The skies were clear of any clouds. The sea was like a lake in the morning. It was still. The masts, sails, and hull of the Galleon did not creak or groaned. The heat of the sun seemed like it bounced on the deck of the Galleon.

The fleet floated on top of the seawater without any ripple below the hull. Sailors, who were usually on the move, stared at the still sails. They were rubbing their stomachs, and arms, staring at that empty blue sky, before hurrying to a shade. Gabrio looked at the ocean, but there was nothing but an endless pit of darkness.

Not far from Gabrio was an apprentice who listened to the Boatswain. Explaining the different ways to tie a knot. There was also a passenger who was not from them. It was a passenger staring at the empty horizon.

On the passage leading to the hatchway. Gabrio was alone, staring at the man who was asking for another cup of water. Someone thought it was a good idea to make in charge of handling the water barrel. Gabrio wanted to complain and said. "Freshwater's going to be empty if they kept on sipping!"

But a constable informed him that the use of Elven Artes had allowed the ship's galley to create freshwater. How it came to be. The Scribe had explained how the Artes converted the moisture in the air into drops of liquid. The Scribe was attentive to the details as he gulped down the cup of water on his hand.

After that scribe had finished his cup of water. Gabrio stopped and said. "You should stop eating too many crabs."

Which the Scribe replied with, "Bah, better than that dried shit they keep feeding us!" And left the cockpit with a stride.

Ten days ago, he had not been able to keep track of time. He was alone in this cockpit, where he used to wait for patients. The cockpit had a square box where the sand was placed. A barrel of water and a ladle where he could scoop the water to a cup. The sailors who had been working for the deck. Had been drinking the water that they thought was precious. 'Elven' water had a taste to it when in truth it was the moisture that was turned into liquid they were drinking.

Zyra, who was his usual companion. had started wandering around the ship. Whatever was her business, that made her usual temper even more short-fused. Gabrio does not know what was happening, but he refused to meddle on her affairs.

He had been covering her absences. Telling the Inquisitor that she had been doing routine checks to the patients. Not that the lie mattered knowing how fast news spread inside the Galleon.

Below the deck, Gabrio saw children taking a peek at the upper deck. Some of the children looked well-dressed. While the rest were cabin boys who seemed to have not taken a bath for days. A server would climb out of the hatchway once in a while, delivering a meal to the Captain and his officers. Gabrio would offer the woman a drink, and she would partake, offering a few words before going back to her duties.

From inside the cockpit, Gabrio could see the ocean. As he was looking at the round bolted window. He saw Dom enter, the bespectacled scribe that had been visiting the cockpit.

"Was the water still a, a while ago, Doctor?"

"It's always still."

He flipped a page on the book he was holding. “According to the Scholar who took samples of the Dread Line, and the Bays near the mainland. The seawater of the Dread Line and the Bays of the mainland differ. The former contains a huge amount of salt, while the latter had less the amount of salt.”

"The difference?”

“On the Book of the Water of Life, by Sir Scholar Choron. It was detailed that freshwater fish could not live in seawater. It also detailed how the salinity of the water, makes sea creatures unable to live in the seawater.”

“Didn’t we kill a beast that lived on this very sea?”

He raised a finger, “But we were not in the Dread Line at that moment. What happens within the area where the seas of Tascam Point and the Dread Line.”

“And?”

“And? It means everything, Doctor! It means that these creatures may not be able to swim in the sea without intoxicated by the saltwater.”

“Living in so many years here had made these creatures able to adapt, right?”

“But do realize that the Dread Line itself is one giant basin.”

“Basin?”

“Those basalt walls we encountered, Good Doctor. We call it the maw of the world, when in fact it was more of a basin.”

Gabrio tapped his knee, “Again, how do we know this?”

“Through deduction and survey of the landscape? How else do we explain the unnatural?”

“Explain the Elven Artes then.”

Dom frowned. “Doctor, I am at ease that you are full of questions, but even I cannot answer that. How about asking the Lady of the Ship?”

“Not a chance,’ Gabrio said, waving his hand. “So...what does it mean?”

“What do you mean?”

“How would this somehow mean anything to what we were discussing??”

Dom mopped his face. “It means that we might not meet the Dread Creatures while sailing across the Dread Line.”

“The Black-Scaled? What about them? Do you think that we'll meet them?”

“Who knows?” Dom shook his head. “I’ve heard legends about these creatures, but legends nonetheless. But let me say that I can theorize this: The enemy might be on the edges of the Dread Line.”

“How do we know that we aren’t on the Dread Line?”

“The bottom of the sea, until we see the seafloor then we are still on the Dread Line.”

“You do realize how absurd that is? Even the Coastlines of Reon were deep. None could see through the bottom of it.”

“And yet in the clearest of days, when the day is hot and the waters are still. You could catch a glimpse of the bottom of the Sea of Reon.”

“Sounds crazy.”

Dom sniffed. “Says the one in this voyage. I take it that you are here for adventure or that you so little to lose. Or are you seeking something, Doctor?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about, but I came here for one reason. And that reason is to help people. Tell them that they shouldn’t be entering the cockpit. And discussing a pit of blackness containing aquatic abominations killing us all.”

Dom barked a laugh, slapped his thigh, and carried his notebook out of the cockpit. He stopped in the middle of the door frame, elbow leaned on the frame. “You should drink water, Doctor.”

Gabrio shrugged. Took to the ladle, scooped a cup of water, and drank. He then leaned on the wall of the cockpit, rested his head, and listened in to the chatter of the deck once again. His mind started drifting away.

As time passed, afternoon came. The weather started to cool, the sailors didn’t come to the cockpit to drink water. And no one came to replace the barrel of water. The ships had started to move again after the Lady recovered her strength. The wind pushed the sails and countless tiny spirits were pushing the fleet. A soft thudding sounded all the time as sailors moved to one place.

Passengers who came to this voyage watched the spirits. They wore leather clothing, while some wore fabrics that would cost a month’s worth of salary to a dock worker. Most of them carried holsters and scabbards. Wore leather pouches and bandoleers around their bodies. Splinted mail, chest plate, brigantine, and studded clothing layered to their clothing.

Outside the cockpit, the dance of the spirits kept ongoing. Listening close, you could hear tiny voices. They do not have human-like forms. Most of them were like balled cotton floating up and down, dancing around the masts and sails.

On the roundhouse of the ship. The mainmast where she stood, Lady Eletha continued her singing. Gabrio stared at the Lady for a minute or three before turning his eyes to the fleet that formed a giant shadow. It was moving as if it was one organism.

Then a thought came to his head. He had observed that creatures no matter how fierce they are. They always are wary of creatures that are twice their size. The black-scaled behemoths might be larger than a small hill. But from below what would the whole ship look like to them?

The whole ship was sailing in one tight-knit formation so that the Lady’s song could cover the whole fleet. Although it would be safer to keep a few distances away. The range of the Lady’s song would be reduced and its potency would be lower.

As for the thought that came to his head. Gabrio theorized that if there was a creature looking at the ship. Then it must have mistaken the whole fleet as one single organism. Of course, there are creatures in the world that are fearless. Capable of striking down creatures that are twice their sizes. But it still does not invalidate his thoughts.

Another reason he could think of why the black-scaled creatures did not attack the ship. Could be because of the artillery and gunfire that they had used while entering The Dread Line. It might be reaching, but the sound the fleet made that day should have been perceived from miles. The silence of the Dread Line would have amplified the sound of artillery as well.

Of course, this was an idea that formed out of his observations. Not to mention that as he thought of this. The legends that he had read on these creatures made them act fearless. And in the books, they dwarfed the size of any fleet.

After some time, the spirits continued lighting the fleet as night arrived. The passengers went back to their home-decks. Gabrio returned as well, shutting the barrel of water with the lid. And then climbing down the hatchway, and started to the staircase leading to the first deck.

Kids managed by the constables. Sailors carrying barrels of water to the second and third deck of the ship. While the people of the Galleon started to gather on the place where the people gather when night comes. To share their food, and drink the mead and wine provided by the ship.

The Even Bar had ten stools on the counter. Behind the counter was a shelf, and four casks containing two casks of mead, and two casks of wine. The bar itself was like a hall with a stage. Where the musicians, bards, and performers come to entertain people. He saw that there were four bards, two chroniclers, and a troupe had joined the Galleon’s Crew. A long journey like this means that people will have to find a way to entertain themselves. What he doesn’t understand was why they would come here.

Gabrio dispersed the thought. He went to the side hugging the wall, where most of the junior officers gathered. Discussing among themselves within the hubbub of the bar. A person slid next to his seat. The person raised the tankard that was on his hand, the person thumped his against Gabrio's. And the two shared a drink or two.

A man and a woman climbed to the stage, they then started playing their stringed instruments. As the music continued, the people coming to the bar started to grow larger. Until the whole hall was full of people.

Gabrio took his tankard with him. He weaved through the crowd, placed the tankard on the wash barrels. And sauntered away with the sound fading as he continued moving. Climbing down the decks. Gabrio noticed the Constables guarding the halls with iron lamps on their hand. Gabrio slipped unnoticed, not daring to bother them.

Arriving at his home deck, back to his cabin. He went back to his seat, reread the notes that his mentor wrote on the tomes, and checked on his items again. After checking his tomes he turns his attention to the hatch covering the round bolted window. He raised the hatch, and to his surprise, he saw glowing orbs in the veil of darkness. Squinting his eyes to focus, Gabrio came to realize that they were not orbs. These things numbered a hundred and thousands. He remained standing next to the round window. Watching the things formed into a school of creates possessing many shapes.

Then these things started to twinkle, and they formed into one giant glow. At that moment he understood that he was not seeing a school of these creatures. He was seeing the main body of an aquatic creature with blister-like scales filled with pus.