"Do not worry, Siren, sir," Mizzien cut in lightly, a faint note of amusement in his voice. "I will not allow you to drown."
"Shut up," Siren snapped, already moving toward his next target.
The next jump carried him across two bodies at once. His blade flashed low, carving a diagonal cut that opened the first isopod from shoulder ridge to belly, while the energy wave continued through the second, staggering it long enough for another downward strike to finish the job.
Another leap followed immediately after. Siren landed on a shell that was already turning beneath him, drove the blade into a seam, and pulled the weapon forward in a tearing arc that peeled the armor back, exposing and destroying the interior.
A third landing came on a creature half submerged in foam. Siren struck once to pin the shell, then again along the spine, splitting the entire back of the isopod under the combined pressure of blade and energy.
Siren crossed the swarm in long strides, cutting, jumping, and cutting again. Several bodies fell in quick succession, some splitting cleanly enough to slide beneath the surface while others broke apart messily and drifted toward the hull before the water claimed them.
One of those halves slammed against the Nightshatter with a heavy impact, rattling the plating and causing Presidroid Polk, mid-step on the bridge, to stumble slightly. Polk scowled, quickly regaining his balance. "Push that filthy thing off the ship," he snapped over the bridge speakers.
Two base Presidroids on the outer walkway braced themselves and thrust their hands forward together. A compressed wind magic burst exploded outward, shoving the carcass away from the hull until the current caught it and dragged it under.
Siren continued his path until one of the larger bodies rose close to the ship. He landed on it, turned, and drove a single heavy strike straight through the centerline, folding the isopod in half. The remains sank into the water just as the sea moved beneath him, one of the main creature's tentacles surging upward beneath the swarm. It struck the underside of the isopod Siren stood on, the impact violently hurling him into the air.
Siren fell toward open water, control lost, a note of panic flashing across his face. As he fell he twisted mid-flight and sent another slicing wave toward the tentacle, carving deep into its flesh. Despite the severity of the wound, the massive limb absorbed the strike without meaningful reaction.
A boom rang out as Mizzien launched from the Nightshatter's deck in a single explosive motion, carrying him far out above the swarm. He tightened his body midair and reached Siren instantly, one hand seizing the back of Siren's collar, the other gripping his belt. His hold was precise enough to instantly halt the fall without injury.
Mizzien laughed softly, as he adjusted his grip. "If anyone is getting wet today, it should be the younger ones," he said, then immediately threw Siren back toward the ship.
Momentum forced Siren to take a couple steps backward as he landed upright on the deck. After stabilizing, he stood dumbfounded, eyes fixed on Mizzien for a moment. Genuine surprise lingered on his face at the effortless force and precision of the throw.
Mizzien hit the water with sudden, violent speed. The ocean took him for a heartbeat before he surged forward through it, arms and shoulders driving with enough force to wrestle open a clear path. A sharp, thin line of wake cut behind him, carving rather than rippling across the surface.
Ahead, one isopod crawled over another, using the second body like a bridge. Mizzien erupted from the water, landing firmly on its back, feet wide and knees flexed low. His hand drove downward, fingers piercing cleanly through a hardened shell, sinking deep into armor that yielded instantly under his strength. He sprinted along the creature's spine, ripping a long trench through the plating as he went.
A chain snapped into view next, a hook-bladed tool weighted with clear intent. Garfield leaned forward on the bridge, voice carrying genuine curiosity. "That resembles a kusarigama."
"Shortly after he arrived," Serenity replied dryly, "there was an awkward moment where it was just him, Roy, and a couple of Presidroids in the room. Roy, who really had not gotten used to talking to anyone yet, kind of blurted out that he looked like someone who would use one. When Mizzien asked what that was, Roy showed him a picture, expecting that to explain everything. Eventually, Takara built him something similar but better, and Roy named it something lame, as usual."
Garfield tilted his head slightly, eyes still fixed on the screen. "What name did he give it?"
Serenity continued with a small, resigned cringe, as though bracing herself against secondhand embarrassment. "Chain of Custody."
Garfield made a low, offended noise. "That is a horrible name."
Presidroid Hayes slapped Garfield hard on the back, voice loud and deliberately cheerful. "It's a beautiful name!"
"Of course it is," Serenity replied flatly.
Out on the water, Mizzien whipped the chain around a smaller isopod. The hook caught firmly, the chain locked tight, and he yanked with both hands, lifting the creature out of the sea like a hooked fish and slamming it back down with enough force to shatter shell.
"I taught him that," Grifftin said from the rail, his grin impossible to contain.
"How did someone like that spend fourteen years in chains?" Siren asked, his eyes fixed firmly on Mizzien.
"I don't know," Grifftin said quietly, his smile fading a little. "By the time he's half my age, he'll be ten times stronger than me."
"Only five times stronger than me, then," Siren replied casually, eyes glinting with obvious mockery.
Grifftin laughed sharply, giving him an amused sidelong glance. "Do you plan out your trash talk ahead of time?"
A beat passed while the sea churned and the swarm's formation fractured under pressure.
"Seriously though," Grifftin continued, voice lowering again, "if only Master Evarran would change his ways."
Siren turned his head slightly. "What do you mean?"
"Evarran says the whole city has two people with potential even close to his, and that Mizzien has the hero designation," Grifftin said, eyes still following Mizzien's movements. "He wants to teach him properly. Says the kid could truly be great." He paused briefly, expression darkening. "But Mizzien's already lived through a life of daily torture, and that's Master Evarran's favorite method of teaching."
"A hero, eh?" Siren's expression flattened into something older. "That man's cruelty poisons everything he touches." He hesitated, glancing briefly toward Grifftin. "Though, with you as a teacher, perhaps it couldn't end up too badly."
Before Grifftin could respond, another isopod rose close to the ship, and Siren moved the instant it entered his sight. One clean cut split the creature entirely, sending both halves tumbling in opposite directions. He kicked off the falling body of the isopod, propelling himself smoothly back onto the deck.
Mizzien's voice came sharply over the comms. "Fire at the neck."
"You haven't even landed on it yet," Serenity replied immediately.
"I know the speed of your attacks," Mizzien called back, tone confident. "It'll be open by the time the shell arrives. Trust me."
"Cocky child," Serenity muttered, but the sound of artillery came immediately after.
Mizzien dove forward, both hands outstretched like a swimmer piercing through water, and tore open the hardened shell, ripping a wide gap effortlessly through its armor. He launched clear as a runic artillery shell crashed directly into the opening behind him, silencing the creature instantly.
Without pause, he swung his chain onto another isopod, yanking himself through the air toward it. Mid-flight, he shouted, "Fire on these two. Left side of the big one, center of the back on the other."
Serenity obliged, firing two precise shots in rapid succession. Mizzien reached the first creature, driving his arm deeply into its shell and tearing open a massive wound before swiftly climbing upward. At the peak, he leaped toward the second target, angling just above its body and dragging his claws along its shell. A deep gouge formed beneath him, perfectly timed for the incoming artillery. Both shells impacted simultaneously, incapacitating the creatures instantly.
His momentum carried him directly onto one of the enormous tentacles rising from the water. Mizzien swung the head of the Chain of Custody around it, hooking into the thick flesh as he braced both feet against the limb and pulled with all his strength. The blade carved a vicious spiral, slicing through hide and muscle, leaving a wide gash seeping putrid blood into the surrounding ocean.
"Dang it," Mizzien growled through clenched teeth. "It's too thick."
Harmony began immediately. "That's what s—"
"Harmony," Serenity cut in sharply, "Roy is not here. Stop. Just stop."
"Hehe," Harmony laughed softly to herself, unrepentant.
With cheerful determination, Mizzien swung out again, embedding his claw deep into the tentacle's flesh to anchor himself, then hooked another isopod approaching the Nightshatter. Pulling with immense force, he sent it careening back into the tentacle's base, causing the huge limb to shudder but leaving it otherwise intact.
"These are tougher than I expected," Mizzien called out, still smiling despite the effort. "I could use another pair of hands."
The request hit Grifftin and Siren like a hammer. Both men immediately became awkwardly aware of their hands and the slight tremors running through them. Siren glanced away quickly, pretending to assess the formation around the ship, while Grifftin flexed his fingers slowly, eyes drifting deliberately away from the water.
"I prefer to defend the ship," Siren finally answered, voice carefully neutral.
Grifftin's gaze flicked briefly toward the water, then just as quickly returned to the horizon. "You know what? That sounds like a great idea. I'll help you with that." He raised his voice toward Mizzien, tone carefully casual. "We've got the ship covered. You're doing fine out there alone. This'll be wrapped up in no time."
Accepting without protest, Mizzien nodded once and dove beneath the surface again. Now, as the battle moved into clearer water, the full scale of the creature lurking below became horribly apparent. The immense form carried an unsettling darkness with it, like something inherently malevolent had taken shape. Its enormous body bristled with three massive central eyes, surrounded by rows of smaller ones, each glowing with a sickly red hue.
As Mizzien moved beneath the surface, one of those terrible eyes rolled upward, focusing directly on him. He immediately surged upward, breaking free of the ocean and landing quickly onto another isopod. He brought up the comm, breath tighter than before. "This thing is bad news. I can handle the little guys, but there is no way I'm taking this thing down alone."
More tentacles rose steadily from the depths as the massive creature moved upward, the shallower water forcing its true scale toward the surface. Space between the isopods and tentacles narrowed rapidly until the ocean itself looked crowded.