Whispered in the darkest storms, rumoured in the halls of the Keep, and yearned for in the hearts of every sailor—divine blessings are as much a myth as the pantheon themselves. Yet, our belief keeps the fantasy alive. When do you draw the line between reality and imagination when the tide is involved?

-Excerpt from ‘Philosophy of the Tide’ by Head Professor Vaumir

With a mighty battle cry, Rose let the hook fly and the reel whined as it spun faster and faster. The serpent wasn’t focused on her anymore, its jaw unhinged as far as it would go and then further.

A tense few seconds passed as the fishing line sailed into the open maw of the beast. It exploded forwards, rushing at the ship with the clear intent to devour it whole.

How the monster intended to digest it Rose wasn’t sure, but that wouldn’t be her problem if it managed to swallow them. She hadn’t calculated her throw expecting it to charge—she hadn’t calculated it at all.

Everything had been left up to her instincts and a prayer. An eerie silence fell over the ocean. Rose briefly stood confused, until she realised the reel had stopped whirring.

Re-engaging Focus, her eyes darted about until she saw the hook had buried itself deep into the serpent’s throat. A perfect throw.

There was just one problem with her impromptu plan. Most fish tended to rush away and attempt a desperate escape when they found a fishing hook lodged in their mouth, but her prey was charging straight at her.

Well, not quite. The serpent was aiming for the bow, while she stood on the starboard side of the ship. Which put her in the perfect position to defend Liberty from an untimely fate as an afternoon snack.

Timing would be key. If she tried to reel the beast in too early, it would have time to adjust its course and strike back. However, if she waited too long to make her move, then the beast would still slam into the ship and tear through the delicate rigging.

Rose had never been so keenly focused on fishing before. She enjoyed the practice, as a way to kill time and earn herself an extra meal. Not once had she thought she would be putting her life on the line while fishing.

Her eyes strained as she forced them to stay open, not even blinking. A rumbling boom crescendoed in the distance, but she had no attention to spare for whatever was happening.

Skill up!

Focus 14 > 15

The minor increase did little to help, but she would take anything. A wave was gathering around the serpent as it advanced. Now!

Rose hopped onto the railings, looped her legs through the gaps to secure herself and leaned backwards. With every ounce of strength in her body, she yanked on the rod.

Her plan shouldn’t have worked. No fifteen year old girl had the raw strength to drag a ship-sized sea serpent out of the water. And yet, its head jerked to the side as the hook buried in its throat tugged on the scarlet flesh.

Perhaps it worked because the monster never expected such an odd form of attack. Rose continued to pull, dragging the gigantic beast ever so slightly off course.

Skill up!

Fishing 14 > 15

That was the first time she’d gained a level in fishing before even landing her catch. She had to be doing something right.

Unfortunately the serpent was only caught off guard for a brief moment. It started to fight back, hissing and screeching as it thrashed around to dislodge the hook.

Rose grinned. Their clash was only beginning, but she’d achieved her first objective—saving the ship from being swallowed whole. Now she had to reel in the bastard.

A sharp click made her shudder as her back stretched. The serpent was a formidable foe, with far greater mass to work with. However, fishing hooks were designed with a singular purpose.

The more it struggled, the deeper it dug. Her arms burned as they were worked to the limit. Raw hands, which had barely healed from her previous ill-advised cleaning session, scraped against the wooden rod.

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Everything except her prey and her rod faded into the background. It was as though all that existed in the world in that moment was Rose and the serpent, fighting in an eternal struggle for dominance.

With every jerking movement, her eyes followed the monster. She did her best to predict its every move, the rod carving arcs in the air as she kept the line taut.

A frothing ocean their stage, the pair danced in harmony, yet never made a move towards the other. The beast had forgotten its objective of eating the ship and was wholly focused on the barbed annoyance lodged in its throat.

Rose had the monster right where she wanted it—but how was she supposed to reel it in? The deck wasn’t big enough to keep it contained.

And that was asking for trouble. Its dying throes might cause just as much damage to the ship as letting it attack, so she needed another way.

Her eyes darted in the direction of the earlier rumbling. She gasped. The island had collapsed, leaving a flat rock jutting out of the ocean like a table.

They were still close, having curled around it on a direct course to confront the colossal monster earlier. If she could keep the serpent engaged in this tug of war a little longer, Nasar might be able to steer them near enough that she could make the leap.

“Nasar,” she yelled over the crashing of the waves and the roaring of the serpent. “I need you to take us right next to the island.”

She couldn’t even spare a second to look back and see if he’d actually heard her. All her attention had to remain on the rod and the snake.

Skill up!

Focus 15 > 16

Each time she allowed herself to blink, Rose would miss a little shift in the serpent’s coiling body and adjust the rod incorrectly. One of those times it nearly yanked her right from the deck and into the churning waters below.

Liberty had sailed all the way around the serpent, and was now making a beeline for the little plateau. Her screams had been heard, so all she needed to do was fish.

It was easier said than done. Nudging a giant monster off course with a well timed flick of the rod was one thing, but now she needed to drag it along with them. To bait it into its own demise.

Despite the furious thrashing and incoherent screeching, she knew this beast wasn’t stupid. It had been able to fight Trent and emerge victorious, if a little injured.

That was why she let the line loosen up. They were pulling further away from the beast, but she didn’t try to force its hand. A thunderous clap from beneath her made her jump—she almost fell over the edge of the ship.

A puff of black smoke on the serpent’s neck and the wound it faded to reveal were enough to tell her what had happened. In the chaos, Felix had returned to the gun deck and opened fire on the serpent.

Rose smiled from ear to ear. The fact he had snuck past her and was back in action meant Trent was likely in stable condition.

Or he had died and the boy was seeking revenge. She didn’t even entertain that line of thinking. Whatever the case, being blasted by the cannons enraged the serpent further.

Without any complex baiting strategy, it dove back into the ocean and shot towards them. Sleek green scales shimmered under the surface as it carved through the waves.

It was a losing battle to reel in the line faster than it swam. Rose barely kept up with the monster’s pace, but she had an ace up her sleeve.

With the slack on the line she had the freedom to uncurl her legs. In one smooth motion she kicked off the railing into the air, before landing on both feet, teetering from side to side to keep her balance.

Skill up!

Athletics 9 > 10

You have earned a new trait!

Agile: The only way to become faster, stronger, and more flexible is to dedicate yourself to movement with every breath. Pushing yourself beyond your limits lets you draw on the deepest stores of power in your body; unleashing that which is usually inaccessible.

Neat. While she hadn’t been aiming for that one, she’d grown rather addicted to the gentle splashes of the tide. Every skill level, every trait made her a little more… well, more.

The furthest she’d ever jumped had been back when she’d stolen Liberty. The distance to the island was about one and a half times that. She was stronger now and certainly more confident.

One deep breath was all she allowed herself. Any more hesitation and she would begin to second guess her decision. Rose bent her legs.

Exhaling, she exploded off the railings, keeping a firm grip on the rod and an eye on the island. Her heart pumped in her chest like a war-drum, drowning out all sound.

Sailing through the air, she had a moment of gut-wrenching fear when the line whipped back, snapping taut. Quick reactions saved her momentum as she allowed the reel to spin out.

Giving the serpent more freedom was counter-intuitive, but without the solid ground of the island she stood no chance of victory. Rose began to fall.

Her knee shook as it smacked the hard stone, but she bent her legs to absorb the force of the impact. Twisting, she let herself fall onto her backside and skidded along the smooth surface of the rocky island.

There was no time to sit around however, so she leapt to her feet. The serpent seemed oblivious to her movements. It had eyes only for Liberty, intent on devouring the ship somehow.

With the stage set, it was time for their final duel. Rose planted her feet and reeled in the line until it was taut. And then she started to tug.