Many look down on vocational skills like fishing, cooking, and cleaning as the realm of menial labourers. Anything can be a weapon in the hands of a master, given enough time to hone their craft.

-Excerpt from ‘Charting the Tide: A journeyman’s guide to skills and occupations’ by various contributors

Rose started to curse her own folly. She had a nasty cramp in her right leg and the left seemed to be heading the same way.

She’d been full of bravado when she leapt in to rescue Trent, hoping to repay him for all the times he’d saved her hide. However, the ice cold clutches of the ocean were merciless, threatening to pull her under with every passing moment.

Despite the pain, she forged onwards. The serpent was distracted, falling towards the sea as blast after blast from Liberty’s cannons smacked into its head and coiling body.

In the distance, she could see a part of the monster’s severed tail poking out above the waves. However, there was no sign of Trent.

Pierced by the deadly sharp limb, he must’ve sunk beneath the surface. Rose grit her teeth and started to pull her arms through the water harder and faster.

Skill up!

Swimming 8 > 9

That was one skill she’d forgotten about, ironically. Most of those levels had been earned during her childhood, playing in the sea by Fairwater Bay.

Now she regretted not pushing herself further. She’d been at sea for almost two months now and hadn’t even dipped a single toe in its depths—or shallows, for that matter.

A colossal wave approached, one that she would be unable to let carry her. Too much of her progress would be lost by the time she made it over the crest.

Taking a deep breath, Rose plunged under the surface, fighting the instinct to gasp for breath as the cold dug its claws deeper. It passed as she broke the surface, rising up into the sunlight.

Cannonfire thundered in her ears as the water dripped back into the sea. Sparing a glance back at the ship, she was appalled to see she’d barely swum a hundred metres.

Knowing that she would have to brave the cold sooner rather than later, Rose started breathing rhythmically. Each inhale was deep, filling her lungs and expanding them further and further.

Once she felt as though she was at her limit, she held the breath and plunged under the waves once more. The water bit deep, but she resisted and stared into the murky depths.

It was difficult to see, but she could make out shapes and colours if she squinted. The colossal sea serpent had scared off most of the wildlife, but she could see the occasional scavenger feasting on the bits of charred flesh that fell as their cannons tore into the beast.

There! A long, curling shadow was sinking around thirty metres ahead of her, with a lump skewered on the end. Trent wasn’t moving, but she could see thin streams of what could only be blood trailing up to the surface as he sank.

Mustering all her remaining strength, she pushed through the water towards him. With her target in sight there was no room for hesitation. For all she knew, he was already dead.

However, she refused to let such dark thoughts cloud her mind. Rose believed that her captain lived—he had promised to.

Ten metres closer, she started to feel the burn in her muscles as they ran through the last dregs of air in her lungs. Her legs grew heavy, but she continued to kick.

Twenty metres in, she was consumed by fiery agony as every muscle in her body screamed in protest against her. Despite the abysmal working conditions, she refused to let them rest.

Skill up!

Swimming 9 > 10

You have earned a new trait!

Smooth Strokes: Every stroke, every kick is streamlined and with minimal inefficiency. Your body instinctively knows how to cut through water as though you were a fish.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Rose felt the difference instantly, every pull of her arms taking her a little further than before. It didn’t stop the pain, or give her new breath, but it would help.

Five metres remained between her and the sinking tail. She could see Trent now. His body was laced with bloody cuts and bruises and his face was swollen.

She reached out to grab him, just clasping the lapels of his jacket. With a pull, she attempted to drag him back to the surface with her. He didn’t budge.

Another pull, both hands wrapped around him and legs kicking with all her strength, but it was far too heavy. The corners of her vision went dark. She’d stayed underwater too long.

Rose raced to the surface, her lungs on fire as she broke through. Gasping for breath, she stayed treading water until she could see clearly and her muscles only ached rather than burned.

Without delay she dove back down under the water. Trent had sunk further, but was directly below Rose. She raced downwards, her new trait letting her glide through the water—not quite like a fish, but perhaps an agile frog.

There was a severe dilemma. The combined weight of Trent and the huge section of the serpent’s tail was too much for her to drag to the surface alone. However, removing the tail from his chest would cause Trent to bleed out before they could get back to the ship.

A few bubbles escaped her lips, rising to the waves above as she pondered the problem. As she saw it, there was only one solution. Every passing second made her job more difficult and brought Trent closer to death.

She’d managed to feel his pulse during her last attempt, so at least he was alive for now. Pulling Sunsplitter from her inventory, she turned her focus to the tail.

Simply hacking away wouldn’t work. Every tremor would risk further damage to Trent’s chest. The sharp tail already pierced his lung, so wrecking more of his vital organs would lead to disaster.

A delicate operation lay before her, but Rose had an idea. Gently laying one of her cutlasses underneath the tail, she raised the other and brought it down with as much force as she could muster.

The water pushed against her, adding far more resistance than she was used to. Despite that, Rose was able to cut a few centimetres into the dead flesh.

It would take quite a few cuts to get through, but she was nothing if not persistent. With every swing she had to adjust the balancing blade underneath to ensure she wasn’t making Trent shake.

She swung down and this time her blade met no resistance. The last sinews of muscle gave way to Sunsplitter’s crystal edge and the largest part of the tail fell away, the last dregs of blood dissipating into the sea.

Immediately storing her blades, Rose swam over to Trent and wrapped her arms under his shoulders before kicking upwards. Without the monster’s tail weighing him down, she was able to swim at around half her top speed.

Rose breached the choppy surface before her breath ran out. Taking a few measured breaths for good measure, she slapped Trent’s cheeks a few times.

It was harsh, but if he could wake up it would be for the best. With the rope tied around her waist stretched to its limit, Rose was saved the effort of swimming.

She reeled them in, steadily getting into a rhythm of pulling. It took a few minutes to reach the hull and Rose realised she’d forgotten the most important part of the process.

Lifting Trent under the water wasn’t a problem, with the ocean’s buoyancy assisting her. However, lifting him up the rope to the deck was another matter. Luckily, there was an easy solution.

“Oi, Felix!” she yelled, her voice hoarse after the intense swim. Waiting for a lull in the cannonfire she roared again, “Get over here!”

Silence fell for a few seconds, the only noise the gentle crash of the waves against the wooden hull of Liberty. She was about to gather her breath for an even louder shout when a familiar face poked out of a hatch.

Felix’s eyes widened when he saw the blood leaking into the water and the snake tail poking out of Trent’s chest. The roar of the cannons had stopped as he popped back inside the ship.

A few seconds later he appeared on the deck where she’d tied the rope to the railings. While waiting Rose had transferred the lasso from her own waist to Trent’s, making sure to avoid the most injured areas of his body.

The man was yanked from the water and almost banged into the side of the ship, if not for Rose leaping up and placing an arm behind his back. “Careful, idiot. He’s half dead,” she cried.

Felix looked sheepish and resumed pulling their captain up, with a far more gentle touch than before. Nasar rushed over when he saw the commotion, his face grim when he saw Trent’s wounds.

Nasar lifted the man into a princess carry and vanished from view, presumably taking him to the cabins where they could treat his injuries. Felix tossed the rope back down for her.

Rose started climbing, but fell from the rope two steps up. She was exhausted.

“Just hold on, I’ve got you,” said Felix.

When she was halfway up to the deck, the ocean rumbled and a deafening roar sent a huge wave careening into her. It knocked the wind from her lungs and she spluttered as she tried to cough up the salty water.

A great tug sent her flying into the air and over the railings, before she slammed into the deck. Felix was already sprinting for the hatch. Turning back to the sea, she saw the serpent making a beeline for them.

Blood dripped from its mouth and a couple of its fangs were missing. Trent had dealt lethal damage, but that only served to infuriate the beast.

Their battle had only just begun.