"Ark I don't know how to fly this thing!"
Kai's voice cracked because the Leviathan was once again shuddering, the massive ship vibrating under his feet due to something hitting it from the outside. Bridge lights flashed brighter, then settled as if the ship was preparing itself.
The snake filled the view screen.
It was large; at least a hundred meters long. The serpent's body coiled effortlessly through the Void Sea. Plates of dark, crystalline armor rippled as it moved, releasing void energy from the cracks like smoke.
One of the serpent's eyes fixed on the ship.
It wasn't attacking.
It was circling.
Testing.
Kai's heart beat wildly; he could feel it pounding in his ears. "Ark," Kai said hastily, "I really could use an autopilot for all of these things."
"I will navigate for you," Ark stated.
"You will manage the guns."
Kai gazed at the flashing screens around him. "That isn't reassuring."
The serpent rushed in close and then veered off at the last second, it's massive body running into the ship's shields. A severe jolt ran through the Leviathan from the impact (not damaging, according to Ark), but it felt as though Kai was standing in front of a struck bell.
"It's intelligent," Kai murmured. "It's waiting."
"Yes," Ark agreed.
"Void Beasts show adaptive predation behaviors."
"Oh yeah...of course they do," Kai said weakly.
The bridge shifted.
Holographic controls unfolded around him as if the system anticipated what Kai needed. Clear targeting circles appeared. Readouts from each gun floated near the edges of his vision.
8 icons pulsed slightly.
VOID CANNONS -- ONLINE
"Eight?" Kai asked. "You gave me eight what?"
"Primary armament," Ark said.
"Void Cannons. Able to destroy localized areas of reality."
Kai gulped. "That seems extreme."
The serpent lunged.
It rammed the ship directly into the bridge.
Kai was thrown to the side by the impact, he smashed into the arm rest. The Leviathan groaned as the lights flickered for a microsecond before returning to normal.
The serpent pulled back, unharmed, but obviously motivated.
"It doesn't seem scared," Kai said, tightly. "It's playing."
"Your assessment is correct," Ark replied.
Kai took deep breaths to steady his shaking hands on the holographic controls. As soon as he thought about shooting, the targeting circle followed. As soon as he clenched his jaw, power levels shot up automatically.
"This thing is reading me," Kai gasped.
"Neural interfaces provide intuitive operation," Ark said.
"However, your proficiency level is low."
"No kidding," Kai said.
The serpent zipped towards the ship rapidly, much faster than anything that big should be able to move. It twisted around the ship, distorting space around it as it moved.
Kai tried to follow it.
Failed.
"Come on," he whispered to himself, sweat trickling down his face. "Just stand still—"
The serpent attacked again, smashing its armored side into the Leviathan. The ship shook severely this time, tossing Kai forward.
"Structural integrity is fine," Ark said calmly.
But Kai did not feel fine.
"Firing!" he shouted loudly, more to himself than Ark.
He slapped his hand down.
A bolt of blazing purple energy exploded out of the Leviathan, going straight through the Void Sea.
It missed.
Badly.
The beam disappeared into the distance, leaving warped space behind.
Kai stared. "That was... terrible."
The serpent reacted instantly.
It shrieked—a noise that circumvented air and crashed into Kai's skull. The serpent writhed, moving much quicker now, its coils tightening as it approached the ship rapidly.
"It's mad," Kai said.
"Yes," Ark agreed.
"Your firing caused the situation to escalate."
"Great."
Kai slowed himself down while adjusting to breathe, trying to calm himself down. The interface shifted as he did, reticles narrowed, predictive markers flickered into existence.
"Okay," he mumbled. "Lead the target."
The serpent zipped across the view screen.
Kai fired again.
The beam brushed against its side.
Void energy ripped through the serpent's armor, freeing a portion of the crystalline plating. The creature recoiled severely, its shriek deeper now—enraged.
Kai's stomach dropped.
"Oh no," he whispered. "That made it worse."
The serpent charged.
Directly at the bridge.
Jaws open wide, rows of jagged, reality-warped teeth showed. Space flexed as it accelerated toward the ship, closing the gap in seconds.
Kai did not think.
He reacted.
He screamed and fired.
The Void Cannon fired at point blank range.
The beam impacted the serpent's head center mass.
There was no explosion.
The head simply... ceased.
Purple light flared, then collapsed inward, reality folding violently as the serpent's skull disintegrated into nothingness. The body continued forward for a split second—then went limp, momentum carrying it past the ship.
The massive corpse drifted away, segments breaking apart, dissolving into void particles that dispersed into the endless sea.
Silence reigned.
Kai slumped back into his chair, his chest heaving, his hands shaking uncontrollably.
"Oh..." he whispered. "Oh gods..."
His legs felt weak. His whole body trembled as the rush of adrenaline left him, replaced with cold fear and queasiness.
He let out a single laugh—high-pitched and hysterical—and clamped his lips together.
Ark spoke after the chaos died down.
"Target neutralized."
"Well done, Captain."
Kai sucked in a deep breath. "That was terrifying."
"Acknowledged," Ark said.
"You'll get used to it."
Kai remained silent for a moment, staring at the empty void where the serpent had been, the echo of its shriek still resounding in his head.
"I don't know if I want to," he said softly.
There was a pause.
Then the bridge lights changed to yellow.
"Alert," Ark said.
"Critical fuel reserves remain."
Kai stiffened. "What?"
A new display came up.
NEXT CONTINENT: IRON-HOLLOW
ESTIMATED TIME TO ARRIVAL: 72 HOURS
CURRENT FUEL RESERVES: 48 HOURS
Kai stared at the numbers.
"That's... not enough," he said slowly.
"Correct," Ark replied.
Space stretched endlessly ahead.
For the first time since waking up on the Leviathan, Kai felt something worse than fear.
He felt trapped.