With the final round having started, the three competing ships leave their docks and sail ahead toward the fleeing serpent.

Part of Fenrir feels bad chasing down something for a tournament that is just trying to escape and live.

The more dominant part of Fenrir refuses to lose this tournament and will capture that serpent while taking care of the enemies whom wish to stop him.

The Shoebill gets a good lead going before they watch the enemy vessels to see what they are doing.

Just as Fenrir expected they would, both The Steel Tiger and the longship are ignoring one another. They are not exchanging fire despite being within range of one another and their crews are not even looking at each other. However, both of their courses will lead them directly to The Shoebill.

“We’ll be fine as long as we catch the serpent first then get back, right?” Cassiel asks.

“If we can get past the tower in one piece without losing the serpent, yeah,” Fenrir answers.

As for the serpent, they are able to easily track it because of a floatation device that prevents it from diving too far underneath the water. It must stay close to the surface if it does not want a constant, powerful force pulling up on it, and the device is colorful enough to easily be spotted from a good distance away. With calm waters and a colorful marker, one would have to purposely try losing sight of the serpent to lose its position.

The device is also slowing the serpent down enough so that all of the ships could catch up to it, but The Shoebill will reach it first with ease.

“What’s our plan?” Fenrir asks Oleander.

“Well, here’s our problem. We want to use that ballista to shoot those exploding bolts, right? But how are we going to take the serpent back into the city by using the hook-shot and shoot other bolts from it at the same time? We should deal with those guys first, but then we risk letting the serpent get away or getting too heavily damaged,” Oleander explains. “I was going to suggest that we try sinking them first, or at least damaging them enough that they aren’t a threat anymore, but look.”

Oleander and Fenrir look back toward the tower.

Both The Steel Tiger and the longship are waiting on each side of it with their sides facing out toward The Shoebill. While they are nowhere near large enough to block access getting into the city, they are still waiting for The Shoebill to return while slowed down with a serpent for them to take out.

“I wish we could win just by being the last ship floating, but you have to take the serpent back to win. Otherwise, I’d just suggest we do something really stupid,” Oleander continues.

“At least we won’t have to worry about being shot at while catching the serpent,” Fenrir says.

“We won’t be doing something really stupid, but I have an idea that’s so crazy it might as well be really stupid anyways. I was told you got chosen as Nell Nell’s champion or something?”

“Yeah?”

“And Nell Nell is basically part sea serpent, right?”

“Right.”

“Then what if we can use that serpent to help us fight?”

“Yeah, that’s crazy enough to be really stupid.”

Oleander shrugs and returns his attention to following the serpent. “Even with all our upgrades, we’re still way weaker than even one of them, and we’re up against both. We try going in through the left side of the tower, the longship comes over and helps. We try going in on the right side past the longship, the annoying guy comes over to help. I’m just thinking that we need to even the playing field, and the rules didn’t say that we have to catch it through force to bring it back, just that we have to catch it and bring it back. They didn’t say we couldn’t catch it, try making friends with it, then letting it go and leading it back.”

Fenrir pats Oleander’s head, causing the deer boy to nuzzle his head up against his warm hand. “I thought I was the one turning all goody-two-shoes lately?” Fenrir asks.

“I never said I care about the serpent, though. I just want to use it to help kill people,” Oleander says in a happy, relaxed voice as he continues nuzzling Fenrir’s hand.

“Fair enough. I admit that I do feel kind of bad for it, though. It’s been captured just to be released and then hunted down for a tournament.”

“You’re just biased since you’re working for a serpent girl now.”

“Maybe. Anyways, it might be worth a try, and I can’t really think of any way that we could realistically catch it and drag it back while surviving getting past those ships. The lazy bastards are making us do all the work of taking it back. Wait, couldn’t they just sail back to the other side of the tower to look at the screen and see what we’re doing? If they know to expect us bringing the serpent back on our side, then isn’t our plan screwed if it works?”

Oleander looks up at the magical orb following them, takes a thorn out from his pocket, and aims it directly at the orb. Then, with the same spell that he used in the last round, makes it grow to be as large as a person before shooting it toward the orb! The thorn smashes right through the orb and leaves no traces of it.

“They said that anything is allowed past the tower, right?” Oleander looks up at Fenrir with a smile.

…

“Tch, they aren’t as dumb as I hoped they’d be,” Alexander says while looking up at the screen on the back side of the tower.

“Doesn’t matter. They have to come back this way eventually and it’s not like they’ll be able to sneak past us,” one of The Steel Tiger’s crewmembers says. “We’ll see them coming.”

“Are the cannons loaded with those carcass shots?”

“Yes, sir.”

“She’d better appreciate us doing this. Turning my old character into an NPC to start over as some damn fisherman… I better get my wings back and a promotion as soon as this is all over. Not only are we going to keep the alliance from being formed, but I’m also going to bring back the girl chosen by the Western Serpent? I’m going to deserve far more than what was promised.”

“Speaking of which, sir, there were… difficulties due to increased security along the cliff, but all preparations have been completed.”

“Good, whoever took over that cannon didn’t ruin our plans. Shame they didn’t do our job for us and turn it on the deer’s ship. How many we were able to secure?”

“All four that are capable of turning inward enough to face the city.”

Alexander smiles and looks up at the screen once more. Despite them clearly having a conversation on the deck of their ship, no audio is being transmitted. “Keep watching this pathetic excuse for a tournament. You may be able to keep Indra’s and our fleets from reaching you, but you have an army of angsty, wannabe Vikings just waiting for a reason to burn your city down.”

…

“You aren’t watching the final round, Master?” Ull’s dragon of a girlfriend asks.

“You can drop the ‘master’ bit for now,” Ull answers.

“Is your stream turned off?”

Ull nods his head.

“Good, my love. You leave that on far too often. How am I supposed to spoil you and act like a good girlfriend when you’re always broadcasting everything you do? I can’t be the only one getting spoiled all the time,” she says while tracing her fingers along the metal collar around her neck.

“I know, I know, but it is because I stream so much that I have enough money to support—”

“You need not explain yourself to me, my love. I am well aware of the struggles your family faces. They are lucky to have such a wonderful son and older brother.”

“Can you imagine if they knew how I behave in-game? I would probably get disowned.”

They both laugh while she traces her fingers through his hair. “I cannot say that I disagree,” she says. “But, what troubles you so much?”

Ull takes a deep breath and tries his hardest to relax. “I think the game might be starting to affect me. Roleplaying as I do all the time – I feel like I am actually starting to really become Ull. Nehalennia called me out, and while I normally wouldn’t be bothered by her, I am because I know that now she is right. It never bothered me to be talked back to back when I was still myself, but now that I am becoming like Ull, I find myself upset because she attacked my true character rather than just the role that was previously just pretend.”

“Then perhaps it is time for a change?”

“And lose most of the people giving me money and my champions who respect the man that I pretend to – that I am now?”

She leans her head against his own. “I am sorry, my love. I understand how difficult this must be for you. Just know that I am always here for you, and I will support you regardless of what happens, alright?” she assures him, kissing his lips and looking into his eyes.

Ull nods and takes her hands into his own. “Want to go watch the rest of the round with me? It’s been a while since we’ve publicly done anything together.”

Her eyes sparkle with excitement the moment he asks.

…

“We’ve almost caught up to it!” Fenrir shouts from The Shoebill’s bow. “Serra, you ready?”

Serra nods her head from the ballista’s seat. “I don’t think it’s going to want to help us after we shoot it,” she says.

“Yeah, well, it’s the only way of getting it to stop. I don’t exactly speak serpent, and I don’t think it’d stop even if I could tell it to.”

“If you can’t speak to it then how are you going to convince it to help us?”

Fenrir stares at her while trying to think of a good enough response. “We’ll worry about that later.”

“Weren’t you guys like the old leaders of the Divine Brigade or something like that? I don’t see many of those fabled awesome plans coming from you,” Cassiel says with her arms crossed over her breastplate.

“What?” Tabitha asks. “Did I just – did I just hear that right?”

Fenrir turns around and looks at Tabitha whom has supposedly been standing behind them. He completely forgot that neither she nor Corwin knows about that secret yet.

Well, the secret is out now.

“Yeah. I was the leader, Olly and Bone were my seconds. Been trying to keep it secret, but everybody keeps figuring it out anyways, plus you’re trustworthy enough to let know about it,” Fenrir says.

“Here I thought I was the only one with a bad rep! Man, ya really one-up me with that. No wonder ya don’t have a problem with me workin’ on the girl here,” Tabitha says.

“What do you mean by that?” Cassiel asks.

“Ya see here, blondie, everybody who’s into this sorta stuff knows that the old Divine Brigade never cared so much about awesome, legendary plans as much as they did stupid plans. They’ve been some of the luckiest loons in gaming to pull off the crazy stupidity that they have. Sure, they might be smart every now and then, but they’re mainly just stupid and know when to not pick a fight. At least, they used to know that last part.”

Fenrir is rubbing the back of his head with an innocent smile when Cassiel looks at him again. “Can’t say that she’s wrong about that,” he says. “We did lots of stupid stuff and always recruited the craziest people we could find.”

“That’s why I’m here!”

“But crazy stupid stuff that works is cool,” Serra says.

“I thought my boyfriend was smart,” Cassiel says. “Instead he’s just some lucky bastard who—”

“Obviously. I’ve got to be lucky if I’m dating you, don’t I?” Fenrir cuts her off, causing his blonde girlfriend’s cheeks to burn a bright red while Serra gives him a thumbs-up. “Now, we’ve got a serpent to catch.”

"Nice change of topic," Tabitha says.