Four chaotic minutes pass

{if@ fight_option > 0}You’re passing into the ‘might pass out if you use another spell’ range when you hear a commotion near the back of the ship. Likely in response to this commotion, the frantic movements of the sailors on deck suddenly become more orderly. One group raises the sails from full- to half-mast. Another group inspects the rigging. A third group heads down below deck with a sense of urgent purpose rather than abject terror. Even the ship’s bell has stopped its crazed ringing.

Took you guys long enough, you can’t help but think. The lack of discipline in a crisis around here has been truly astounding to watch. What happened to the people who fought the ghost pirates? What, you’ve never seen a giant sea monster before?

At the back of the ship, you spot the source of the commotion and newfound order: Captain Witterel has shown his face and is barking orders to the crew. By his side, hanging off him like a piece of arm candy, is Blythe. She’s sandwiching his arm between her massive tits, and seems very pleased with the effect it’s having on him. The captain’s face is as red as a tomato, and he can’t wipe a dopey grin off his face no matter how hard he tries. “Be ready!” Witterel shouts. “On my mark, we shall send this foul beast back from whence it came!” Blythe hops a tiny bit, making her breasts bounce up the guy’s arm and getting his attention. She then leans in, putting a hand up to his ear as she whispers something to him. Whatever it is that she whispered, it makes Witterel stiffen up like a board and forget that he’s supposed to be giving orders for a bit. Watching them would make you feel jealous if the captain’s reactions weren’t so hilarious.

Someone taps your shoulder from behind, stealing your attention away from the captain and your companion. You turn around to find the first mate, Lieutenant Tonaril, standing there. You don’t know much about him, other than that he’s an elf, and Witterel’s brother-in-law. And that he seems to be a generally angry person. “Mr. Reynolds, stand down,” he says. “Your vigilantist fireballs have only served to further enrage the beast. I am ordering you to conserve your mana for medical use from now on. Now, get below deck and await further instructions.” You can’t really argue about enraging the serpent; that is exactly what you were trying to do. Obviously, you were also protecting the boat, but mostly you were just keeping it angry enough to stick around. So, with no ground to stand on in the face of the angry elf who outranks you, you start heading for the stairs.

Your journey to the stairs is put on hold, however, when the sound of the cannons firing draws your eyes out to sea. The cannonballs hit their mark, landing square on the massive column that is the sea serpent’s body. Unfortunately, the serpent is tough enough that the cannonballs bounce right off its scales. The attack deals almost no visible damage to the monster. Even so, Captain Witterel orders round after round of cannon fire. Black clouds gather in the sky as the serpent continues to be pelted with useless shot, and by the fourth blast, the serpent seems to finally get annoyed by the attacks. The monster’s massive tail rises high above the sea, poised to drop down and carve the ship in two. Even with all the enchantments on the hull, you think, a hit from that thing will blow us apart for sure. You search desperately for something to hold onto as the agent of your demise begins its descent.

A flash of white fills your vision. The crack of thunder splits your ears. Seconds tick by with you unable to see or hear anything. The floor beneath your feet is suddenly removed, and you feel yourself floating in the air for a second before slamming against the hard wood of the deck. From there, you feel gravity pulling you in different directions, as if you’re drifting on rapidly shifting ocean waves. For a brief moment, you consider the possibility that the ship has been destroyed. The possibility that you’ve been flung off into the salty ocean, only to land on a chunk of driftwood which was once a part of the ship. The possibility that you are alone, and that Blythe and Lia have met a similar, or worse, fate.

Then your vision returns, and you realize that none of that has happened. Somehow, the ship is still in one piece.

Standing proves to be a challenge, with the waves still rocking the ship to an absurd degree, but you manage to get on your feet and have a look around. Many of the sailors hit the deck, same as you, and are in the process of getting back up. Those who are already up are either helping others or looking around. Rain drops announce themselves by bouncing off of your head, prompting your attention to shift upwards to the patch of black clouds that you barely accounted for moments ago. It can’t be a coincidence that they appeared when and where they did, especially when there isn’t another cloud in the sky for miles. Was it a scripted event? you think. A thunder storm to make this fight more ‘intense’?

The sound of cheering brings your head out of the clouds. You follow the eyes of the cheering sailors until you find the source of their mirth. Out in the sea, slowly sinking below the surface, is the charred corpse of the sea serpent.

The lightning must have hit it, you realize. A bolt of lightning instantly fried the beast. Then, the corpse splashed down into the water, which caused the waves that knocked you and half the crew off your feet. That must be how it happened.

Yet, something isn’t right. You wrestle with a feeling of unease as you watch the burnt remains of the sea serpent sink into the abyss. Only once it’s gone do you realize why you aren’t relieved.

It’s dead, and you’re still here.

It wasn’t the Elemental.{elseif fight_option < 0}You’re passing into the ‘might pass out if you use another spell’ range when you hear a commotion near the back of the ship. Likely in response to this commotion, the frantic movements of the sailors on deck suddenly become more orderly. One group raises the sails from full- to half-mast. Another group inspects the rigging. A third group heads down below deck with a sense of urgent purpose rather than abject terror. Even the ship’s bell has stopped its crazed ringing.

Took you guys long enough, you can’t help but think. The lack of discipline in a crisis around here has been truly astounding to watch. What happened to the people who fought the ghost pirates? What, you’ve never seen a giant sea monster before?

At the back of the ship, you spot the source of the commotion and newfound order: Captain Witterel has shown his face and is barking orders to the crew. By his side, hanging off him like a piece of arm candy, is Blythe. She’s sandwiching his arm between her massive tits, and seems very pleased with the effect it’s having on him. The captain’s face is as red as a tomato, and he can’t wipe a dopey grin off his face no matter how hard he tries. “Be ready!” Witterel shouts. “On my mark, we shall send this foul beast back from whence it came!” Blythe hops a tiny bit, making her breasts bounce up the guy’s arm and getting his attention. She then leans in, putting a hand up to his ear as she whispers something to him. Whatever it is that she whispered, it makes Witterel stiffen up like a board and forget that he’s supposed to be giving orders for a bit. Watching them would make you feel jealous if the captain’s reactions weren’t so hilarious.

Someone taps your shoulder from behind, stealing your attention away from the captain and your companion. You turn around to find the first mate, Lieutenant Tonaril, standing there. You don’t know much about him, other than that he’s an elf, and Witterel’s brother-in-law. And that he seems to be a generally angry person. “Mr. Reynolds, stand down,” he says. “Your vigilantist fireballs have only served to further enrage the beast. I am ordering you to conserve your mana for medical use from now on. Now, get below deck and await further instructions.” You can’t really argue about enraging the kraken; that is exactly what you were trying to do. Obviously, you were also protecting the boat, but mostly you were just keeping it angry enough to stick around. So, with no ground to stand on in the face of the angry elf who outranks you, you start heading for the stairs.

Your journey to the stairs is put on hold, however, when the sound of the cannons firing draws your eyes out to sea. The cannonballs hit their marks, landing square on all six of the gargantuan tentacles. Unfortunately, the kraken is tough enough that the cannonballs bounce right off the surface. The attack deals almost no visible damage to the monster. Even so, Captain Witterel orders round after round of cannon fire. Black clouds gather in the sky as the kraken continues to be pelted with useless shot, and by the fourth blast, it seems to finally get annoyed by the attacks. The monster’s massive tentacles rise high above the sea, poised to drop down all at once and rend the ship to pieces. Even with all the enchantments on the hull, you think, a hit from those things will blow us apart for sure. You search desperately for something to hold onto as the agents of your demise begin their descent.

A flash of white fills your vision. The crack of thunder splits your ears. Seconds tick by with you unable to see or hear anything. The floor beneath your feet is suddenly removed, and you feel yourself floating in the air for a second before slamming against the hard wood of the deck. From there, you feel gravity pulling you in different directions, as if you’re drifting on rapidly shifting ocean waves. For a brief moment, you consider the possibility that the ship has been destroyed. The possibility that you’ve been flung off into the freezing cold ocean, only to land on a chunk of driftwood which was once a part of the ship. The possibility that you are alone, and that Blythe and Lia have met a similar, or worse, fate.

Then your vision returns, and you realize that none of that has happened. Somehow, the ship is still in one piece.

Standing proves to be a challenge, with the waves still rocking the ship to an absurd degree, but you manage to get on your feet and have a look around. Many of the sailors hit the deck, same as you, and are in the process of getting back up. Those who are already up are either helping others or looking around. Rain drops announce themselves by bouncing off of your head, prompting your attention to shift upwards to the patch of black clouds that you barely accounted for moments ago. It can’t be a coincidence that they appeared when and where they did, even on an overcast day like today. Was it a scripted event? you think. A thunder storm to make this fight more ‘intense’?

The sound of cheering brings your head out of the clouds. You follow the eyes of the cheering sailors until you find the source of their mirth. Out in the sea, slowly sinking below the surface, is the charred corpse of all six kraken tentacles.

The lightning must have hit it, you realize. A bolt of lightning instantly fried the beast. Then, the corpse splashed down into the water, which caused the waves that knocked you and half the crew off your feet. That must be how it happened.

Yet, something isn’t right. You wrestle with a feeling of unease as you watch the burnt remains of the kraken sink into the abyss. Only once it’s gone do you realize why you aren’t relieved.

It’s dead, and you’re still here.

It wasn’t the Elemental.{endif}