My eyes began to crack open as light danced across my face, slowly becoming aware of the world around me. I felt great! Best sleep I had in ages! Placing my hands beneath me, I prepared to push myself upwards.

Only to meet resistance part of the way up. Now that I realized it, there was a weight laying right on top of my stomach. Was it, no, it wasn't an Abyssal. I'd be dead if it was. Luzon?

Cranking my head upward, only to find the small girl laying on my stomach, partially flopped over to the side. Her head rested against my chest, using it as a pillow. I'm not sure how I feel about that right now, but I wasn't going to wake her up over it.

Besides, she needed the rest. Badly. Was just going to have to wait until it was not snuggling o'clock, then I could get started on my trap plan.

Did we have any paper? I was going to want to map this out. Because getting ourselves blown up would a bit embarrassing. And marking the bombs would render the whole point, well, pointless.

Calling them bombs was probably an insult to anyone that made explosives. More like makeshift landmines. Well, this was going to be overkill or one of my dumber ideas.

Honestly, I hoped for the former.

I felt Luzon shift on my chest, making grumbling noises, signaling her return to the waking world. Slowly, the younger yet out a small yawn, rising and rubbing her eyes.

"Sleep well?" I asked, causing her to jump with a small squeak of surprise. Hopefully, it was because she hadn't expected to use me as a bed. If it was the other option, I'm not sure I'd be able to handle it.

"I didn't mean to wake you," she stammered, crawling off my frame, doing her best to avoid eye contact.

"It's fine," I smiled, doing my best to calm her nerves, sitting myself up. "I assume you want breakfast?"

"More pineapples?"

I blinked back at her. Well, we didn't exactly have much else. Hunting with my guns would be excessive, to put it bluntly. And would probably light up our position on the map, know that I thought about it.

"Yes, more pineapples," her face lit up at the prospect of food. It's kind of funny how the fastest way to earn affection from her was with food.

Wait. Oh no. I'm becoming my mother.

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Food was, well, food. But it was becoming apparent that two shipgirls ate.

A lot. Honestly, it'd be a miracle if the pineapple stash made it through the week. If we were sticking in the region, we'd need to find another food source, and fast. I didn't want to leave until what we had was used up, either, because this could be the only one of its kind left, somehow untouched.

But that wasn't important right now. I was focused on something much for critical, and far more dangerous. The way my hull was right now, one misstep could lead to me getting a fancy new hole.

Hull? No, don't go down that rabbit hole now. I scowled, throwing my back further into my work. Was it healthy? No, but it was working so far, and that's how I tended to cope. Still, I knew it wasn't going to last forever.

Still, this was, well complicated. Jonathan, you lied to me.

Okay, maybe I was being a bit too harsh. After all, there was a world of difference between making a handmade bomb, and jury-rigging a depth charge into a makeshift landmine.

Oh, what I wouldn't give to have torpedoes for this. That way, I wouldn't be stuck here rewiring explosive charges, guided by my demolition team! They'd be armed and ready to explode, instead of having to delicately cut out components. But what about Luzon?

Couldn't ask Luzon for hers. She's a mess, and I don't think she has any. I saw what her rigging looked like, but I'd never seen her activate it. Even when she was panicked and scared. Sure, her guns wouldn't sink anything, but they'd certainly hurt something at close range. Like a bee sting to the eye.

But on topic, my crew was great. Couldn't ask for better. They were already working on setting up tripwires. Pressure plates it turns out were a bit too complicated. So when all else fails, just use some string.

I'm not planning on using all my depth charges for this though. It just feels dumb? Wasteful? There could be subs out there if fleeing the island ends up being our only remaining option. So, no, I was keeping a few on hand. Just in case.

Though for that to be viable, that engine needed to be up and running, but right now, it might be safe to write it off as a pipe dream. Getting out onto the open ocean again, without maximum speed?

I wouldn't feel safe with that abomination of an aviation battleship on the waters. Part of it may have just been my knowledge of its reputation, but still. It could break me in half with little to no effort.

It bothered me immensely. Abyssal's were meant to be cruel mindless monsters to hungered for humanity's blood. Luzon made it clear while the Abyssals here had both malice and desired humanity's destruction, they might have developed pragmatism?

Yeah, that's horrifying. Both because it means they as a whole were capable of learning, but also because it meant my survival wasn't dumb luck. It was calculated. Why? I have not even the faintest of clues. Did I want to stay to find out?

Hell no.

Oh, okay, yeah, we may have to run regardless. That's, well. Honestly, if an Abyssal wanted something so bad that they were willing to let me run around their island, then I shouldn't let them have it.

Great. Damned if I do, damned if I don't. Well, if Abyssal's wanted me alive, and on their island, then I had no problems getting off.

"Hey! Hey hey hey!" One of my fairies waved their arms, signaling me as it hopped up and down. Okay, little guy. What's up?

If I'd had blinked, I would have missed it, but I couldn't miss what was left in its wake. I couldn't make out exactly what it was, it was moving to fast. A bolt of fire, streaking across the sky, leaving a dark trail of smoke.

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

Was that a plane? I didn't get a good look at it, but that didn't seem like an Abyssal aircraft. Could it be?

Rescue?

If it was a rescue, then the fact it just went down in flames wasn't a good sign. Still, had to mean my distress call was received! We needed to get on the move, now! If there was a person, they might still be alive! Intact radios, something, anything. No doubt the Abyssal's would comb the place, just to make sure none survived.

I looked back over my shoulder. Luzon must have noticed the screaming ball of fire before I did. She was curled up, rocking back and forth without trying to make a sound, hands clasped around her ears.

My approach was as gentle as possible, but with her eyes squeezed shut and fingers blocking out all sound, I might as well have been a ghost.

I placed my hand down on her shoulder, attempting to comfort her. My hand touched lightly against her clothing, only for her to bolt away, something flashing before me. My instinct to cover my eyes was warranted, as my frame was peppered with bullets. Despite the state of my armor, the bounced off, completely harmlessly.

Once the annoying pellets stopped, I finally removed my hand from my face, staring into Luzon's shocked face, hands clapped over her mouth in horror. Her rigging was, well, nearly non-existent. Two guns sat on gloves, single barrel and tiny, even on her small frame. There was a third, slightly above her elbow on her right arm. Beyond that, two torpedo tubes hung off what looked like some metal belt.

Closer inspection revealed just how beat up her armor and armaments were. Chips of paint and flakes of metal were falling off. Some spots even showed considerable rust, a sign of neglect. Of course, the Abyssal's would treat her in such a manor.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Luzon sobbed out, rigging fading in an array of lights. I reached out again, pulling the child into a hug.

"I'm fine, Luzon. It was an accident," I stroked her dirt-filled hair, doing my best to calm her down.

"You want to go after the plane, don't you?" she continued, tears once again staining my shirt. "You'll leave, and you won't come back!"

She was scared. No, terrified. She didn't want to be left alone.

"You could come with me," I spoke softly, her voice quieting to a hiccup.

"Really?" her voice was a faint squeak, but it was one filled with glee and happiness.

"Of course," I nodded, returning her smile. "Just make sure to stay close, alright?"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

This was not as easy as I thought it would be. Massive leaves made up the canopy, obscuring my line of sight. I could make out a faint wif of smoke still lingering in the air before the wind deserved the branches and it became hidden again.

Nor was it as simple as walking in a straight line. Simply gazing upward wasn't an option, either. Because, well, the trees were quite large and easy to run into, if one wasn't paying enough attention.

Still, we were moving at quite the pace. Well, more accurately, I was moving at quite the pace. Luzon had clunked out. Shipgirl or not, she still acted her age. So, I was officially playing piggyback. Despite all the up and down, she seemed quite comfortable.

No matter. Hopefully, there would be a break in the trees soon. I needed a better view, if only to reorient myself. Regardless, I don't think I was even close to where the thing touched down.

Gingerly moving aside a small bundle of vines, I broke into a small area of open space. Yes! Okay, last I saw the smoke trail leading north-east. I reoriented myself, trying to find any trace of smoke.

Nothing. Nothing! All this for nothing? Damn! Sure, I could comb the jungle myself, but without any clues to point me the right direction, the task would be near impossible. I had myself, and Luzon wasn't going to let herself out of my general vicinity. Especially with who knows how many Abyssal's that'll likely be running around.

I didn't want to give up this easily, but unless, wait? Was that? I squinted against the sun, eyes registering something in the distance. Smoke? Yes, that was smoke! It was coming up from the jungle, rising above the leaves. That must be where it crashed!

If I kept going, I would stumble across it. Now it was just a matter of getting there before the Abyssal's did.

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I swear, if I ever see another jungle after this was done, I was going to scream. Nothing more than traps of aggravation, bugs, and vines. Especially vines. More trouble than they were worth. Made even more aggravating by my attempts to keep Luzon from being disturbed. She was still clinging off my back. Making things worse were the boots. Meant for hiking, these were most certainly not.

We were getting close. We had to be. Turning back wasn't an option by this point. We'd been out here for far too long to make it back. I'd rather not take my chances navigating in the pitch dark. And making this a two-day search would benefit the Abyssal's too much. It was now, or never.

"Desu," a voice came from nearby, causing me to just about jump out of my skin. A human voice, or at the very least, something close to it took me off guard, after hours of insect buzzing and my thoughts.

"Desu, desu desu desu," it continued as if talking to something. Was that fairy speak? Mine always said hey. Maybe it was one of another nation?

That had to be it. Simply repeating one word was a dead give away, unless Abyssal's had some sort of demented equivalent. But if that existed, I expected more satanic chanting and screaming.

There was only one option. This fairy was more than likely a Japanese pilot. I had expected humans, but this? I should have expected. If I existed, that alone meant there had to be more shipgirls out there. Luzon, who was still sleeping, only further proved this.

So of course Japan had its shipgirls. And seeing as this was a pilot, that had to mean an aircraft carrier, right?

"Desu!" there was a final shout, followed by a small thump. Maybe it was trying to signal for help?

Slowly, I made my way towards where the voice originated. Still, some part of me had expected a full-sized plane, for some stupid reason. Maybe I was trying to keep a grasp on what little rationality remained. Instead, it was small. Slightly larger than those Abyssal fighter, orb, things. Probably the size of a small drone?

Shouldn't recognize what it was from the wreckage, though. Too much was simply gone, either damaged by the crash or even potentially the cause.

"Hey there, little guy," I paused, hoping to not startle the fairy.

It let out a shout of Desu, whipping around pulling out what I assumed was a firearm of some kind. A very small one. Unless it worked like shipgirl guns, which, who am I kidding probably did, wouldn't be quite that intimidating.

"Desu?" it cocked it's head to the side, before holstering the sidearm. "Desu desu?" Okay, I think I found a small hole in my plan.

I didn't understand Japanese. Or fairy-speak Japanese, for that matter.

"Hey. Hey hey hey," I felt one of my fairies exit my body, around my leg. Chills went up and down my spine, as the two fairies went back and forth, exchanging desus and heys faster than I could keep up with. So, fairies just understood one another. You know what? Not worth bothering with. That could be possibly explained, at least.

Luzon's body began to shift as the conversation went on, signaling her return to the waking world. I paused for a moment. Luzon didn't have good memories of the war. How would she react to this little situation before us? I wasn't entirely sure.

That didn't become a problem. No, it was merely replaced by a much larger issue. Underbrush began to rustle, something moving inside. Sniffing, searching for something. My rigging erupted forth, guns swinging around, as a black-head pushed its way through the leaves.

In a brief moment, we stared at one another, both of us planning our next move. My guns could obliterate it but would reveal our position to everything within miles. It, while it wouldn't be scratch my armor, could be calling allies at any moment.

Honestly, there wasn't much of a choice to make. Better to take a shot on my terms, rather than wait until I was outnumbered. Steel erupted, sending shockwaves through the jungle, birds scattering everywhere into the sky as the shots echoed off the trees.

"Okay, time to go," I scooped up the two fairies into my arms, and with Luzon still hanging onto my back, broke into a run.

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She'd lost a plane! Not only that, but she'd lost one of her pilots too. She had sent one overland, to scout out the area a bit, before heading back, as per her orders. There was a gap, a sizable one, that allowed him to slip in.

But something went wrong. Either the plane had been struck, or some unforeseen mechanical failing, it was forced to crash. She shuttered at the thought of losing a plane due to a defect, but that wasn't the major issue.

Her pilot wasn't back yet. He had crashed hours ago, so he would have reformed in her hull by this point. That meant he was still alive.

In Abyssal territory.

On land.

What was she going to do!