The crew of The Wellerman had barely even managed to get themselves pulled together, when the water stirred once again, stirring into a mighty spout as it broke the surface. Then it was back, and it looked pissed.

Realistically it should be impossible to imagine a rubber duck as something threatening, but when it has fangs, tendrils, and torn open gaps through which abominable darkness pours, well it was safe to say The Quacken pulled it off. Then it opened a fanged beak, and gave a quack that was definitely not of the world they all dwelt on. It placed images of realms beyond counting, worlds where madness reigned, and had it been any other crew out there they would have been a gibbering wreck from the terror of what their minds just perceived. But not the crew of The Wellerman, to drive one mad there has to be an inkling that one is not already. But these were the bastards with the mindset that getting aboard a leaky ship captained by a guy who genuinely believed that a Megolodon had taken his eye, he could hunt it down, and he would survive the attempt. At least one of these had now been proven correct, and were the crew going to let some giant yellow tub toy, eldritch or otherwise, take them down after they had made it through that? Were they hell.

To get into a ship at all for a long haul voyage already takes questionable rationality. To board The Wellerman? Well, you’ve already met the crew haven’t you? So rather than resorting to gibbering nonsense, speaking in tongues, and all that nonsense, they went to option B. Shoot the weird thing that was scaring the crap out of them with a harpoon, then get the hell out of dodge. They hauled round, and piled on the sheets, doing their best to evade a beak that looked more like excavation equipment on the inside. Practically touching spars to the sea due to the sheer speed they wheeled at. The Quacken meanwhile, somewhat surprised they were still fighting it, was taken aback, in much the same way the 6 foot odd bully is when the tiny little weasel of a person they’ve been bullying for literally months finally hauls off and punches them one. Bullies never expect that, which is most unfortunate for some of them, because the quiet ones? When they hit back, they’re usually so shocked by their action they forget they are supposed to stop that at some point.

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The Quacken was confused, and angry, the little morsels had led it into a trap, and now they were fighting it? It wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, at least until a spell enhanced metal spear wedged itself in their beak, which told them what their response should be. KILL EM ALL With another angry quack it wheeled and started to pursue the stupid floaty thing, it would make them pay. It would eat every single little pest onboard, then go after the swimmy things, they would all pay for ruffling its feathers.

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“What’s the plan captain?” Jonas howled over the rushing waters, “how do we deal with this thing?”

“Steer towards Briony Deyp’s nearest temple, I’m about to do something stupid.”

“Stupider than what we just pulled off?” Jonas asked in disbelief. “OH GODS.”

“Exactly,” Mibbet replied, with a grin that had no place on the face of any creature but a true berserker about 5 seconds before somebody says the words “last stand.” She quickly dove towards the wheel and lent Acab a hand as the ship wheeled towards the islands.

“You do realise to get there we’re going to have to steer right into the storm right?” Captain Acab asked, even he was getting close to his limits here.

“Yups, which is why I picked the best, now get some crew ready to haul me up when I’m done.”

“Done? With what?”

Mibbet lashed a rope around her waist, then to the mast. “It’s time for another swim.”

“Wait, wait, a minute,” Jonas yelled, as Mibbet climbed the rail.

“Why? There’s no time to delay, I’ve got to talk to The Mer and they don’t have a comms crystal with them here. I have to go.”

“I know Princess,” Jonas replied with a chuckle. “But nobody ever taught you proper knots did they? You jump overboard tied like that we’ll be hauling half of you back up, give me a sec and we’ll get you tied properly, then you can go do whatever the hell nonsensical scheme you’ve cooked up. You’ve kept us alive this far, let us help.”

Mibbet didn’t have an answer to that, she just waited patiently until she was properly secured, then dove overboard.

The seas below were, suffice to say not a good place to take a dip, but at least Mibbet had a bit of time before she had to get back on land. She did her best to ignore the burning tattoo, as she headed towards where The Mer were hacking, and slashing at The Quacken’s tendrils, taking shifts and turns to dart in on the attack, but without a solution they were not going to manage a fatal blow like this, and the new maws sprouting from all the holes torn by The Don were not helping. She had to help them, there’d been no way to articulate the next stage of the plan back on the surface, and assuming they survived phase one was already a massive exercise in wishful thinking for all involved.

“What do we do here?” Aquarelia asked, of all The Mer fighting here she was in the roughest state, because she refused to let anybody else run a risk in her place.

“well, about here is where we need the more religiously inclined among you to start praying,”

“Praying seriously? That’s your plan? To who, in case you failed to notice the gods we got out here are a little on the temperamental side. Plus Briony is already pissed off.”

“Yups, which is why we’re bringing them a present” Replied Mibbet with a grin.