The speedboat engines roared against the thick fog, slicing through the Shallow Waters toward the Dark Abysses, salt stinging Kain's eyes as he gripped the helm, his tense fingers digging into the damp wood. A black wave crashed against the bow, the warm bracelet pulsing on his wrist, the metal vibrating like a living heart. Drenn's hoarse voice echoed in his mind—"Yariv passed through here with that girl, Selya, just hours ago," the merchant had coughed back at Veil Village, pipe smoke curling in gray spirals. "…Heading for Broken Rocks," he'd continued, jabbing a crooked finger toward the sea, his sunken eyes fixed on Kain as if he knew more than he let on. Kain clenched his fists against the helm, the bracelet searing his skin, a silent promise of speed and chaos.
"We'll grab Selya and make Yariv choke on his ridiculous plan," Kain growled, his teeth grinding with determination.
The sea rumbled low, dark waves swirling near the "Sea's Teeth"—jagged rocks jutting up like twisted fangs, sharp enough to shred a hull. A whirlpool swelled ahead, its frothing maw hissing as it yanked Vael's boat with brutal force, the hull inches from a serrated rock. Vael clung to the helm with trembling hands, his face pale, each creak of wood tearing a muffled scream from him, his wide eyes searching for salvation.
"Hold on tight!" Torv bellowed, his voice cutting through the wind.
"Those damn crows never warn you before they mess everything up!" Torv grumbled, his fists clenched against the engine.
"I'm going down, I'm going down!" Vael shouted, panic dripping from every syllable.
Lirien, at Kain's bow, braced her spear against the deck, the salty wind whipping her hair, the dark strands dancing like living shadows. Sira adjusted her bow, but the arrow veered off, swallowed by the howling gusts. Kain let out a low laugh, but the sound of splintering wood sliced through his sarcasm, a sharp crack ringing in his ears.
"Kain, he can't take much more!" Lirien yelled, her eyes sparking with urgency.
"I can't aim in this mess!" Sira snapped, her tone sharp as a blade.
"If the sea wants me this bad, it could at least buy me a drink first," Kain chuckled, dark humor glinting in his gaze.
Black skiffs tore through the fog like swift shadows, their hulls streaked with white claw marks, Yariv's pirates howling from the decks—lean, tattooed figures raising harpoons with calloused hands. An arrow whizzed, striking the hot bracelet on Kain's wrist with a dry snap. The metal flew off, tumbling into the whirlpool's foam, its heat fading like a sigh. Kain rubbed his empty wrist, frowning—no time to dwell on it, the sea's roar swallowing any pause.
"Grab the relic for Yariv!" the pirates shouted, their gravelly voices piercing the mist.
"Great, now these crows want to screw me before I even get the chance," Kain snarled, his eyes narrowing.
"Selya's alive at Broken Rocks—move it, Kain!" Lirien barked, her spear steady in her grip.
"These boats are at their limit, you thick-headed fools!" Torv yelled, sweat dripping down his forehead.
Vael's boat rocked, the hull cracking as the whirlpool dragged it toward the rock, the wood groaning like a wounded beast. Torv was stuck at the engine, Sira out of range, Lirien fighting—only Kain could cross the whirlpool with the Ruby Jewel's superspeed. He drew the Jewel, its red glow flaring as it morphed into the Ruby Sword, the familiar weight settling in his palm. "No choice here, but this thing better obey me or I'm mincemeat—like those idiot lightning bolts," he thought, hesitating for a split second before darting forward in a red blur. Without the bracelet, his legs faltered, the deck slamming into his knee with a dull crack, saltwater splashing his face as he nearly fell. The sword hummed as it cleaved the wave, the sea's roar drowned by a burst of foam, but he stumbled, eyes wide: "Why the hell can't I balance? Damn Jewel, obey me!"
"I can't control this anymore!" Vael screamed, despair shredding his voice.
"Go, Kain, you idiot—make that Jewel listen or Vael's dead!" Lirien shouted, her spear aimed like a threat at the sea.
Kain struggled to his feet, the slick deck sliding under his boots.
"Trip later, kid—Vael can't handle this damn sea!" Torv growled, his eyes locked on Kain.
He glanced at Vael, the boat teetering on the edge of splitting apart, the hull screeching against the rock.
"You still alive, Kain?" Sira called, her dry tone laced with surprise and relief.
Kain spotted the bracelet in the foam, dodged a harpoon that thudded into the boat's edge, and dove, snatching it with a quick yank. Lirien reached out to haul him up, her eyes flashing with a mix of anger and approval. He snapped the bracelet back on, its heat surging steady, and tested a step—the red blur came sharp and precise, his footing solid for the first time. The sword sang again as it slashed the whirlpool's wave, foam erupting in a white cloud. Vael's boat steadied inches from the rock, the hull trembling but intact. Kain dropped to his knees at the edge, laughing dryly: "Seriously? This scrap of tin was the brake on my sprint? Here I thought I was the king of speed, and it was the bracelet holding the reins!"
"Nice dive, but warn me next time so I don't have to fish you out too," Lirien teased, a half-smile tugging at her lips.
"Don't laugh, huh? Just found out I'm half-useless without this trinket," Kain said, rubbing his wrist.
"Without that tin, you're a disaster, huh? Good thing I dragged you up," Lirien smirked, her dripping hair framing her face.
"Figured that out now? I fix stuff, not miracles, kid," Torv grunted, wiping his hands on his coat.
"Bracelet saves you, not us. Don't trip again," Sira said, her bow still taut in her hands.
"I… I almost turned into fish food. Thanks, Kain!" Vael coughed, laughing weakly. "That tin saved you, huh? I nearly danced with the sea for good!"
The foam still hissed when a brute lunged from a skiff, seizing the chaos, his serrated axe gleaming in the dim light. Kain sprang up, parrying the blow with a swift spin of the Ruby Sword, metal clanging against steel, and kicked the pirate into the water with a heavy splash. Sira dropped another with an arrow that sliced the air like lightning, and Vael nailed a third in the shoulder with a dagger, blood dripping onto the deck.
"The relic or your heads!" the brute roared, his voice muffled by the water.
"Yariv's already heard the roar—you're dead prey!" the brute snarled before sinking, eyes bulging.
"One less," Sira said, her tone cold as ice.
"That one's not crawling back to the nest!" Vael laughed, relief lighting his face.
Four pirates stormed Sira's boat, knives and hooks glinting in the gloom. One charged Torv, who blocked with reinforced gloves and floored him into the sea with a punch that boomed like thunder. Another tried to flank, but Torv hurled him into the rest, toppling them in a tangle of shouts and blades. Sira sank an arrow into one's leg, pinning him deep, and Vael forced another back with his daggers, metal clinking against the deck.
"No one touches them while I've got feet to stand on!" Torv roared, fists primed.
"You two still breathing?" Torv bellowed, his gaze sweeping the group.
"Always," Sira replied, her voice steady as stone.
"Delay to the Abyss!" Vael laughed, his breath steadying.
Lirien thrust her spear into the shallow water amid the wreckage, pulling up a warm brooch etched with a wave symbol, the metal glowing in her hands. Kain rallied the group, sarcasm thick in his tone, the bracelet pulsing like a living reminder.
"I find the relics, you just bash the crows," Lirien taunted, twirling the brooch between her fingers.
"Everyone solid? Let's hit Broken Rocks before these crows come back to steal my belt too," Kain said, eyes narrowed against the fog.
"Those crows cracked everything, but I'll work miracles with scrap," Torv grunted, kicking a splintered plank.
"Outlasting you, old man!" Vael winked, his humor resurfacing.
"Learning yet, or just showing off for me?" Lirien asked, her tone light but edged.
"If I was showing off, I'd have sliced that whirlpool with style," Kain shot back, a crooked grin on his face.
"Six relics still loose. We speed up, or Yariv claims them all," Sira warned, her words hanging in the air.
The boats surged toward the Dark Abysses, engines roaring against a sea boiling with dark peaks, foam licking the hulls like starving tongues. Thunder rumbled closer, the sky splitting with veins of light, waves slapping the boats as if the sea hadn't given up. Kain spun the bracelet, chuckling low, tossing a quick glance at Lirien, who rolled her eyes with a half-smile, wet hair plastered to her face.
"Not bad for a hunk of tin that almost made me look like a fool in front of her," Kain said, irony thick in his voice.
"Fixing this mess'll kill me before the crows do," Torv muttered, the engine coughing under his hands.
"Selya's waiting, and Yariv's not claiming anything while I'm still breathing," Kain declared, eyes locked on the dark horizon.