Chapter 28: Plenty of Fish in the Sea

All hell breaks loose as a flock… no, a school of the fish people jump on deck. The pirates leap into action first, forming a protective ring around the prince. With a terrifying screech, the creatures rush us! I try to slam one into the ground with a hammer fist as it lunges at me. The hit connects just fine but it shrugs it off as if it was nothing. They’re tougher than they look! I kick it in the chest, sending it overboard.

“What are these nasty things?!” I cry out to anyone that can educate me.

“Ryba! Fish folk! They work for the Demon King! Bludgeoning's no good, gotta use a blade! Gaagh!” Kizzik says as they stab one of them in the chest.

I want to use my photon sword but it’s a bit dangerous with so many allies around. I think I have a solution though.

Minerva, fabricate knuckle spikes and forearm razors please!

The metal plates on my arms reconfigure, sharpening to fine bladed edges along my forearms. My gauntlets pulse as thick spikes jut out from each knuckle. This should work better! A squid faced fish man tries to spear me with a trident. I catch it under my arm and snap it in half. The squid gawks in surprise right before I slam my spiked fist into its face, followed up by a quick 4 hit combo to its chest. The creature falls dead at my feet just in time for another wave of them to jump on board.

There's so many! I turn as Guepar leaps over me to slash down two more Ryba. His movements are a blur, cutting through his enemies with ease. Three, four, six more fish men lose their heads in an instant to his blade! Minerva even has a hard time keeping track of the cheetah as he races along the deck. Good thing we’re allies now!

“Sorry to get you mixed up in this. They’ve been chasing us since we left Borikan!” He yells.

Captain read scoffs, dodging around the Ryba fluidly. “Just help us kill them and we can call it even!” He replies.

The two captains work in unison as if they can read each other’s thoughts. They start dispatching the horde of enemies as quickly as they come aboard, blades dancing through the air like a deadly breeze, but that’s just on our ship.

Kizzik and Rina jump aboard the pirate ship to help the prince who’s collapsed to the floor now. Dozens of Ryba rush them altogether in a disgustingly moist wave of claws, pincers and fangs. A sudden chill passes through the battlefield, halting the mob in their tracks. I recognize the familiar dread immediately. Kizzik releases their predator aura, the Ryba are terrified, some of them even drop their weapons and flee. Their hesitation gives Rina her opening. I watch as she puts her hands together as a flaming blade bursts to life in her grip. It starts out only a meter long but then suddenly doubles in size, and then again! The greatsword of flame is massive!

“Everybody get down!” She cries.

Everyone around her obliges as she swings the gargantuan blade. It cleaves through about twenty of the Ryba all at once, leaving behind their smoldering corpses. She accidentally cuts into the ship a bit as well, but I doubt anyone will complain. The smell of cooking fish hits my nose. Ugh.

I focus up as another fish folk steps my way, its footsteps heavy, breaking the wood beneath it. It's a massive creature with grey and white skin. A mouth full of razor sharp teeth chomps at me. I dodge backward just as the teeth slam shut in front of me. It’s a damn shark man! I run up the mast as it swipes at me again, digging into the wood. I backflip off the pole and land behind the behemoth in a crouch. With a WHOOSH! I dash past him, cutting his side open with my razor bladed gauntlets. Blood spurts from the wound but it’s not enough. The shark chomps mindlessly at me over and over, trying to bite my head off. I serve him up a mean uppercut followed by a cross that rips through his arm. Still, it won't go down.

Give me the cannon! I mentally order Minerva.

My left fist quickly changes to the repulsor cannon and I blast the Ryba in the gut. The creature shudders as the energy pulse rips through its insides. The rows of teeth get an inch away from my helmet as it goes for another bite but it falls dead instead. I hear a loud screech and turn toward the bow to see Camilla ripping a stingray Ryba in half with her bare hands. A pile of corpses lay at her feet as she continues to dispatch the monsters in droves. She has solved the issue of their bludgeoning resistance by spearing them with her fingers. Her hand chops and stabs so quickly that it tears right through the fish without issue. I watch in awe as she unleashes a flurry of blows against five of the creatures and is showered with gore.

The other ship is more or less secured at this point and we are almost done on this side. Kizzik rips through the last couple of fish men on the deck with their cleavers, taking off limbs with an almost unnerving grin. On our ship, I see Read fencing fiercely with two swordfish Ryba. They use two blades and their noses each to attack in a windmill of slashes but they’re still no match for him. He dances in between their attacks with ease, dodging by no more than a hair, cutting away bits of their flesh one piece at a time. It’s mesmerizing to see him take his foes apart so masterfully. I’m almost too caught up in it as a monstrous angler tries to rip out my stomach with its claws. Luckily Guepar is there to kick his face in.

“His sword skills are quite beautiful si?” He asks, also watching Captain Read at work.

With a breathtaking flourish, Read beheads one of the swordfish and stabs the other through the heart. Their bodies hit the deck simultaneously.

The battle comes to a close with us all standing in fish guts. The smell is absolutely awful. Casualties and injuries are minimal among the crew and I’m stunned that they get back to work immediately almost as if nothing had happened. Some of them get to repairing the damage while others start sweeping the bodies off the deck. I guess this is just business as usual on the high seas.

The party and captains all reconvene on the pirate ship to debrief the situation. Guepar addresses us with a gracious bow.

“Thank you all for your aid. Prince Agüeybaná is safely resting below deck. I must tell you all though, the wounds he suffered from the demon lord are severe. We need to get him medicine and proper treatment soon.” Captain Guepar says, his brow furrowed. “Even that will only be a temporary fix. She cursed him as well, some kind of madness. I fear if it’s not dispelled, he will lose himself.”

“How can we dispel it?” I ask.

“The only way to end the curse is to kill Katariel.” Camilla answers.

The group begins discussing what we want to do next. With the island already fallen, we’re at a much greater disadvantage, and without a suitable force, we would find it difficult to take Borikan by force. Still, if the demons have occupied it, then that means there are people in need.

“I think our best bet is to continue forward. We can establish a safepoint for refugees and start laying the groundwork for a larger scale invasion. Guepar, you should head to Dusud with the Prince and our medical supplies. Report the situation to the king so he can send more troops.” I say. I’m surprised by how confident I sound in the moment.

Everyone nods thoughtfully, agreeing with my strategy.

“I have an idea where we can land once we arrive. If there are any survivors they will be there.” Guille says.

We load the majority of our medicine onto the pirate ship and bid them farewell. Read and Guepar shake hands, exchanging words of praise. Guille visits the prince one last time before joining us back aboard the Bonny.

Within the hour, we part ways, back en route to the island. A wave of anxiety hits me as we sail closer to our destination. Our journey started as a diplomatic one but now it’s become a desperate race to save the people of Borikan. We are headed into war.