Elisha’s heart sank.

When her mother had shot up the special arrow that they’d all agreed to chip in on, mostly as a lark, she admitted that she had some expectation. Bard sign? Well, it had been a really neat name, if nothing else.

Never doubt Raven, I guess that holds true.

“Your orders, boss?” Keller called out.

“Time?” She called back.

“Flask empty in about ten minutes, the way Cloudkill is fighting me makes me think we sink like a rock at about eight.”

“Yeah, that’s a bust,” Elisha muttered.

Her eyes were focused on the golden portal that had just appeared to the south. She didn’t need to check Shadow Fall chat to know that it was of the seriously bad variety. “Some sort of summoner?” Elisha frowned at the figure centrally positioned near the portal. "If only I were on the ground..."

“Prepare to bring us about toward the scary portal,” Captain Keller called out.

Elisha blinked in surprise and turned, getting ready to bellow that she hadn’t made the order. She stopped, her expression lightening a great deal when she saw that he was just grinning. “What are you doing, Mr. Keller?”

“Called the vote while you were thinking boss,” Keller grinned, “The Ayes have it. Fly toward the scary portal and be big damn heroes boss.”

Elisha laughed slightly and put her palm to her face, wiping it down from her eye as the laughter increased. He was right, of course. “The Aye’s have it. Maintain course, Mr. Keller. Heading for Big Damn Heroes.”

“Aye, aye!” Keller began barking other prudent orders. He wasn’t in charge of the ship’s operation for just show. “Wizards! Stop casting freeze and regenerate mana. Standby to repel boarders. Mr. Forsythe, if you would go to the center of the deck. Starboard give us some extra wind, we need to start steering around the Rebels and stop hitting them with our cursed water,” Keller muttered under his breath, still easily audible to most of the deck, “shame.”

Schulia had finally made it up from the deck and was eating a second lemon muffin. “Is ten minutes enough time?”

Elisha was surprised, and then remembered that her friend’s experience in the other high profile events was much more lowkey than her own. She turned away and stared out at the portal and just said what was on her mind. “Ten minutes is a lifetime.”

“Mordred?” Amelia called at the crowd. No one immediately moved. Most were staring at the growing calamity to the south. Those who weren’t had the expressions of players checking in with their guild and friend channels.

“I have him,” Aidan said. “We’re friends.”

Normally that would have gotten a look from Amelia, but now wasn’t the time. “Invite me to the group!”

“Mordred?” She tried again, sending the message to the open group.

“Empress,” came the curt reply. “I have to admit, it was outside my expectation that you would kite some sort of super evil onto us.”

“Cut the crap, I wouldn’t do this on purpose. I was just trying to taxi my way out of a bad place, this is totally outside my expectation. This is beyond us. As the leader of the Rebels you can accept an armistice for a set duration. For expediancy, let’s say until we’re both sufficiently satisfied that the Quester Race has been defeated.”

There was a brief pause followed by an astonished Mordred, “how did you know there was a feature like that in the quest!?”

“Do you think I really didn’t read that book in the library?” Amelia snapped. “I’m sending you the armistice conditions. Accept immediately or… or else!”

Mordred, at this point, sounded like he was going to accept but couldn’t help himself. “Or else, what?”

Amelia stared blankly, fury slowly clouding her features. “Mordred, if you don’t hammer that accept button I’m going to ask the scariest person I know to destroy your life for the next five years. I haven’t really been paying a whole lot of attention, but I assume you know Hunter’s daughter, Elisha? She owes me one.”

Aidan, who at this point was just spectating, had eyes as big as saucers. “Argue with her Mordred, do it. Do it. Nothing bad will happen. Pssh.”

“...”

[Armistice Declared - Conditional. Rebel and Imperial Forces Agree to cease fighting. Contribution gains and progress halted.]

“Good choice,” Amelia said coldly. She exited the channel.

“Awwwww,” Aidan watched her walk away.

Mavis was staring at him with wide-eyes.

“Not a word,” Mordred said.

“Boss! Are you seeing this?” Captain Keller called out.

Elisha grimaced. Yeah, she saw it. The liquid that was pouring from the portal in the sky was impacting the ground and turning into a number of unique monsters. There didn’t seem to be any particular pattern to them. The fact that each and every single one of them seemed different was, for lack of a more precise term, bad.

“Ignore them,” Elisha commanded. “Mr. Keller, bring us about and prepare guns.”

“You ‘eard ‘er!” Keller cried out excitedly. “Group B, hard thrust, I’m swinging us. Prepare for a broadside!”

Forsythe looked around, for the hundredth time wondering why he was here. He slowly began to hug the main mast. It seemed the safest thing to do.

As the ship turned to the side the guns along the side began to speak, sending long tongues of smoke as they fired on the portal.

The snakes of steel and flame cratered at the edge of the portal, exploding against the creeping hands and the devil form of B-3. When the smoke cleared the hands around the portal that had been directly impacted were crushed and broken in places, slowly regenerating. B-3 herself had half of her head missing. The remaining eyeball was now focused on the Cloudkill.

Captain Keller, Elisha, Forsythe, and the rest of the crew watched as her body started to regenerate.

“Bring us around again,” Elisha commanded coldly.

“Aye,” Keller called out. The initial excitement of attacking the rift in the sky began to dampen.

The hands near the edges of the portal began twitching… then they started to reach across the expanse toward the flying ship.

B-3’s corporate smile slowly reappeared as the underside of her face regenerated.

Rebels and Imperials began gathering in formations toward the south. While there was no satisfactory explanation as to what they were doing, between Mordred and Amelia screaming at them they had all started to woodenly place themselves between Vienne and the growing danger to the south.

The sound of concentrated gunfire from the sky drew all eyes heavenward. Shouts of joy and encouragement sounded out when everyone realized that the small ship had abandoned it’s mission of bombing them, and had instead turned attention toward the portal.

As the smoke cleared the shouts faded.

Vienne did not stir, staring into space in the crosslegged position.

Amelia frowned and sent a message to Elisha.

She only got a Do Not Disturb signal back.

“That’s my girl,” Hunter said.

Amelia looked at her and then followed her gaze back to the ship. The Cloudkill was already wheeling around for another pass… even as the portal, and B-3, seemed to be bringing all arms to bear -- literally.