A warm morning arrives on the land of Nuria with the sun revealing the mess of the festival. With the help of the town locals, the crummy streets began to be swept off, releasing small clouds of dirt into the wind. Harmonic scrubbing echoed throughout the rocky streets, married by the douses of soapy water onto the avenues. People on ladders had removed the decorations from the night prior, leaving only the adorned doors as the only festive article. The barking of dogs resounded off the walls with laughter from kids joining them, screaming as they played with their new gifts. Wagons bounced from the town’s rough lanes with traveling merchants bidding farewell to either family or loyal customers.

Now out from “The Gargle”, Sebastian’s group carried their bags and weapons on their backs, with Camila following them from a distance. Before exiting the inn, Sebastian attempted to tell her of their plan but was not recognized, only receiving a kick to her door from the other side. Desperate to inform her, Sebastian requested Aiden to try to talk to her about the arrangement. Camila listened carefully, and with some reluctance, she too agreed that it was a smart plan. However, she felt as if the detour to the island was a waste of time; not to mention climbing Mt. Elra just for a chance to find the plant was asinine. If she were to accept, her condition was no more sidetracking since the lives of the villagers of Pueblanto were at stake. Aiden repeated her demand to the rest in the other room promptly. With no indecision, everyone acknowledged no more time could be lost, they only hoped to find a clue to where they are being kept captive. The idea to follow Sephtis came up, but Aiden shot it down as Sephtis is someone to have spies all around him. With the topic at hand, before exiting their rooms, Aiden let Shani borrow one of his gigantic cloaks to hide her from any that searched for her.

A thought rushed to Nia that she had almost forgotten to do and took out the shard of Obliriumite that Cecilia had given to her. Not taking long, she opened up her transmitter from the bottom to reveal the contraption’s inner workings. Around where the dial is supposed to be, lay two pieces of Obliriumite fit snuggly between a small pair of metal plates. Slots for more fragments were present, so she placed Cecilia’s shard next to the others and closed her transmitter.

Following the list they wrote before going to sleep, dried meats, medications, and other essential items slipped into their backpacks, buying only what was needed as too much could slow them down. Dwindling through the list with the rays of the sun on their backs, preparations came to a close, and soon after, they made their way to Northwich’s docks. A breeze swept through the town as the group grew closer to the docks in the south-eastern region, tickling their nose with a slight touch of rotten eggs.

A gate stood between them and the lake as they stood, waiting to gain access to pass on through. While in a queue, Sebastian’s party overheard a conversation taking place amongst guards, “- so there have been no shipments from Yardinask for a few days? That’s odd. They usually have a boat or two come in once a week on time.”

“Who knows, but they better not be holding us up, they make the best wine in my opinion. And if there’s no wine, then what has all this been about? I’d quit in a heartbeat if we aren’t given liquor.”

“You drink too much, you know that? You better get that fixed.”

After a short while, they had arrived at the diverging docks. Small waves swished and splashed as they hit either land or the nodding crafts floating up top the water. Wooden boats with sails bobbed in lined up against the planked paths as men, women, and children moved crates filled with items from either off the boats or onto them. Though some were getting ready to set off with cargo in them, the majority were made for angling. Large fishing nets, the size of two adults, came equipped as they hung off next to the hauls of almost every boat with their owners carrying off cages with packed fish in them.

“So, we are here now. Now what, do we swim all the way there?” Sarcastically, Camila rolled her eyes, not at all pleased with the stench filling her nostrils.

“Calm down, please?” Taking a second to ponder, Sebastian suggested, “Well, how about we ask one of the fishermen if they have an extra boat we could use?”

Peering at Sebastian, Camila mumbled under her breath, “Don’t tell me to calm down…”

Nia thought out loud to herself with her hand on her chin, “I doubt that could happen. I mean -” Scanning the docks, she could see no unoccupied vessel and turned to Sebastian who was next to her, “- do you really think someone would just hand over a boat to strangers? Or, you know, we could always just steal a boat…”

Almost offended that Nia would suggest that, Shani’s face contorted with one of her eyebrows shot up under the dark linin she was under, “I-I would NEVER steal, especially a-a boat.”

“Well, so much for that idea…” Camila spat out.

From behind them, a wavering voice from an elderly woman called out, “Did you say you need a boat?”

Facing the direction where they heard her, Nia spotted an old lady with wrinkles everywhere on her wearing a walnut wool over a blue-ish grey linen. She sat on a wicker rocking chair in front of a small equipment shack, moving back and forth, looking at them with a smile. Nia, not wanting to be rude, smiled back at her, “Hello there, ma’am, I mean, we are looking for one, but we don’t have any money to actually buy one.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. You see; I lend my boats to travelers and in exchange, they catch fish for me. As you can see -” Lifting her arm from the armrest, her hand shook in place, “- I’m not as strong as I used to be, and getting food nowadays isn’t easy.” With a slump, her hand returned to its place, “So in reality, you’ll be helping me a lot.”

An opportunity had presented itself to them which had to be too good to be true at a time like this. Not knowing if they should take the chance, the group huddled to speak privately, with Nia sharing her thoughts first, “Well… on the likelihood that this is some sort of business trap or something along the lines of that, we would still be able to use the boat.”

“Yeah, but should we risk it? I mean, what if one day we need to come back here for one reason or another?” Sebastian scratched the back of his head, skeptical about the offer from a stranger.

“Aw c-come on, she can’t seriously be that type of person. Just look a-at her -” Nodding up to point to the old lady, Shani shook her head, “- she just needs help.”

Aiden scratched his chin under his beard, hunching over for the rest because of his tall structure, “Ah have to agree wi' Shani 'ere, that old lady doesn’t seem ill to me, bit o' course we shuid be careful fur anythin'.”

“Honestly, I don’t care what we do, we just need to get going.” Camila shrugged, her irritated mood bleeding through her face for all to see.

Camila’s attitude annoyed Nia to her bone, but she was right, standing here would not help, “I think we should just do it and if there are any consequences, we’ll deal with them in the end.”

Sighing, Sebastian saw they outnumbered him four to one, “Alright, alright, let’s do it.”

Returning to the conversation with the old lady, Nia, along with the others, agreed to her proposal, “Good! Now, I must warn you though, if anything happens to my boat, I will call the guards to lock you up, understand?”

Feeling like they were being treated like children in a way, Nia smiled and gave a quick bow with her head, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure your boat comes back to you in one piece.” Her mind then shifted to what the guards were conversing about earlier and thought, if anyone had any clue about it, it could be her, “Oh, I wanted to ask; do you know anything about Yardinask? I overheard some guards speaking to each other that there have been no ships lately from there.”

“Yardinask? Hmm -” The old lady placed a shivering finger on chin, “- they usually send big ships to us with cargo, but that is correct, we have not seen one in quite a while. Could just be a poor crop season for them.” Almost forgetting, her eyebrows shot up and changed the subject, “If I may ask; where are you all going?”

Feeling as if the information was not a secret, Nia pointed to the middle of the lake just under the horizon, “To the heart of the lake where the island is. I hope that isn’t a problem.”

Scrunching up her eyebrows, the lady bit her lip, “If that is really where you are going, please do be careful; the lake is most dangerous around that area. I never met a traveler that came back alive or even set foot on that island. It has been deserted ever since the prison was destroyed many, many years ago.”

“What keeps killing all these adventures?”

“Mostly nasty creatures that surface the water.” Scoffing, the lady continued, ”I don’t know how ships before used to pass through. People say Namazzi kept them safe, but I don’t believe that, it’s more of a tall tale to me.”

Snickering to herself, Nia blurted out, unable to retain the words in her mouth, “You mean a tall TAIL.”

Everyone around Nia, besides Shani, was left dumbfounded. The old lady closed her eyes, allowing the pain to seep into her, “You know girl, I don’t like you that much.”

Shani, looking clueless, glanced at the group groan in agony, “W-What? I don’t get it?”

“Anyway -” Opening her frail eyes, the woman pointed to the right of the docks, “- my boat is the one with the red sail on the furthest part of the right path, you can’t miss it.”

Upon thanking the elderly women, it was not long until they found the low floating boat that will help them across the water. The wooden boat seemed to be around eight meters long, big enough for the five of them. Stepping carefully inside the upward curved edge shaped like a banana, Aiden grasped tightly on the mast that held a pulled-up large red sail. Tied to the top of the pole were multiple ropes connected to the rim of the craft where one by one each party member helped themselves cross the watery gap. Stepping inside, two large fishing nets lay on the floor next to four oars that could be placed between pairs of short rods on either side of the lips of the craft.

“Hey wait… does anyone know how to row a boat?” Sebastian inquired as he sat on the back seat next to the tiller, feeling himself sync to the waving of the waves.

Collecting the oars from the floor, Aiden smirked, “Don’t worry laddie, I’ve got this handled. Wi' th' help o' this -” He pointed to the war hammer on his back, “- we won’t need another person to row.”

“Alright then, if you get tired, let me know and I’ll help you out. I’ll take care of the rudder.” Next to him, Sebastian grabbed the tiller, moving it side to side to get the feel of it.

With everyone now seated, Aiden untied the thick rope that joined the boat to the platform from drifting away. Placing the oars where they were meant to be settled at the front of the craft, he stretched himself to get ready to begin the journey. With a large row, Aiden moved them all effortlessly away from the wooden path. Splashes erupted from both sides of himself which startled a flock of seagulls perched along the dock. Continuing onward, the waves split in two as the boat carried the group, departing away from Northwich.

Having had some time pass since departure, the town shrunk with every minute that ticked by. The current of the lake sprang everyone ever so slightly with the wind blowing towards them. Rhythmic sloshes broke the silence within themselves, claiming their minds with calmness. At that point, time seemed irrelevant, slipping by like a frothy bar of soap in a bathtub.

Enough distance had been given between them and the folk of Northwich that only the border could be seen. Shani stood up from her seat, grabbed the mast, and let out a loud staccato whistle into the distance. No one knew exactly what to make of it until she waved at a black flying object in the distance. Sebastian and the rest squinted toward it to see if they could get a better look at what was headed in their direction.

“Uh Shani, what is that?” Sebastian was the first to ask with his head tilted.

Still holding onto the mast, Shani emitted a big grin, “My f-friend I told you about yesterday.”

Quickly the object raced to them, more and more it took the shape of a giant bird the size of a boulder. Its white-tipped black feathers rustled in the wind along with its long crest. A loud whistle flowed into a high-pitched screech omitted from the silver beaked bird. With a single swoop into the lake, it caught a large fish with its mighty talons as it dripped droplets below. Arriving at where they were, it landed heavily with one of its claws on the gunwale, rocking the boat sideways furiously to where everyone had to hold on to their seats except for Shani who laughed. The bird cooed softly as it neared its head to Shani, touching her cheek with its beak.

Beaming with happiness, Shani hugged the bird around its neck, “Aww I-I missed you to Kei! Have you been eating well?” Lifting its other claw, Kei presented the fish it had just caught to her, “No, don’t w-worry about me, I ate already, m-my new friends have been helping me.” Letting go, Shani turned around to face the others, “This is my friend Kei, she’s Thunderbird.”

Nia’s eyes widened with astonishment by the bird in front of her. Realizing where they had seen it, she snapped her fingers, “T-That’s the bird we saw outside Northwich yesterday!”

“Oh, s-so you’ve all met already?” Looking back at Kei, Shani saw her gulp down the fish with ease.

“Kinda, mah dire bear, Titan, might have scared it awa' -” Facing at Kei, Aiden chuckled, “- sorry aboot that.”

Camila lost for words, only stared at it, blinking as it blinked back at her, “This bird isn’t from around here is it?”

“T-That is correct, Kei is from a mountainous land that’s west of Nuria called Ercom’trov.”

Taken aback from what he had just heard, Sebastian sat back up on his seat after almost falling into the lake before, “Wait, you’ve been there? Did you see any elves when you were there?”

The question made Shani let out a loud laugh that made her tilt back her head as she caressed Kei’s smooth beak with one of her hands, “Don’t be silly, elves d-don’t exist, they’re just a myth just like andronians in Andradist.”

“Well, that sucks, I really wanted to meet an elf. I heard they are presumed to be super friendly in the legends I’ve heard.” Sebastian slumped down and perked up his lips in dissatisfaction.

Aiden waved his hand the air as if he were washing a wagon with two hands, “Haud up a second ‘ere, ah don’t know whit yer talking aboot, what is an adornian?”

Pulling her hair back to make sure her ponytail had not been ruined, Nia explained, “Andronians are said to be from the half humid, half dry land above Nuria, Andradist. In stories, they are supposed to be tall, strong, and when working together, create mega-structures called pyramids in both the desert or jungle. But -” Mimicking Sebastian, Nia sat, “- I guess it’s all just stories.”

Close to where they were stationed, multiple bubbles arose from beneath the water’s depths, catching the awareness of Shani. Kei turned her head to where she was facing, intrigued by the popping of the blobs on the surface. Alarmed by a sudden movement underwater, Kei’s three white plumed crest rose as she let out an angry hiss. Each one rose an eyebrow at Kei and then shifted their attention to the bursting bubbles. Indistinguishable shapes under the aquatic level morphed as they ascended closer to the surface, while the group was kept mystified to what they could be. Kei’s natural sense of protection came over her, spreading out her long wings to cover half the boat. Electric surges forked between the tips of her feathers as sparks flickered over her eyes, charged for any type of confrontation she might need to barrage at.

One final bubble popped, followed by a massive burst of water exploding into view from the lake, rocking the craft strenuously, causing everyone to hold on to the nearest steady object. Two beasts intertwined with each other, fighting for domination, clashed in front of the group’s eyes. A long-limbed crocodile sunk its teeth with the multiple mouths on every limb joint of its body onto a scaled, vibrant horse creature with fins protruding from the back. The crocodile’s spiked tail whipped behind it to reveal another aquatic horse biting furiously, pulling back with all its might to attempt slowing it down. Various deep growls originating from the legion of mouths rumbled in the air as high-pitched gurgling neighs penetrated their eardrums.

“Nia, what the hell are those!?” Sebastian held tightly to the ledge of the boat as it shook vigorously side to side.

Stumbling on her words, Nia watched in astonishment as the three creatures brawled right in front of her eyes. Water sprayed onto her face, returning awareness to her, “T-The crocodile is a Cipactli and the horses are Hippocampus!”

Holding on to dear life, Aiden received a powerful distress bombarding him, emanating directly from the entrapped Hippocampus, prompting him to kneel in agony, “We need to hulp it! it's going to die if we don’t!”

Shani placed her foot on the gunwale with one hand on Kei’s back, “Kei, help them!”

Using its mighty wings, it jumped into the air and flew to the ensuing battle with trails of lightning trailing behind her in dark wispy clouds. The Cipactli noticed Kei rushing toward it after she let out a powerful scream. Shaking off the Hippocampus off of its tail with a mighty swing, the Cipactli lashed out at Kei, who was now close enough to almost grab its head. With a hard stop, Kei evaded the attack and countered with a short zap using its discharging feathers to refrain from electrocuting the Hippocampus. Releasing the hostage from its main mouth, it hissed in pain, allowing the horse to take its chance to bite the neck of the Cipactli, finally letting go completely of it. Both Hippocampi dove into the water to grant Kei the opportunity to go full out. Kei raised high into the air, charging up herself, and with a forceful electrifying flap of her wings, shot a bolt of lighting from her body straight at the Cipactli. As the flash connected to the beast, it roared in misery, spasming uncontrollably. The force of the attack left a large burnt crater on the front of its shoulder, bleeding a dark red liquid profusely into the lake.

Still ambitious to kill, the Cipactli swam to the boat with one arm dragging behind it, slowly getting closer to the group. Grasping the grip of his war hammer, Aiden stood up and wielded his weapon in front of him with both hands, veins on his wrists bulged out from the strength in which he held the handle. Lifting its ugly face from the water, the Cipactli opened its grand maw, ready to devour everyone. Pushing themselves back against the other side of the boat; Sebastian, Nia, and Camila looked at their impending doom in front of them. With a grand swing, Aiden bashed the Cipactli on the side of its jaw, completely ripping it out from the hinges of its head. The force from the impact and blood loss finally killed the creature, slowly sinking into the bottom of the lake from once it came.

Kei perched herself on the sail above them, seeming proud of the work she had done on her opponent, and began to preen her tail feathers. Shani sat back down, her heart almost beating out of her chest, “That w-was close.” Looking up at Kei, she grinned out of breath, “You did good Kei, and t-thank you Aiden, you saved us.”

With a chuckle, Aiden dipped the weapon into the water to clean off the blood that had splashed onto it, “'twas nothing 'n' besides, ah got to test oot mah new war hammer -” After it was good as new, he retreated it back to its original place behind him, “- really packs a punch if ah do say so mahself!”

Popping their heads from under the surface of the water, the Hippocampi rose beside the boat where Aiden stood. Their gleaming scales shone from the bright sunny day with webbed fins on their heads to the back of their neck. Gills under their jaw closed in sync to allow their nose to breathe in the air. Aiden took a step back, startled by the sudden appearance of them. Looking into their eyes, he understood they were not here to harm them. Stepping forward, Aiden gently placed his hand on the head of the hurt Hippocampus. Gratitude, calmness, and joy overcame Aiden’s head, nodding to them as he smiled.

“He’s thanking us fur saving their lives.” With a hug, Aiden caressed the neck of the sea horse as it blew air from its nose.

Finally, standing up from their petrification; Nia, Sebastian, and Camila wobbled as they stood up. Calmly approaching the Hippocampus, the three watched as it drew its head closer to them. Perceiving that they were no threat, it allowed them to touch its head. With all the care in the world, they all placed their hands on the lower jaw of the injured Hippocampus, still dripping some of its blood from its wounds.

“Is it going to be okay? I mean, it looks pretty badly hurt.” Sebastian asked openly, not knowing who would have the answer.

“Fish and aquatic animals do not heal faster or better than any other organism, so it’ll just take some time until it is all better.” Looking at the injury where it had been bitten, Nia saw the bite marks were not too deep, “Yeah, I think it’ll be okay, nothing too serious was hurt.”

Both the Hippocampi pulled back their heads and before departing, they took a look at Kei who was still on top of the craft, still preening herself. They let out a soft whinny, responded by a gentle chirp from Kei, who took a moment to recognize them. With manners out of the way, the beasts descended back into the watery extent, letting their long tail happily slap the tension of the water, splashing everyone as they laughed, except for Camila who sighed in annoyance.

Taking a break from rowing, Aiden let down the sails of the boat, angling the craft just right so the eastern winds blew them in the right direction. With them back on track, the large island appeared before them by evening. A sandy shore greeted them with trees brushing against each other from the gust. Once the boat was near enough to the coast, Aiden and the others leaped off into the shallow waters and pulled the craft onto shore with a thick rope.

“Well, we’re here, what now? What do we look for?” Camila dusted off sand off of her pants, struggling to wipe all particles from her.

Shani took a moment to look at her surroundings. Trees and bushes filled the island with not much to really investigate. From between the dense trucks of the wood, she spotted large chunks of rubble on the ground, “Over there, let see if I c-can find anything relating to what I’m looking for.” Looking back at Kei who had been on the sail the whole ride, Shani gestured a stop motion with her hand, “Kei, stay here for now. I’ll call you if we need help.” Kei answered back with a peep and got herself comfortable by standing with one talon and puffing her feathers out.

Eeriness dawned onto them as they passed through the lush trees. No chirping of birds or any sounds from any kind of animal could be heard, only the sweeping of the wind through the leaves of the trees. The sensation made Sebastian grow uncomfortable as if eyes were peering through the gaps of the trees, watching their every move. Every once in a while he would think he would see something from the corner of his eyes in the distance, but every time he turned to see what it could be, it had vanished without a trace. He didn’t know if it was just him or everyone was also feeling this uneasiness like him.

“Do you guys by any chance get the sense like we are being watched?” Skeptical, Sebastian kept his guard up, unknowing of what could be around them.

Contributing to Sebastian’s discomfort, Aiden pulled out his war hammer, “A'm feelin' it too, ah hope we kin fin' what we came 'ere fur quickly 'n' leave. Something doesn’t seem right.”

At last, the group reached their destination. Appearing before their very eyes was a large toppled tower made of large grey, mossy bricks that were scattered all over the grassy floor. The slab roof had been blown clean off, spread across into the woods facing away from the direction of the water behind them. Walking closer to it, the broken wooden entrance hung off of its only remaining lower hinge, dangling pitifully with a low squeak. With the sun setting, the shadows slowly enveloped the wilderness, casting shadows on the floor like hands reaching to seize them.

“We shouldn’t stay here too long, this place is setting off all of my alarms.” Nia took out her bow from around her shoulder, took out six arrows, and placed and one on its string.

Creeping closer to the opening of the tower, the remaining three took out their weapons, ready for whatever may spring up at them. Aiden was the first to take a step inside and look around. Only darkness draped the indoors of the tower with a large opening to seep light in from the outside. Given the okay, the rest poured in, making sure their surroundings were safe in case Aiden may have missed any beast lurking about. Debris filled the entire floor; metal chains and jail doors lay rusted as they advanced over more broken stone. A pair of spiral stairs greeted them with one crumbled heading up and the other downward into what they think was the basement. Having no other option, they settled for going below with Aiden taking the lead, his hands at the ready to bash any threat.

With a shiver running down her spine while stepping down the stairs, Nia whispered lightly, “What could have done this? This place is completely destroyed.”

Sebastian looked at Shani behind them who returned the look back, “According to the people in Northwich, they say it was Namazzi.”

“That’s impossible, that has to be just a story. Those giant beasts they pray upon are nothing but legends to keep kids entertained and interested in exploration. Besides -” Using the wall to feel more secure going down, Nia dug her foot into the built-up dust on the stair, “- how could something from so far away in the water attack and destroy this place? It makes no sense. The amount of force it would have to shoot water at it would have to be -”

“Shush, ah hear something.” With his last step, Aiden reached the bottom of the stairs and pointed his weapon into the dark in front of him, “Wish we had brought some torches or something.”

From the back of the group, a light flickered to life. When the party quickly looked back to see what it was, all they saw was Shani holding a lit torch in her hand, “S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle everyone. The walls have unlit torches, so I grabbed one and turned it on.”

Puzzled, Camila inquired, “But… we didn’t hear you use any flint and tinder.”

“Aiden said t-to be quiet, so I was careful to light it. I’m very good at turning on fires silently.”

“Right…” Camila slowly along with the group turned back forward. If there was light now, she would not question it any further.

Like the floor above, this section was also a mess; dismantled cages lay on the ground, shackles hung from the walls, and splintered planks of wood capped the dusty flooring. Aside from clutter, piles of shattered bones surrounded the room with an old campsite in front of an intact skeleton still wearing their decrepit cloak over them. Removing the hood from her head, Shani walked on over to it to inspect the ancient human as she crouched. Without touching it, she searched its area around and peeked under the coat only to fine dust.

Sighing sadly, Shani kept seeking now more intently, “I think I-I just made you all come here for nothing, I’m sorry to h-have wasted your time.”

“Now hold on, we just got here. We have a lot of land to explore still, don’t give up at the very beginning.” Sebastian approached her, kneeling with her and putting his hand on her shoulder.

“You don’t u-understand -” Still at it, Shani lifted the cloak, desperate to find any clue with tears forming in her eyes, “- coming here, where we are now, was supposed to l-lead me to where my grandfather is. They said s-something is waiting for me here, something to guide me to him.” Standing back up, she kicked the skeleton in frustration, causing it to tumble, “I should have n-never believed them.”

“Your grandfath -”

A distinct sound of metal hitting stone echoed from under the dismembered bones Shani had just punted interrupted Sebastian. Looking down at it, she bent down and removed the coat covering the area. There, laying on the floor, two glistening curved tipped swords had fallen; its beautiful shade of light metallic blue reflected at them from the torch Shani held. When she picked one of the blades up from its black leather grip, she noticed the silver handguard resembled two serpent heads facing away from each other. Lifting the other weapon, she saw it was identical in every way to the first in her other hand. As she rose, she turned around to show the others what she had found.

“No… it can’t possibly be.” Astonished, Sebastian examined the weapons in her hands, “These can’t be the Tsunami Blades, can they?”

“Tsunami swords?” Nia asked, unsure of what to exactly make of them. They just seemed like any other swords to her.

With a turn of his head, Sebastian faced Nia as he was still in awe, “The swords from the legend that were used to kill Namazzi.”

“How could two swords kill a giant beast? And where’s its body? You’d think by now someone would have seen it floating in the lake, or at least its remains.” Nia, still not buying it, turned around to make sure nothing was stalking up at them, “Just take them and let’s get on our way, this place is giving me the creeps.”

Camila also approached the weapons and gave them a look, “I’ve only heard the stories my -” Choking up on her words, she continued, “- my father and mother used to tell me about the gods. If these are those very weapons, take care of them and be careful. Who knows what they could do.”

Taking her words to heart, Shani nodded. Sheathing the Tsunami swords in place of her blades, she wiped her tear with the sleeve of her cloak, “I will, and maybe these are what I was supposed to find.”

A low gargling growl descended from above, alarming the group to look all around them. Multiple scratches high on the stone walls caused them to look up into the faint reaches of the light, unable to see what was producing the sounds. Mixed emotions from confused to scared sprung up within their minds, not knowing if it was friend or foe. Chills surrounded their skin with their weapon at hand, shaking in place uncontrollably. The only member that had their steel nerves up was Aiden, twisting and turning all-around to see if he could spot the creature.

“Come out 'ere 'n' I’ll be sure to end it quickly!” With a furious swing, Aiden hit the ground, causing the stone to crack and the tower to vibrate.

Dust from the ceiling covered Nia’s hair, shaking her head to make it fall off, “I think we should get out of here. I don’t know what it could be and I’m not waiting to find out.”

Bursting out into a run, everyone sprinted up the stairs being sure they didn’t trip over themselves. More and more growls arose from the darkness, reverberating from all sides of them so they could not locate the exact location from where it originated. As they grew closer to the top, a large crimson tongue shot out from the dark and stuck to the wall behind Shani, causing her to fall and scream in surprise. The rest stopped and looked at the grotesque long tongue glued to the stone; warts covered the whole flesh with drool dripping down. A horrid stench protruded from it, like the stink of a dead animal marinating in the sun on a hot summer day. With the cooperation of Sebastian, Shani quickly got up with the rest and continued their escape out of there.

At a breakneck pace, the five of them jolted out of the tower and into the starry dark outdoors, the light of day no longer able to protect them. Heavy trampling rushed toward them from every direction, forcing them to stop in their tracks. The fractures of snapping tree trunks near their location snapped their attention to where it came from. A low gurgling growl approached them slowly, the torches light just far enough for them to see large black claws digging into the earth as it neared closer. Finally, out of the shadows, a large scarlet reptilian face peeked out of the umbra, its gnarled black and red striped horns the size of a human. With its monocular vision, both of its chameleon-like eyes were pointed right at them, snarling with short razor-sharp teeth. As the thick neck appeared, long thick curved spikes protruded from its back, all varying in size. Creeping out more, the creature had revealed its six long, thick legs with a tail longer than its own massive body.

“Nia?” Sebastian’s voice trembled as he stared directly at the ten-foot-tall creature with his katana pointed at it.

With the same tone, Nia shook her head with an arrow pulled back on the string of her bow, “I-I don’t know what that is!”

A loud choking scream coming from the path to their boat pierced their ears, followed by a booming electrical zap. Shani’s head turned in a blink of an eye to where the craft was, knowing the only animal that could cause that kind of noise was Kei. As Shani faced away, the red beast leaped toward them, its front claws reaching out to grab whoever it could. Everyone evaded out of the way, vaulting in different directions so as not to crash into one another. As it landed, it turned its head to Aiden and spat out its tongue, grabbing him by the neck. Attempting to break free with his face turning red, Aiden grabbed the slimy muscle with his free hand but could not get a grip. The creature’s left eye turned to Camila on the other side, who was beginning to stand up. The tail lunged forward, wrapping around Camila, asphyxiating her as she tried to pull it away from her throat. Unfinished, the beast moved fast toward Nia as it swung the other two in its clutches in the air. Sebastian sprinted to Nia to defend her, but as it was about to grab her with one of its sharp claws, it jerked to a stop. Both Sebastian and Nia looked at what caused the sudden pause; one of its hind legs had been enveloped into the earth as if it had been caught in a crack. Sebastian swung his weapon diagonally at the tongue to release Aiden without wasting any more time. He fell with a thump as the beast cried with an inverted scream. Finally removing the muscle, Aiden coughed as he inhaled, grabbing his neck in pain. On the other side, Sebastian saw Shani jump into the air and cut the tail with her sabers. Like Aiden, Camila landed heavily and struggled to recover her breath.

Howling and scrapping its claws to break free, the beast stretched its hand in desperation to catch one of them that stood in front of it. Its belly flopped to the ground with every attempt to move forward, frantic to escape from its trap. With Aiden and Camila still recovering, Shani gracefully landed from her attack and ran to the side of the beast. As she was on the move, her sabers penetrated the side stomach, slicing its gut wide open. After the beast screamed once more, its lifeless head fell to the floor. Stretching the swords outward beside herself quickly and spinning them in a circular motion with a flick of her wrists, the blood on the blades shook off. Just as she was to dash back to the boat, another of the same creature dropped from the sky right on the first, dead and burnt to a crisp, startling the group.

Kei landed on top of the two similar carcasses with a chirp. Once it saw Shani, she fluttered down to her with Shani hugging Kei tightly, “Oh Kei, you’re a-alright!”

Left speechless, Sebastian and the rest just stood in their spots, gawking at her. Sebastian, wide-eyed, finally broke the silence, “Wow, you are really skilled!”

Flipping her hair back and rubbing her neck, Camila rolled her eyes, “She got lucky, if that thing hadn’t gotten stuck, we’d still be in trouble -” Letting out a brief sigh, she nodded, “- but thank you.”

“It's no p-problem, I’m just glad everyone is okay.” Petting Kei on her neck, Shani looked back at the others, “B-But we should really get out of here. W-Who knows if there are any more of those things a-around.”

“She’s right, this place is too dangerous -” Placing his war hammer over one of his shoulders, Aiden began to move toward where their craft was, “- ‘n’ ah don’t know if we could handle more than one.”

On the move again, the group ran past the bleak wooded area and shortly arrived at their boat in the shallow waters. With the four on the craft, Aiden pushed the boat easily out of the sand and hopped on, preparing to row once more to return to Northwich. Within a couple of minutes of departing, dark clouds casually rolled in above them, covering the once starry heavens. Safe and away from the dangerous island, Shani unsheathed both Tsunami Blades and placed them on her lap to view their masterful craftsmanship. She had wondered what they would feel like in her hand, and now that she had had them in her hands, they felt perfectly balanced. Considering she now had them in her possession, would it even be alright to use them to fight?

“All this for these s-swords. Those beasts must have been taken o-over the island after the prison was wrecked.” Shani lightly glided her fingers on the smooth cold metal, mesmerized by its refracting blue hue.

“Or it could have been those things that brought the tower down and killed everyone.” Scratching the back of her head, Nia held onto the mast, looking back on the island, “That’s the problem with stories like these; they are over-exaggerated often.”

Still feeling down, Shani stood up while relocating the Tsunami Blades on the wooden floor behind her between the two back seats, “Anyway, I-I am sorry to have put you all in danger. I will keep my end of the bargain a-and guide you to Mt. Elra, even if we didn’t find exactly w-what I was searching for.”

Nodding, Nia smiled as a shower sprinkled over the land, “At least you were able to see with your own eyes if this place had anything relating to your… grandfather, was it?”

Shani, with a deep sigh, turned her head to the front of the boat, “I’ve been searching for him for m-many years now. We were prisoners, but before that, he was the one that took c-care of me after my parents died. After we were captured, he did his best to protect me. We managed to escape when I was y-young, but there was an accident and he’s been missing ever since.” Looking at Kei who was above them, she gave her a big smile, “Thankfully I found Kei when she was a s-small chick. I took care of her the best I could and now she’s the o-one taking care of me.”

“I’m really sorry to hear.” Respectfully, Nia put her hand on Shani’s arm, “How long ago was it since you last saw your grandfather?”

“About ten years ago, everything I know is because of him s-so I’m doing my best to find him.”

Surprised by her determination, Nia let go of her, “Ten years you’ve been looking for him? That’s a long time! I hope he’s okay.”

With a bittersweet smile, Shani glanced at Nia. Droplets forming on her cheeks as she pulled the hood up on the coat, “He has to be, he’s someone that doesn’t give up easily and I’m sure he’s looking for me too.”

After the chat dwindled, Sebastian thought it best to start catching the fish the old lady wanted so they would not get in trouble with the town guards. With all in agreement, Aiden and he threw the fishing nets into the water, hoping there were fish in this part of the lake. Within an hour, the shower had turned to heavy rain, drenching the clothes on everyone as they used their bags as a shield from the constant downpour. Blaring droplets crashed around them like a crowd of people shushing continuously at a church. A minor tremor rippled through the lake, the fish caught in the nets underwater responded by struggling so violently that Sebastian almost lost grip. A minute later, a stronger vibration beneath them in the water shook the boat, almost making Shani lose her balance and fall into the pitch-black void. Breaking free, the fish took both nets from their hands, swimming away in a panic frenzy. Confused, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked over the gunwale with the dark abyss staring back at them.

“What the hell was that, an earthquake?” With a glance at Nia next to him, Sebastian felt his limbs wobble from the motion of the currents.

Without hesitation, Nia replied hastily, “That felt nothing like an earthquake, that was more of a shock wave originating from right below us.”

“Below us? That’s impossible!” Sebastian squinted his eyes to try to see deeper under them, “Damn it -” Hitting the wooden edge out of frustration, “I can see anything down there. How can you be so sure about that?”

Aiden looked up into the sky, the water droplets splashed on his face, “There’s something weird aboot this storm…”

Again, the water trembled, rocking them in place. A massive wave passed under them, bobbing the boat up as Kei held on tightly onto the sail, scanning all around her to see if there was an enemy. A quick flash of lightning ignited the sky with a booming thunder racing after it. Roaring winds picked up mixed with violent waves, shaking them as if someone was swaying the lake back and forth in a massive tub. CRACK! BOOM! More streaks burst to life as multiple dense clouds rotated, creating walls of cylinder barriers in configurations of descending funnels. With every passing turn, the revolving gales pulled liquid from the lake, accumulating enough for each whirlwind to be seen by the naked eye a mile away. The surrounding surfaces whirled with power into hazardous vortexes, luckily with ample spacing so they may not absorb their small feeble craft.

Aiden raced back to the oars of the creaking boat. With water splashing all over him and the boat unsteady, it was becoming difficult to row by the second, “Ah don’t think this boat is going to be able to tak' it if this keeps up! Brace yourselves!”

“As if we have any other choice?!” Camila yelled over the exploding storm as she observed the night flare-up in bursts with every bolt impacting the aquatic expanse.

Grasping as hard with all their might; Sebastian, Nia, and Camila planted down with their hands on the edge of the boat with Shani clutched onto the sides of the mast. Another enormous wave passed under them, this time faster than the last. Out of the corner of Sebastian’s eyes, past the blinding rain, a sizeable chunk of the lake water bulged up as if a creature was trapped under its liquidy film, pushing up to escape its prison. A larger swelling appeared where the last one had been, causing Kei’s long crest to rise as she stared intently at it with her wings expanded, soaked to the bone and hissing with anger. Terrified, everyone watched the surge rise and fall repeatedly, growing with every ascension, trembling in fear of what could be lurking in the depths of Lake Basa.