Heian got blinded by a sudden light. They did it. After 3 long hours they pierced through the storm and survived.

He looked around, checking on the damage and forced his hands to loosen the grip on a steering wheel. After trying to move however, he collapsed as soon as he took the first step.

On a first glance everything seemed rather fine, except that mast supported by Gerhart. He'd have to thank him, he might've saved an entire ship. The hole that log would make in the side of Bastion couldn't be realistically patched on an open sea and they all would just drown.

A couple endermen dropped what they were doing, as storm was no longer a danger, and rushed to help Ger.

Lurch helped Heian to get up and go down the stairs. Heian was leaning heavily on a short enderian. When they were on a main deck, he ordered the young helmsman to gather others and start repairing the ship. Meanwhile the captain moved carefully towards Gerhart.

-You might've saved us all - Heian put a hand on man's shoulder, trying to hide its shivering - even if that mast didn't sink us, the repairs wouldn't be possible where we are. Thank you for saving my ship and my crew

Heian officially saluted to the man, with pointing and middle finger. "You will soon collapse. Off to bed with you"

Wood was right. Fainting would only ruin the moment.

-I need to get some rest, excuse me

He climbed down the stairs and collapsed onto the closest bed in crew's barracks.

Gerhart had never been more relieved to see the sun in his life than this moment. He held onto the mast until they were able to at least have other crew members help hold it and get things patched up. There was a weak and tired laugh given to Heian, "I've always been good for when somebody needs something big held up or hauled around."

He takes a few staggered steps back before crashing to the deck and leaning against the railing. This was absolutely the most exhausted he had ever been, on top of that he was soaked to the bone and there really wasn't much to be done about it. Gerhart gave himself a few moments to just not think or move and bask in the light of the sun.

"You still alive Cyran?" He tilted his head around to try and spot the other companion of this group. A good head count of who all survived would be a good place to start.....though the count would have to be done while sitting. There wasn't enough strength left in Gerhart's legs to stand him back up for the time being. 

By the time the storm had passed, Cyran felt like he was going to vomit the contents of his stomach over the side of the deck if it weren’t for the fact that he’d had nothing for lunch except for a few pieces of dried meat. Secretly, he wondered if it would be a good time to mention he didn’t know how to swim.



“Thanks to your quick thinking.” Cyran replied, pulling himself to his feet. He’d been useless during the storm, but he wouldn’t sit idly by while there were repairs to be made. “You sit here and rest. You deserve it.” Heian was nowhere to be seen, either- he thought he’d seen the captain disappear, no doubt to take this brief moment of respite to catch up on sleep.



“Alright, who’s not dead? Sound off if you’re okay.” Cyran called, taking stock of the crew and their inventory. They would lose some time as they focused on repairs, but they were necessary for the ship to function, and get them out of… wherever they were.



Speaking of, where were they?



Cyran approached the side of the vessel, looking over the side. As opposed to the storm that had been raging seconds before, the waters were eerily calm, with hardly any waves rippling over the sides. There was no wind, no clouds in the bright sky, and more importantly… no land in any direction. Wherever they’d found themselves, it was far away from the coast they’d sailed off from.



“No fishermen either, huh?” Cyran murmured to himself, disappointed. It would be too good to be true if they just suddenly happened upon the men they were looking for. Then again, we’re in the same positions ourselves for the time being… ironic that the rescue party is in need of help.



Cyran turned away from the side railing and returned to helping with the repair efforts.

Well, Heian didn't get much sleep. Som crew member woke him up seemingly right after he lied down. "You were sleeping for five hours at least"
Wood helped him get himself together and they got back on deck to check on the repairs. Murmur once again appeared out of nowhere behind his shoulder.
-(Bastion is ready to set sail, but we still got a lot of work to do. Another storm may doom us)
Heian nodded. They had at least a couple days of safety, enough to find those fishermen and return. Seemed doable
-(Anything needing my attention?)
-(Our passengers wanted to see you. Is there any chance Mast Holder could join the crew?)
An unusual tone entered enderian's voice. Murmur was not easy to impress, but Ger surely earned his respect.
-(I will talk with him. Where are they now?)

He was led to the cabins, with Ger and Cyran sitting together in one of them, one on bed and another on a chair someone carried there.
-Anything intresing happened while I was asleep? - he would know already if that was the case, but a talk had to be started somehow - I heard that Bastion is ready to continue our search. Oh - he looked at Gerhart with a slight smile - the crew wants you to join. You really impressed everyone with that mast situation

Gerhart didn't actually get a lot of sleep, but laying still for a time did help. Every little creak and groan of wood made him feel like there was something more he could be doing. Eventually he did have enough strength to get back up, stretching gently despite the screaming muscles.



"Good, let's get back to the search! I've never been good at standing still." He grins brightly and pulls himself up out of the bed. For now he doesn't bother putting his armor back on, he needed the space to let his body breathe, plus fingers crossed there wasn't any fighting that needed to be done.



"Want me to join huh? I didn't do much, just was the only guy dumb enough to risk getting squashed." A gentle laugh escapes as he follows after Heian. Gerhart gives a smile and wave to Cyran as well. "Come on, let's get back to work."

The resurgence of fresh sea air into his lungs did seem to reinvigorate the young adventurer as he came topside once again. He shielded his eyes as he adjusted to the brightness of day again, surveying the deck to see how things were progressing and if any news of the fishermen had come in.

“A member of the crew, huh? That’s a big honor.” Cyran praised, a genuine congratulatory smile on his face. He had only known the man for a brief amount of time, though he could already tell that Gerhart was a hard worker and a cheerful person to be around.

Heian informed them that the ship would be setting off soon in search of the sailors. Cyran grimaced at the mention of another storm. “I guess it was too much to ask for clear skies from here on out…” He hoped they’d made it through the worst of the weather, at least.

He decided to play lookout as they set off, as he had before- the ship was moving a bit slower now, more cautious of the damage they’d taken, but still making good time. He was watching the waters when he spotted something floating below.

It was hard to make out from where he was, so Cyran leaned over the side to get a better look at it.

A piece of driftwood?

He turned his head, suspicions only confirmed when he saw a few more floating pieces of broken wood, like the remnants of a shipwreck.

“We must be getting close to the fishermen.” He muttered to himself. He couldn’t see them yet, but wherever they were, they’d clearly sustained damage.

Cyran just hoped the vessel was still floating when they found it.

Heian entered the top deck, with a handmade map in hand and Jeremy by his shoulder. They entered the helm deck and tried to get an idea of where they are. The process took much longer than it should, due to Charonian not understanding Heian's map and Heian not always a0ble to understand the guide. But eventually they found the spot and set their course onto the closest rock that could cause the incident.

After just about two hours Cyran reported pieces of floating wood. This could mean nothing and everything, so they kept their course.
Within next half an hour they spotted a point in the horizon, that turned into a rocky island as they got closer. Soon they could spot a halved shipwreck quite close to the middle of it. Fishermen must've pulled it there to save their supplies or get a cover from rain. At least chances of them starving dropped significantly.

A column of smoke rose above the island. Bastion was spotted. Heian ordered the crew to drop their anchors a couple feet of the ground and set a climbing net. Two fishermen used it instantly, but two others went back to their wreck.
-Thank Salina someone found us! Thank you... - at that moment he noticed who he was speaking with - whoever you are! Zaya got gutted by a harpy just a day before and we thought she would die!
At that moment remaining two fishermen left their wreck, with a tiefling woman between them.

Heian turned towards Ger and Cyran, who just got down the mast.
-Can any of you heal? Or at least cloth the wound?

"I'm not a healer, but I know a bit about first aid, clear the way." Gerhart made the other two set the woman down, giving him some space. He pulled out the medical kit, setting it beside him as he rolled up the womans shirt just enough to get a look at the wound. It certainly was rough, the talons hit pretty deep. Thankfully it looked like major organs weren't hit otherwise she would have already been dead. As it was though, the paleness of her skin wasn't a good sign.



"Good thing she's out because this is gonna sting, someone hold her down in case this shocks her awake." Gerhart splashes some antiseptic on the wound to clean it before applying a bandage. "Hold this tight!" He guides someone to hold the bandage tight as he gets out the gauze to start dressing the wound. In just a few more moments he sits back with a sigh, taking one of the woman's wrists to check for a pulse.



.... .... .... "There's a pulse, but it's faint....Hate to say it, but she'll be lucky to survive if we don't turn tail and get her to an actual doctor....Even if someone has healing magic, she's lost a lot of blood."

Cyran desperately wished there was something he could do for the injured woman, but he was no healer. He did the best he could for the remaining fishermen, who had huddled together in a secluded part of the ship while Gerhart tended to the injured tiefling’s wounds.

“You said that you encountered a harpy?” He asked urgently. The four men looked at one another, horror evident on their faces, before one of them nodded.

“Aye. Took chunks out of Zaya with those great bloody talons, it did.”

Cyran swore under his breath in elvish. Harpies weren’t particularly dangerous, but they liked to hunt in swarms, which meant that if there was one, there would definitely be more around somewhere. “Tell me what happened. Please.”

“That storm threw our ship into those rocks.” He pointed to the craggy formations that jutted out of the water like sharp, deadly points. “Smashed straight through our hull. We ‘ad no choice but to make camp on that island and hope that someone sent help after us. Just yesterday the great screeching beast came outta nowhere and started fighting us for our food!”

“It didn’t want our rations, you lout!” One of the other sailors smacked the other upside the head. “It wanted to make jerky out of us!”

“Oi, I don’t wanna hear nothin’ from the one who pissed his pants when the thing started screeching.”

One of the third sailors spoke up, cutting off their argument before it could get out of hand. “Olgar here managed to fight the she-monster off with a torch, he did. She just up n’ disappeared in the air!”

The other three nodded in assent.

“Damn thing was freaky. Looked like the most gorgeous beauty ye’d ever seen in ye’ life… until ye caught wind of her lower half. Those things ‘re killing machines, I tell you, with claws sharper than any bird o’ prey, and carnivorous to boot. We’re lucky to be alive right now, Salina willin’.”

A morose silence fell over the crew as they contemplated just how close their brush with death was, and that they weren’t out of the worst of it just yet.

“... I’d let her take chunks out of me,” One of the sailors muttered under his breath, only to immediately get smacked upside the head by the other three.

“Not the time, man.”

“... Right.” Cyran murmured, unsure what to make of their story. "Thank you for your help." He stood, dusting off his trousers as he set off to find Heian and report his findings once more. He kept a wary eye on the ocean, ready to jump into action at a moment’s notice in case those harpies returned.

Bastion set off the rock as soon as everyone was on board. Heian had a bad feeling about the situation ever since he saw the demon woman's condition. From what he heard harpies rarely hunted alone. And Cyran, who once again reported on the situation, only confirmed his worries.
Heian put Lurch by the helm and went to the storage part of his ship. After a while he found what he was searching for. He took the prototype crossbow and moved back to the top deck.

When he was there, Murmur silently pointed at the horizon. Harpies were coming.
-Take that - Heian put his crossbow in Cyran's hands, leaving the prototype one for himself - I don't think harpies are very sturdy, so one bolt at a time will do the trick. Use just the middle... barrel - did it even had its own name? He really would have to find a dictionary after that - If you find it hard to load rest it on the deck and use both hands. The bolt will fly mostly in straight line, so don't try to correct for that. We'll be mostly at close distance

With instructions given he looked at harpy squad again. They were almost there.
-Ger, cover the fishermen please



<Gave repeater crossbow with 15 bolts to Cyran>

"Get her below deck." Gerhart helps one of the fisherman pick up the tiefling woman, covering them as they make their way underneath. Having them down below will be one less thing to worry about.

He pulls out his daggers to wait for the harpies to get in closer. Lacking the range others seemed to have, he was going to have to get creative if he wanted to contribute in this fight. He scans the area to try and find something he could do. Suddenly, his eyes locked on the mast and he smirked. He screwed this move up when the mages assaulted the academy, but he'd been practicing since then.

As the harpies swooped in and others fired their shots, Gerhart sprinted towards the match. He ran up the length of the mast to give himself some extra height^[1] before launching himself off. As he soars through the air a moment, Gerhart will grab one of the harpies in a head lock and send them slamming into the deck.

Gerhart quickly rolled off the harpy to avoid its swinging claws, parrying them to the side before slipping in to get a dagger between its ribs. One down, he looked to the others to see how they were doing.

---

^{[1] Wall Dash}

“What am I supposed to do with this?” Cyran asked as Heian shoved a crossbow in his hands, but the human had disappeared, off to deal with the harpy problem. Gerhart had already taken one out in an impressive feat of athleticism, but there were still more to contend with. Cyran stared down at the weapon in his hands, suddenly struck with the feeling that he was out of his league.

“Well, I guess I’d better learn fast.” Cyran muttered to himself. He raised the heavy weapon, putting his finger on the trigger as he aimed it at one of the harpies approaching the sailors, and firing. “Whoa!”

He wasn’t ready for three bolts to come out one after the other in rapid succession, the recoil from the blow nearly throwing him down. None of the bolts struck, arcing wide into the air and landing in the ocean below. The harpies continued to descend, slashing at a few of Heian’s crew with their talons. As Cyran fiddled with the crossbow, one of the harpies got close enough to dig their claws into his shoulder, throwing him off balance. He was knocked to the ground, with the harpy pinning him down, screeching in his face.

Instinctively, Cyran raised his hand, slashing wildly at the harpy’s chest. His nails dragged across the harpy’s chest and wings, slashing through feathers and sinew.^[1] The harpy screeched, clearly not expecting a taste of her own medicine. She attempted to escape, but Cyran tore his claws down her right wing, leaving black, jagged marks that festered with a dark energy. The injury prevented her from taking off, and Cyran was able to finish off the job by dragging his claws down her face and across her beak.

The harpy slumped over, allowing Cyran to pull himself up. His chest heaved, breath ragged, but what was most unnerving was the wild look in his eyes. Cyran was normally calm, cold, and brutal during battles. It was rare he lost his composure this way.

The harpies still swarmed them, and the wind had begun to pick up once more, dangerously rocking the boat. Cyran quickly went about reloading the crossbow, bracing himself against the side railing.

This time, he wouldn’t miss.

---

1. Death Swipe

There were ten harpies in the squadron, with two already defeated by Ger and Cyran. Another soon joined to its sisters, falling into the sea with a pierced wing. Wet feathers were not a good clothing to swim in.
Heian hid behind a mast, just in time to avoid claws aiming at him, and reloaded the crossbow. Yet another harpy fell down, this time on deck, but others learned than staying in air is no longer a safe strategy. So they attacked all at once, two at each adventurer.

He had to block an attack with the crossbow, shooting from it would no longer be viable. The claws got stuck in the wood and Heian pulled the harpy towards himself by a neck.
-Maybe someday, darling - Heian couldn't help but laugh, only confusing the harpy even more. Wood the romantic was just too abstract of a vision. 
He had to let go, however, because second harpy dived to rescue her sister. With a sudden turn, he pulled out a sword from his back and cut the harpy in half in a quick succession. Meanwhile the other enemy managed to get rid of crossbow remnants and attacked again. 
Meanwhile the immobilized harpy tried to take him from the back.

"Careful you don't get overrun Cyran!" Gerhart was only able to get a few steps over towards Cyran before the harpies swooped down on him. He managed to dodge out of the way of the claws at his face, but he did take a hit to the leg. Gerhart wheeled around sucking in a breath of pain, swing going wide.



Fighting multiple opponents was always a pain in the ass, but thankfully these one's weren't incredibly smart. The young adventurer is able to parry and avoid the harpies now that they aren't divebombing him. He's also thankful he saved up for good armor as claws rake against his cuirass, unable to actually get purchase.



When one harpy swipes at him, Gerhart feints a dodge and captures its outstretched arm in a bind. He takes the moment it is wrapped up to sink his other dagger into its ribs before they separate. The wounded harpy is much easier to fight now, it's strikes going wide and feral. Gerhart ducks underneath and steps in, uppercutting it by slamming his knife into its chin.



One more harpy for him to deal with. He takes the momentary pause to survey the deck and make sure no one is at risk of dying.

Cyran heard Gerhart call out to him, but the human was quickly overwhelmed by his own swarm. He was more than competent at handling the harpies after him, leaving Cyran to deal with his own. He pressed his back against a mast, bracing himself as he raised the now reloaded crossbow, pointing it at a harpy. He planted his feet into the ground, shifted his weight, and fired.

Three bolts struck true in the torso of a harpy attempting to slash at the sail, knocking her out of the air and into the ocean before she could do any damage to the ship. The boat was beginning to rock back and forth again, the wind picking up, and Cyran had to push down the sudden bout of nausea that suddenly hit him. Yes, he would be taking a very long break from the ocean after this was all said and done.

An alarmed screech caught his attention, and Cyran whirled around to find one of the crewmen fighting off a harpy trying to find purchase on its arms to tear off chunks of flesh. Panicked, Cyran held out his arms, instinctively calling the shadows to his aid.

The shadows responded.

The darkness coalesced from his palm, spreading outward like a bolt of lightning dipped in ink. It zipped around through the air before striking the harpy in the side.^[1] A corrosive black energy festered in the wound, spreading outward and turning her feathers as black as tar. She desperately flapped her wings and took off in a hasty retreat, unwilling to stick around for another dose of pain.

Cyran looked down at his hand where the bolt of pure shadow had originated from, blinking in confusion. That was… new.

---

1. Chaos Bolt