The slicing sound of wind tearing through the air broke the silence. Invisible blades of wind slammed into the deck of the Grand Fortuna, shredding wood and smashing items strewn about. Wooden splinters flew like bullets.
"INCOMING ATTACK!" Bastien shouted from behind the backup helm, taking over for Mia, who was sheltering herself while plotting their next course.
From the enemy ship above, members of the Storm Heralds leapt down in theatrical fashion, wielding strange weapons that looked like a mix between staffs and propellers. Each time they swung them, the air twisted into sharp currents, forming deadly, invisible strikes.
Ravi slipped on a splash of water and tumbled into the small galley on the side of the ship. But as his panic faded, something inside him sparked. He spotted a pile of cooking oil and unorganized kitchen supplies.
"If the wind can be cut… maybe it can be burned too," he muttered, eyes lighting up.
He quickly opened a small barrel of fish oil, pouring it into a large cauldron. Igniting the stove, he shouted, "I NEED TEN SECONDS! HOLD THEM OFF!"
Elsewhere on the ship, Nara and Mia moved in perfect sync. Mia slashed through enemy intruders with her twin daggers, while Nara wielded two swords—one for defense, the other for offense. Their movements resembled a dance, covering each other's blind spots.
"They're coming from the port side too!" Mia called out.
"Leave them to me. Protect Ravi!" said Nara, leaping to the ship's railing and cutting down the incoming wind with a diagonal slash.
Meanwhile, Arthur smashed one of the Storm Heralds with his electric baton. "Too busy playing with the wind, huh? You forgot this land belongs to us!"
Bastien ducked under a wind blade that destroyed the hatch, then grabbed a short-barreled rifle from his belt. He fired a metal bullet at one of the enemy's wind-spinning devices, shattering it with a single shot.
"NOW, RAVI!" he yelled.
Ravi emerged from the galley, face blackened with smoke, hair in wild disarray. He hoisted the flaming cauldron and bellowed, "EAT THIS, WEATHER WARDENS!"
He hurled the cauldron into the center of the deck, targeting the enemy's wind barrels—cylindrical devices that generated micro vortexes. As the oil touched the barrels' interiors, fire erupted in a sudden explosion.
A massive blast rocked the entire ship. The once-rampaging winds suddenly scattered. One of the enemy ships swayed violently, tipping to the side. The explosion not only destroyed the wind barrels but also hurled two of the Storm Heralds into the sea.
"GREAT JOB, RAVI!" Mia shouted, kicking a distracted enemy overboard.
But as the smoke cleared, a loud cracking sound echoed. Bastien turned and realized something terrible.
"MAINMAST IS CRACKING!" Juno shouted from below. "It can't withstand the pressure from the blast and the wind vortex!"
Sure enough, the mainmast of the Grand Fortuna leaned to one side, cracks spreading from base to top.
"Drop the sails! Drop everything!" Bastien yelled. His crew immediately sprang into action. Nara slashed the sail ropes, Mia pulled the spare anchor to stop the ship from drifting into the current.
The enemy ship began to sink slowly, hammered by the waves caused by Ravi's explosion. Some leapt into the sea, swimming away, while others clung to what remained of their shattered vessel.
Bastien climbed down to Ravi, who sat exhausted.
"You're insane," Bastien said, patting his shoulder.
"But it worked, didn't it?" Ravi grinned, face still covered in soot.
"Yeah. You saved all of us."
Juno inspected the fractured mast. "We can still move, but our speed's going to take a big hit. If we hit another strong gust—we're done for."
Bastien nodded. "We can't turn back now. We know this isn't just ordinary territory. This is an extraordinary adventure. And we haven't even reached the heart of this chaos."
Nara cleaned her swords and looked toward the horizon, where the silhouette of a massive tower was becoming clearer as the fog thinned.
"Not just an adventure," she murmured. "It's… some kind of trial or selection."
Mia sheathed her daggers and stood by the backup helm. "If this is a trial or selection, then we're not the first to come through here. But maybe… none made it out."
The wind began to pick up again, forming small swirling currents around the ship. Not dangerous—yet—but enough to raise goosebumps.
"We have to be ready," Bastien said. "This is just the beginning of a much bigger storm."
Far ahead, beyond the fog that had yet to fully clear, three powerful figures appeared at the edge of the massive tower.
They had not descended.
Not yet.
But they were watching.
And they were waiting.