option could be possible. One that Brim himself used in the training battle: through the boat.

Once more he kept his ears attuned to the sound of a potential Aqmi. Waiting for any new dev–

Without warning a hand clasped on the rails. Then another. Two more. Soon, a whole swarm of hands and bodies clambered on top of the ship. Gin’s heart fluttered and his breathing hastened. He gave a soft signal with his hand.

Three.

Two.

One.

Gin’s juggernauts all rushed at the invaders. They barged right into the enemy, hurling the initial wave overboard before backing off. However, the second wave already boarded.

‘Begin Melee!’

They outnumbered the first few foes. Gin took initiative and darted towards a separated one, dodging the first hook before uppercutting his blades right through the jaw.

‘Into checkerboard!’ he bellowed. ‘Don’t let them below deck!’

Squadron W, pivoted into a loose formation, covering the entrance and warding off all attackers. Gin activated his gun INS and shot three bullets in quick succession, each hitting its mark. He meandered through the gaps in his men, turning each one on one into a two versus one. The juggernauts pinned the fishmen down for Gin to puncture their vitals.

Yet, they kept on coming. Not just from the sides but, from the corner of his eye, Gin could see several enemy ships sailing toward them. Still no Aqmi, Gin kept hearing phantom squawks.

‘Focus,’ he muttered to himself. With one mind on Sam, he couldn’t fight at his best up top. ‘Position Five-E down! Fill it up immediately!’

All of a sudden, the ship rocked. Gin saw a fist hurtling towards him and recovered in time, twisting away, rolling backwards before pushing off and stabbing his attacker. His ally finished off the kill and Gin didn’t hesitate to move on to the next.

The ship rocked again. Sweat mixed with blood and rain. Adrenaline pushed all exhaustion away. Fists and claws flew in all directions. Eurasia and AAA alike thinned out in numbers. With every fallen ally, the weariness compounded on the remaining allies. With every drop of rain, movement on top became near impossible. With every death, the seconds turned into minutes until it stopped with one, single shriek.

Aqmi! Gin’s heart leapt into his mouth. The bird soared into the open air, squawking at the top of its lungs. I need to head down NOW!

‘Formation T-C! Down the Corridor!’

The juggernauts compacted into a tight blockage, backing off into the stairwell with Gin at the lowest levels. He skipped several steps at a time, pushing past the other panicked mages. Please be on time, he gritted his teeth as sounds of agony grew in volume and the smell of death filled his nostrils. Streams of water flashed past and lights flickered in and out at the very bottom.

The ship rocked like an earthquake hit them.

Gin leapt over the last set of stairs, his troops close behind him, and saw the extent of the chaos. Several enemy troops in combat with his fire and water elementals. An enemy ship tore into the side of squadron W’s as more foes poured out. Non-combatants doing their best to avoid danger while they get picked off. Worst of all, the hairy visage of a bastard cornering none other than Sam.

‘Rob!’ Gin scowled.

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However, the mage did not pay any attention. Instead, he bludgeoned Sam in the head and picked up the unconscious messenger over his shoulder.

The next few moments felt like a blur. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into seconds. Gin’s blood boiled. His feet moved on their own. He skipped past the other combatants. Two aquatic bestials blocked his path. One then turned on the other. Reinforcements? Squadron O? Traitorous AAA? Didn’t matter. Gin didn’t have time to think as Rob made his way to his ship with his prize.

Gun, he took aim at the yeti in desperation. Please tell me the bullets returned.

The first shot fired. It hit dead on the right shoulder. Rob roared and dropped Sam. Gin fired the second shot. No bullets left. Dammit. He weaved through the chaos and arrived right at the traitor’s feet.

‘Of course, it’s you,’ Rob jeered.

Gin ignored those words, sending a right jab right at the mage’s heart. Rob dodged then used his left arm in retaliation. Gin ducked and followed up with an uppercut. However, a sidestep caused him to miss.

More enemy mages clambered through the hole while allies rushed in from above. But Gin kept his eyes on two things and two things only: the opponent in front of him and Sam. The messenger remained unconscious. Rob kept dodging. He dodged the manush’s kicks. He dodged the hooks. He dodged the jabs. He dodged even the shimmy into a dummy one-two stab.

Something’s not right, the cogs in Gin’s mind whirred. Then it hit him. Or rather, it didn’t. Nothing did. Rob didn’t attack back. Was it the shot arm? No. That can’t be. Too easy if so. If not, then –

Gin planted his foot on the ground and leapt to the side. However, Rob swung a fist to push him back. Tch, he cursed as he found the mage in between him and Sam. Of course he’s buying time.

But for what? The manush’s eyes darted across the room, his heart beating a million times a second searching for an answer. Someone to kidnap Sam? Enemy reinforcements? Or could it be…

Ah.

Without warning, the ship rocked once more. Bodies floated. Raindrops stood still. Balance no longer existed. The world froze over. Yet at that moment, Gin felt a wave of unwavering clarity as he saw Rob slipping, the enemy vessel retreating and Sam’s unconscious body about to fall through the gaping hole in the side of the ship.

Gin tripped Rob up. He pushed past the mage. He rushed towards Sam. He stretched out his arm. At the last second, he grabbed hold of her arm. The messenger teetered over the edge, regaining back consciousness and trembling at the chaos.

‘Pull up!’ Gin ordered, his voice drowned out by the crashing of water and pummelling of rain.

Sam’s eyes wavered in the confusion, body stiff as her armour, and their grip began to wane.

‘I said get up!’ Gin howled louder than the wind.

Desperation sank in. With all his might, he started to haul the mage back up. His arms trembled under the weight of the stone armour. However, at the very last second, he lost his hold. Sam plummeted down to the raging ocean while Gin looked over in utter disbelief.

‘DAMMIT!’ he slammed the ground. He swivelled round in an instant, ‘Don’t let the rest of them es…’

But when he inspected the situation, he saw no living enemy. No Rob. No aquatic bestials. Not even the ship that rammed into them in the first place.

‘No, this can’t be right,’ Gin shook his head. Adrenaline dropped to its lowest and so did he. He hobbled over the corpses of allies and enemies alike, wondering where everyone disappeared to. ‘Anyone. Tell me what happened.’

‘They retreated, sir,’ one of his men came to his side to report the damage. ‘Several utility bestials are injured and we lost a lot of our allies. We were about to be overrun but for some reason, they backed off. They must be up to something.’

‘Backed off?’ Gin repeated those words.

But why? Did they complete their mission? What mission? Sam? No, Gin already knew Sam was their target. The question was why they needed to. Why? What reason could they ever want a small messenger like her? Unless…No. No. No, no, no, no, no. No. It couldn’t be. Yet it would all make sense. The attack in the forest, the hair samples found, the dreams, the suspicious words, the suspicious actions, the suspicious interactions with suspicious people, the convenient focus on squadron W ships. All the clues were there. Though despite that, Gin didn’t want to trust his gut. Not without one final confirmation. Intent? Purpose? Anything he could grasp at to tell him otherwise.

‘Sir?’

‘Ignore me. I’m just struggling to believe in something,’ Gin batted away the concerned mage and clutched his head.

Eh? Smooth? Gin let go. He stared at the palm of his hands. On his left hand, he could map out the intricacies and details of his Xernim like the canopy of a forest. But his right? Smooth like the desert. Of course, she of all people would share the same powers as that guy.

Gin let out a breath of disappointment. He found his “intent” and wished he could be wrong. Alas, he understood that he needed to come to terms with his conclusion. After all, Rob didn’t attack him when he tried to rescue her. Nor did he attempt to fight him at all. Not to mention they targeted the messenger and not the core of the ship. Most importantly, the battle wasn’t over. He needed to take it all in there and then.

He climbed the steps to the top deck, skipping over the dead bodies and splashing in the red puddles all the way to the top. He saw his men (and Aqmi) in formation, awaiting their next orders and he met them with a fiery glare. While their ship remained at peace for the time being, Gin could hear the outbreak of battle on others.

‘Focus on stabilising the ship and repair to the side. Get a connection between us and Battalion Leader Syndra’s ASAP,’ he instructed. ‘Aqmi, go to Syndra herself and report the situation.’

‘Yes, sir!’ his battalion roared and the bird squawked.

I need to talk to her, Gin let his eyes shut for a moment. Before they make their move.