Awaken to a panic.

The fiery orange sunrise is only just beginning over the horizon when your eyes pull open. You're shaken from your slumber by the sound of scurrying footfalls across the deck After quickly getting dressed, you turn open the door of the captain's quarters to witness first the beautiful sight of a rising sun behind the silhouette of a stunning red dragoness near the head of the ship, though your attention is quickly stolen by the panic of those hurrying about. Some carry boards of wood or handfuls of nails or various tools, while some heave buckets of water off the side.

You take hold of the ladder leading down through the hatch into the bowels of the boat, and there you see a handful of others within the flooding hull. Gwynevere is there, in a similar pose to how she was last night, though now she's more modest in her visage by coverage of a black dress, and she's using her power to churn the waters away as best she can. It seems the damage has gotten worse, though people are frantically blocking the worst of it.

Joining in beside Niki, you aid in nailing a board of wood over one of the larger cracks into the sea. "It got this bad, huh?"

"I guess so!" Niki wipes water from her eyes. "Though I think it's all right now. I mean, not great, but caught it in time not to sink."

The teal-haired harpy with a long, white shirt perches up against the back wall. "We need to find land as soon as we can, or we'll be swimming the rest of the way."

"And I cannot keep this up forever," says Gwyn. "Allow me to rest a moment."

"It's coming in more slowly now," you call out. "Everyone take a break. We'll keep an eye on it. Don't worry. I won't let the sea take any of you. We'll sail as swiftly as we can and keep bailing the water as it comes in. Good work, everyone. I'm glad some of you were up early."

"It was Gwyn, actually," Eva says.

Amara nods. "She emerged from beneath, and informed us--"

"Lady Gwynevere," the Demon King snaps sharpy. Her eyes peer daggers at the bunny. "That is my name. Not Gwyn."

Eva's eyes widen. "B-But Kyle calls you--"

"I will not repeat myself. Now, let us follow Kyle's recommendation and catch our breath back on deck."

There are definitely more pleasant ways to wake up in the morning. Thankfully, things were taken care of rather quickly. You and the others climb back to see the sunrise, and the remainder of the crew awakens as well. They all come together by starboard. Even Vyzia, who was keeping her distance before, approaches from behind and crosses her arms over her mighty, naked bust, to lock her ruby gaze towards the beautiful horizon. The seas are calm, or at least more than much of the last day. It's like you're sailing through an endless pool of molten steel.

Peony is the nearest to you, as she often is. She threads her arm beneath yours and snuggles in close. "Are we going to make it, Kyle?" she asks quietly.

"Of course we are," you answer. "We've slain two Demon Kings and manner of strange, powerful monsters. After meeting demigods, being eaten by an eldritch abomination, and surviving sexual encounters that may actually have killed most men, I don't plan on losing to the ocean. If the ship sinks too much, I'll start Bunny Hopping, or we'll swim. Remember we've got Gwyn with us too, with Anyana and Nelli.

A misty cloud glistens down from above, and following it is a beautiful moth fluttering from the crow's nest. She lands with a spyglass in her hand, though her face is one of concern. She looks to you and speaks. "Kyle. I've been watching our flank, but I wasn't sure at first, but there seems to be a ship trailing behind us. Not only that, but it's moving quite a bit faster. There's no black flag, but that doesn't mean much. What should we do?"

Oh great. More trouble.

"Let it get a little bit closer," you reply. "Then we'll see what we can figure out. If it turns out to be a pirate ship, then I'll take care of it."

You feel a powerful grip on your shoulder. Turning an eye, you see Vyzia right behind you.

"Thunderbeard?" you ask.

She shakes her head. "I don't think so... but I won't allow any threat to this ship."

"Don't scorch it yet. We don't know if it's an actual threat or not."

"I won't." She tilts her head downward to the floor. "I can't fly anyhow."

"We'll wait, and then you'll come with me. We'll investigate together."