Chapter 197: Captain
"The monster is targeting the ships now," Rias said. "We should move behind one of them, stay out of the attack’s path, and watch what happens."
"Umu, let’s do that!" Shuri replied.
"I wasn’t talking to you."
Shuri placed a hand over her chest. "You wound me."
"Angel, please cover us," Martin said.
Angel heeded his request, although she did not look pleased about hiding behind something larger than herself. She moved toward the rear of the nearest vessel while keeping her head raised, refusing to appear intimidated by its size. Shuri followed close behind them.
Meanwhile, aboard the largest ship, the Storm Guild’s leader planted one boot against the railing and laughed at the Sea Dragon Monster.
"Haha! Yet another Sea Dragon Monster! The more we kill, the closer we get to their nest! Once we get our hands on their eggs, we’re going to have a goddamn army of Sea Dragons! Haha!"
One of the guild members beside him groaned. "Bro, could you drop the pirate accent already? It’s jarring as hell."
"Shut up, bruh. We’re funneling everything we earn from the Auction House into these damn ships. I’d better be allowed to act like the captain! Muahaha!"
Martin looked up at him from behind the neighboring vessel. "That’s their guild leader?"
"Unfortunately, his equipment appears genuine," Rias replied.
The man wore heavy naval armor covered in glowing enchantments, and a long coat hung from his shoulders. The weapon at his hip looked far too expensive to belong to an idiot.
Martin sighed. "Of course the ridiculous one is strong."
Shuri cupped her hands around her mouth. "I think he sounds impressive!"
Rias glanced at her. "That opinion makes him less impressive."
A nervous guild member pointed toward the Sea Dragon Monster. "Leader, the monster is..."
"Captain!"
"Captain, the monster is charging its breath! Please deploy your barrier!"
"Haha! Aye, aye! This fish ain’t much for pleasantries! Fine, my fleet! It’s time to activate the defensive barriers!"
"Bro! Everyone already activated theirs! You’re the only one who hasn’t because you’re too busy acting like a damn captain!"
The guild leader glanced around. Transparent blue domes already surrounded every ship in the fleet, with layers of runes moving across their surfaces and locking together as the barriers strengthened.
"Oh? Not waiting for my orders and using our defenses to save yer own asses? Hah! Someone’s getting their boots filled with piranhas today!"
His friend covered his face with one hand and fell silent.
The Sea Dragon Monster opened its jaws, and the glow inside its throat became blinding. Martin’s instincts screamed at him to run even though there was nowhere they could possibly go.
Angel moved before he could say anything. She turned her shell toward the incoming attack and placed her body between Martin and the monster. He lowered himself behind the crystals rising from her shell and held on tightly.
"Angel, stay down!"
She refused. Her sapphire eyes remained fixed on the fleet ahead of her, and even while protecting Martin, she would not allow herself to look smaller than the ships.
"The blast is coming, Captain!" someone screamed.
The captain finally raised one hand, and a blue barrier snapped into place around his vessel.
"Clench your asses!"
The Sea Dragon Monster unleashed its breath.
BANG!
A colossal blast of compressed water struck the fleet and made the entire ocean lurch beneath the impact. The ships recoiled one after another, their hulls groaning as enormous waves exploded around them. Blue barriers bent inward while thousands of runes flashed across their surfaces.
Martin expected the nearest vessel to shatter, but its barrier held. The ship slid backward through the water as cracks raced across the magical dome, only for the runes to begin repairing them almost immediately.
Every other vessel survived as well.
Silence settled over the fleet for several seconds before laughter erupted from every deck. Players cheered, raised their weapons, and shouted insults at the Sea Dragon Monster. The tension disappeared so quickly that Martin almost felt sorry for the creature.
The captain’s booming voice rose above everyone else. "Muahahaha! How do ye like that, fish? We plundered the pockets of the entire North American player base to pay for these barriers!"
Martin stared at the glowing dome and remembered every item he had sold through the Auction House, along with every painful tax deduction that had followed. Judging by Rias’s expression, she was thinking the same thing.
Some part of that barrier probably belonged to both of them, which meant Martin could not complain about the tax for once.
Rias studied the barrier. "I suppose our money was not entirely wasted."
"Speak for yourself. I’m still pissed."
"It just saved our lives."
"Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I have to like how much it cost us."
Angel tapped the water with one foot while staring at the barrier and the enormous ship protected inside it. Her gaze sharpened, and Martin immediately recognized the look.
"Angel, no."
She lowered her body closer to the water.
"Don’t you dare turn this into a competition."
The crystals along her shell began to glow.
"Angel, stop."
The captain stepped onto the railing and drew his sword. Lightning crawled along the blade as cannon ports opened across the armada.
"Prepare the cannons and get yer asses into position!" he roared. "It’s time to send this bastard back to the bottom of the ocean! Muahaha!"
The crews moved at once. Cannons slid from the hulls, harpoons rotated toward the Sea Dragon Monster, and armored players gathered at the edges of the decks in preparation for battle.
Angel slapped both front feet against the water and surged forward so suddenly that Martin nearly fell off her shell.
"Angel! We are supposed to be hiding!"
She ignored him and charged after the fleet, determined to prove that no oversized ship was going to outshine her. Rias grabbed Martin’s arm to steady herself while Shuri swam after them, laughing at the top of her lungs.
Across the armada, the Storm Guild’s cannons began to glow.
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