"You better come out now," the taller guard said as they both moved closer, blades drawn.

Asher sighed through his nose. His expression showed more annoyance than fear. He already knew what had caused the noise.

'Ralph, come out,' he whispered.

A small tear of shadow opened across his chest. A wraith bat slipped out, its wings flickering like smoke. It flew in the opposite direction, screeching once before vanishing into the night.

"It's just a bat," the short guard muttered.

"All that fuss for nothing," the taller one added. "Come on, let's move."

Their footsteps faded into the distance, leaving silence behind.

Asher waited a moment, scanning both sides before exhaling. "You can come out now."

From behind a barrel, Evelina appeared, head lowered and shoulders slumped.

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding me?"

She didn't answer, her face still red from embarrassment. She had followed him up deck, thinking of sneaking up on him for a scare, but everything went wrong the moment the guards arrived. When she tried to sneak away, she had kicked the bucket that almost got them both caught.

Asher crossed his arms. "You wanna talk about it?"

She shook her head quickly.

He didn't seem angry, only mildly amused. "Didn't think you'd pick tonight of all nights to play ghost," he said, voice calm, eyes fixed on the sea. "Next time, try not to cause trouble for both of us."

"Shut up." Evelina blushed, sensing that Asher already knew why she was there. She kicked the air and turned away. "I'm leaving, there's no point in staying here."

"Where to?" Asher asked, still looking toward the direction the guards had gone.

"Obviously to tell the others what just happened," Evelina said, frowning. It was common sense to warn the group.

"Great, you do that," Asher replied and started to walk off, but Evelina caught his hand. She could tell from his expression that he was planning something.

"And where do you think you're going?" she demanded, tightening her grip.

"Let go, Lina. I'll be right back," Asher said calmly. He hadn't planned anything dangerous, only to scout the area. But Evelina's worried face made him pause.

He sighed, then gently patted her head. "Relax. I'm not doing anything reckless. I just want to confirm something. You have your part to handle, I'll handle mine. Think of it as division of labour."

Evelina puffed her cheeks, still pouting. "Fine. Just keep your promise."

Asher chuckled as he saw her blushing face.

"What's so funny?" Evelina snapped, throwing a light jab that missed as he stepped back, still smiling.

"Nothing, you just make it sound like I'm facing a demon lord or something," Asher said, laughing.

Evelina's face turned red. She pulled her arm free and stomped off. "Well, excuse me for caring! That's the last time I try worrying about some one as ungrateful as you ass hole."

*****

'I can't believe that guy!' Evelina fumed as she marched toward Rey's room. Her thoughts were so loud that she didn't notice someone standing in front of her until she bumped into them.

"Ugh… Evelina, can you please watch where you're going," Freya groaned, rubbing her arm. She was already drained from dealing with Jett and Rey, and now she had to deal with Evelina's outburst.

"Sorry, that was my bad," Evelina muttered, brushing off her skirt without even looking up. She stepped past Freya. "See you later, I need to talk to Rey."

"He's not in his room... at the moment." Freya said tiredly, turning to face her. The last thing she wanted was to mention Rey again, but Evelina was already half gone.

Evelina stopped and frowned. "You know where he is?"

Freya gave an awkward smile, unsure how to answer.

"Well?" Evelina pressed, her patience fading.

"Well, if you must know, he's somewhere deep underwater wrestling an octopus monster with Jett," Freya said with a nervous smile. "And apparently, the fate of this trial deepends on wether or not they can beat it."

"Huh? An octopus Monster?" Evelina blinked, trying to process that. "No wait, Jett actually boarded the ship too? That's good news."

Her thoughts raced. 'But if that's true, then is a report even needed? They're going to die even if nothing happens right?' Evelina wondered as she processed what Freya had told her.

"Nope," Freya replied. "He didn't board with us. More like he stowed away so he could get help."

Evelina sighed in disappointment as she had misunderstood. "Then we need to warn Jett. The guards plan to wipe out his group, and that might include him."

"Okay, now that's a problem," Freya muttered. Her exhaustion faded as worry took over again.

*****

Jett and Rey swam down into the deep until the Lyke herb glowed faintly below them. The water grew darker and heavier, yet Rey looked calm despite the restriction notice hovering beside him.

'Figures. You're already fine with just magic right?' Jett muttered, bubbles escaping his mouth. He kept scanning the shadows around them. Something felt wrong.

Rey met his gaze, eyes sharp and focused. He was thinking the same thing.

Where's the octopus? Jett thought as they reached the sea floor. The sand was still, the herb swayed gently, but the silence around them was too clean. Too quiet.

Rey gave Jett a questioning look, bubbles escaping his mouth as he thought, 'Are you sure you saw a monster here? This feels like some kind of sick joke to drag me off the ship.'

Jett ignored him and glanced around. When nothing appeared, he started harvesting the Lyk poison. Rey sighed and joined in. That was their mission anyway. But something was watching them from the dark.

The water around them suddenly rippled. A sharp pressure wave shot toward them, slicing through the sea like a blade. They barely dodged in time. The force passed by, tearing through the sand floor and leaving a long crater. If it had hit them, they would have been shredded.

'What the hell was that?' Rey scanned the area, but there was nothing. Another surge came. Then another.

[Dash]

Rey blurred through the water, evading each shot, but irritation grew with every attack. Dodging was easy. Not knowing where they came from wasn't.

[Tactical Mirage]

Jett's eyes narrowed as his detection field expanded in waves of faint light. Then he saw it, faint and distant, hidden behind a cluster of dark coral.

'That sneaky bastard.' The octopus had moved far outside his detection range, launching compressed water blasts from a distance. It had adapted, learning from their earlier fight.

'This won't be easy.' Jett clenched his fist as Rey began channeling mana into his palm.

{Water Drill}

A spiraling torrent formed, cutting through the current toward the distant enemy. The deep sea trembled as the real fight began.

*

*

*

Intelligent monsters would definitely try figuring out a way to stay safe during a fight.

It's definitely not because I was to smack him around

¯⁠\\⁠(⁠◉⁠‿⁠◉⁠)⁠/⁠¯