[Hector looks through the glass, and sees the vague outline of a ship in the darkness. There's movement on the deck, though he can't make out numbers or identities from it.]
We could destroy it, but that would take resources, and it could draw attention to our location.
[At this point in their plan, the need for stealth seems to trump speed.]
But then again, even if we go around, there's no guarantee they won't spot us and follow.
[He gives the spyglass back to Alucard.]
If you think your Speaker will wait for us, we'll take the detour. I can pull the same trick that I did this morning to delay any pursuit, and if they still try to follow, or show any sign of raising an alarm, we destroy them.
[Alucard holds his hand out for the glass again. He caught movement, the identity part is still possible. Just with a few more moments to stare.]
I don't know if they'll wait. It feels likely, but I don't want to risk it. I also worry that they may look here, see our crew, and know who they serve.
[Hector is probably just as wanted as Alucard is now.]
My gut says to see if the same trick will work twice.
[Hector lets out a whispered string of curses. This is Not Ideal.
He can still command his crew, even with the charm in effect, though they will get confused if he and Alucard give conflicting orders. With a command of will, one of the mer-creatures he forged jump out of the water spinning, because Castlevania and lands on the deck.
Hector places a hand on its shoulder, cobbled together from shark and human parts, and murmurs the instructions for it. It drops back off of the side of the ship and disappears beneath the water. There is no further sign of it.]
Don't start running until the creature is done. He has a measure of intelligence, but it will be harder for him to sabotage the ship if they start maneuvering to follow us. He's quick; we won't lose much time.
[Unless this is one of the few ships with creatures of their own guarding their vessels from below, in which case, fuck.]
[Alucard doesn't jump at the mercreature. Not externally anyway - he's a little concerned when he sees it on the inside, and there's a quiet thank you to some power that Hector is on his side. The thing's a right terror, and no wonder Hector has the reputation he has. It's easy to forget, what with Cesar and the fact they've been getting along perfectly well, but Hector's command of life and death, leg and limb, that's a power even vampires ought to fear.
He watches it go.]
I understand. If we're followed, can you take command of the ship if I have to hide my face?
[Hector looks out over the dark, churning waters. The moonlight is plenty for the vampires, but for him...]
If I must. I can't see well enough to navigate well, but I could keep us going in the right direction. We're not near enough to land to run the risk of running aground.
[That's something, at least. The ship is safer in Alucard's hands at the moment, but Hector isn't helpless.]
You do know that if we're followed and made, I am going to destroy that ship. They cannot be allowed to escape if they will carry back word of our location to the Court.
[He still has one large, tentacled ace in the hole, if he needs to call on her.]
I understand. [Alucard inclines his head, just for a moment.]
It'll draw attention to us, but only after a few days of the vessel being understood as missing. It's hardly ideal, but it's so much safer than them returning word to my father that we live.
[Alucard shudders a little. This is scary. He can't lie about that simple fact. Nor can he be happy about taking lives.]
I'd offer to navigate as a wolf, but I'm still too obvious in that form. Perhaps if my fur was darker, it'd be plausible but--
[In spite of the severity of the situation, Hector takes the time to turn to Alucard and give him a flat look.]
Navigating as a wolf? How would that even work?
[Bark once for left, twice for right? That would be goddamn ridiculous.]
Get us on course, then get below deck. I'll take care of it.
[The merman does his work, and as far as Hector can tell, no alarm is raised. The one signals the others still beneath the waves, relaying his victory.]
It was only a passing thought. North, south, east, and west, could have specific noises but--
[It's not going to work, that's the point. Alucard shakes his head, and he takes Hector's request as a command. There are a few orders given to the nearest crew in order to relay it to the others. It's a way to avoid shouting, and soon there's wind in the sails and the course is all but set.]
We're good to go, barring chaos. I'll be right at the stairs, listening.
[Alucard does as he says he will, disappearing down the steps below deck and then staying there. Every part of him is tense, like a finely tuned string. Silence wears on. None of it makes him feel more comfortable.]
[In spite of his grumbling, Hector takes the helm and they are off on the new path. One of his undead crewman fetches a cap for him to wear. His hair isn't as remarkable or eerily perfect as Alucard's, but it is still an oddity. Covering it is better.
Cesar, he sends to wait with Alucard at the stairs. The trip is going to be an anxious one, and at least one of them can benefit from the emotional support pug's presence.
There's wind enough to move them along, though Hector wishes it was a stronger breeze to get them there faster. Lights appear on the deck of the pirate ship in the distance, likely from the realization of their loss of steering power and the investigation into the cause.
Hopefully it is enough to distract them from the ship in the distance in the dark, but unease gnaws at Hector's gut. They discovered it so quickly. Happenstance, a mere adjustment of their path, or had they been preparing to turn and make for Hector's ship?
Hector keeps the lights low on his ship, putting his faith in his crew, his knowledge of the ship, and the course Alucard had set them on. Sailing nearly blind, he eventually loses sight of the pirate vessel.]
Come out, but stay low. I need you to check and make sure they're out of sight.
[He keeps his voice low as he calls to Alucard; vampiric ears don't need much, especially when they are actively listening up for the call.]
[He says it as a snide comment, but Alucard is genuinely surprised. He's a fluffy dog, and Hector is Hector. To not even ask is...well. Weird and wrong.
Cesar's company is appreciated, and the emotional support pug gets pet for all his troubles. He's a good boy. Best, even, worthy of all the attention he recieves. It also allows Alucard to do something besides just standing and waiting, which is the real mercy all things considered.
He's not sure how much time has passed when Hector calls for him. Alucard's careful to crouch once he gets up the stairs. His stomach may as well be to the ground when he gets to the side of the ship, and he places his forearm over his head to obscure his hair when his eyes peak over the railing.]
Just barely, and it looks like they may be changing direction. Hang on.
What? You’re still you in there. It’s not like.... I couldn’t....would you say yes?
[This is The Worst situation and he hates it, and he would sure as Hell pet the big dog if it was an option. But he can’t go around asking to pet Alucard.
He’s regained some composure at least by the time Alucard returns to scout.]
Damn, they fixed it that quickly? They’re much more competent than the last ship.
[The same trick won’t work on them a second time. Fuck.]
Look for movement in the skies. They could have creatures to send out. I’ve got a watch set below the surface.
[Hector’s foot taps nervously on the deck. They’ve been made, that’s all he can think.]
Ok, plan. We can’t let them send out any messages. If it’s just one creature up there, I can send a bird-devil after it to try to stop it. If it can just bear it down into the water, the mercreatures can take care of the rest.
[Both of his flying creatures- albatross and skeletal bird devil- will stand out in the darkness, though. On his own ship, at full capacity, Hector would have creatures suited to stealth assassins in the night. On this hastily-assembled replacement ship, he just doesn’t have what he needs.]
They’re going to take notice if I do it. I could sink them, but it will be costly. My kraken isn’t finished or whole yet. She’s fragile, and I don’t know what they have to combat her.
[He looks to Alucard. He is co-captain, and if they’re going to likely die horribly, he should be afforded the courtesy of a say in the matter.]
[Hector lets out an impatient huff of breath. Waiting while decisive action is needed...it's not easy. But he can't hope to see what Alucard can spot, so he sucks it up.]
Alright, but we can't afford to hold for long. Hurry.
[He stays by the wheel, fingers drumming on the spokes, trying to work off his nervous energy. He hasn't slept enough and he won't be resting anytime soon.]
[Fuuuuuuck. Hector wants to punch something. He forces himself to slow down his breathing and think.]
Isaac has no better eyesight than mine...and he won't be sailing with any other vampires. His creatures will need to get close to see us.
[The downside is, unlike all of the other vampire crews, who had a mixture of Hector and Isaac's forged creatures, Isaac will have a ship full of creatures fully loyal to him. Hector has no chance of being able to command any of them.]
I can send the creatures I have out in different directions, create movement to draw Isaac's searchers. We need to destroy anything that comes our way, but it would at least divide their numbers.
[It feels like trying to keep a sieve filled with sand, but it's all he can think to do.]
[There's a quiet urgency to Alucard's voice. It isn't a good idea, but it is an option all the same.]
Create movement. Scatter. And then we're scattered too, and harder to track because it's a smaller vessel. Or I can try and become mist to cover an escape. I don't know how far I can spread myself in that form.
We'll absolutely miss our deadline if we do, and we'll be less prepared to defend ourselves if anyone does find us. It's a gamble.
[He hasn't had this ship long enough to grow attached, but it's still a strategic advantage that they'd be abandoning. If they can reach their Seeker ally, Sypha might show them pity and deliver them to a port- if they survive Death Island and the Belmonts.]
The mist is a no-go. You don't know the limits of it, and what happens if I breath some of you in? Start loading supplies into the lifeboat.
[They are still two days out from their destination, so if they do go with this plan, it'll be a race to get to the Belmont stronghold before they are found again.]
[It's a gamble. Hector's right, and they can't ask the mer-creatures to act as a ferry for them either. They'll tire, and then where shall they be?
Alucard rubs at the bridge of his nose, weighing stupid idea after stupid idea. Fighting Isaac? Extremely stupid. Maybe if it was a more even match with no forged creatures around. But Isaac has a legion to defend himself, and Alucard knows he can be done in by sheer numbers now.
It's bad, abandoning the ship. But there's a thought.]
I know your large friend below is still fragile, but is there a way she could grasp the ship and make it appear to sink without doing it harm or rendering it truly unusable?
I'm so sorry, my inbox apparently ate this notification
Usually, she would rend a ship asunder as she drags it down, but perhaps if we made some holes to let the water in, she could carry the ship the rest of the way down...
[He doesn't know this vessel as intimately as the one Carmilla stole from him, but every captain has a basic idea of where a ship can and can't take on water and stay afloat. They could open her up in places it wouldn't be too hard to repair.]
We couldn't have her do it within Isaac's sight. He'd never believe that she'd attack my ship. But if we worked quickly, before he gets to us... if we go down at the right angle, there would be air pockets in the hull enough to sustain us for an hour or more.... My kraken has the strength to pull us down, but it's a gamble whether she'll be able to hold us down and bring us back up when Isaac has gone past. We may lose the ship anyways.
[But if they could sink their ship and hide beneath the waves, and send a few of Hector's crew piloting one of the life boats, they might elude Isaac's notice.]
If one or two of your creations can make the holes and have them be precise for her, then I think this is our best way forward. If the holes are below water, it may be that she doesn't have to surface at all. She can just pull it down with even tentacles remaining out of sight.
[It's a big if. The whole thing is a massive if, and Alucard doesn't like any of the options available to them.
They don't have time to think. A horrible lump rises up his throat.]
Make a call. If we're to be adrift on a life boat, I will contact the Speakers with our rough coordinates so they may pick us up en route to the Belmont. Or...whatever the plan is.
[It's a heavy choice, to sacrifice the ship and hope to evade discovery, or to risk everything to try to save everything. He cards a hand through his hair, and lets out a deep breath.]
Fuck it, we're probably going to die anyway. I might as well go knowing that that bastard Isaac is fucking bewildered wondering where we disappeared to. I hope you're not claustrophobic.
[The crew begins securing everything on deck, save for the decoy lifeboat.]
Come with me. I'll show you where to make the holes, and you can put that freakish strength to good use.
[It's the path that, if a miracle happens and everything goes to plan, sacrifices the least. One life boat, one crewman wearing a borrowed sash and Hector's captain's hat, a mer-creature to pull the boat, and a bundle of blankets that, in the darkness, could theoretically conceal a wolf. The sight wouldn't fool Isaac, but it might fool the monstrous eyes that carry their report back to him.]
[It's not helpful to seek refuge in being a dick. Alucard knows it, but he needs something normal to help power through this. Alucard lets out a low, stressed breath, but--]
Hector. I need to write and send the note to the Speakers first. Then holes.
[Alucard doesn't know where the albatross is. He can't call her right now, the movement will be too suspicious. But the note still has to be written and dispatched.]
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We could destroy it, but that would take resources, and it could draw attention to our location.
[At this point in their plan, the need for stealth seems to trump speed.]
But then again, even if we go around, there's no guarantee they won't spot us and follow.
[He gives the spyglass back to Alucard.]
If you think your Speaker will wait for us, we'll take the detour. I can pull the same trick that I did this morning to delay any pursuit, and if they still try to follow, or show any sign of raising an alarm, we destroy them.
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[Alucard holds his hand out for the glass again. He caught movement, the identity part is still possible. Just with a few more moments to stare.]
I don't know if they'll wait. It feels likely, but I don't want to risk it. I also worry that they may look here, see our crew, and know who they serve.
[Hector is probably just as wanted as Alucard is now.]
My gut says to see if the same trick will work twice.
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He can still command his crew, even with the charm in effect, though they will get confused if he and Alucard give conflicting orders. With a command of will, one of the mer-creatures he forged jump out of the water
spinning, because Castlevaniaand lands on the deck.Hector places a hand on its shoulder, cobbled together from shark and human parts, and murmurs the instructions for it. It drops back off of the side of the ship and disappears beneath the water. There is no further sign of it.]
Don't start running until the creature is done. He has a measure of intelligence, but it will be harder for him to sabotage the ship if they start maneuvering to follow us. He's quick; we won't lose much time.
[Unless this is one of the few ships with creatures of their own guarding their vessels from below, in which case, fuck.]
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He watches it go.]
I understand. If we're followed, can you take command of the ship if I have to hide my face?
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If I must. I can't see well enough to navigate well, but I could keep us going in the right direction. We're not near enough to land to run the risk of running aground.
[That's something, at least. The ship is safer in Alucard's hands at the moment, but Hector isn't helpless.]
You do know that if we're followed and made, I am going to destroy that ship. They cannot be allowed to escape if they will carry back word of our location to the Court.
[He still has one large, tentacled ace in the hole, if he needs to call on her.]
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It'll draw attention to us, but only after a few days of the vessel being understood as missing. It's hardly ideal, but it's so much safer than them returning word to my father that we live.
[Alucard shudders a little. This is scary. He can't lie about that simple fact. Nor can he be happy about taking lives.]
I'd offer to navigate as a wolf, but I'm still too obvious in that form. Perhaps if my fur was darker, it'd be plausible but--
[What, they're gonna put a coat on him?]
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Navigating as a wolf? How would that even work?
[Bark once for left, twice for right? That would be goddamn ridiculous.]
Get us on course, then get below deck. I'll take care of it.
[The merman does his work, and as far as Hector can tell, no alarm is raised. The one signals the others still beneath the waves, relaying his victory.]
It's time to go.
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[It's not going to work, that's the point. Alucard shakes his head, and he takes Hector's request as a command. There are a few orders given to the nearest crew in order to relay it to the others. It's a way to avoid shouting, and soon there's wind in the sails and the course is all but set.]
We're good to go, barring chaos. I'll be right at the stairs, listening.
[Alucard does as he says he will, disappearing down the steps below deck and then staying there. Every part of him is tense, like a finely tuned string. Silence wears on. None of it makes him feel more comfortable.]
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[In spite of his grumbling, Hector takes the helm and they are off on the new path. One of his undead crewman fetches a cap for him to wear. His hair isn't as remarkable or eerily perfect as Alucard's, but it is still an oddity. Covering it is better.
Cesar, he sends to wait with Alucard at the stairs. The trip is going to be an anxious one, and at least one of them can benefit from the
emotional supportpug's presence.There's wind enough to move them along, though Hector wishes it was a stronger breeze to get them there faster. Lights appear on the deck of the pirate ship in the distance, likely from the realization of their loss of steering power and the investigation into the cause.
Hopefully it is enough to distract them from the ship in the distance in the dark, but unease gnaws at Hector's gut. They discovered it so quickly. Happenstance, a mere adjustment of their path, or had they been preparing to turn and make for Hector's ship?
Hector keeps the lights low on his ship, putting his faith in his crew, his knowledge of the ship, and the course Alucard had set them on. Sailing nearly blind, he eventually loses sight of the pirate vessel.]
Come out, but stay low. I need you to check and make sure they're out of sight.
[He keeps his voice low as he calls to Alucard; vampiric ears don't need much, especially when they are actively listening up for the call.]
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[He says it as a snide comment, but Alucard is genuinely surprised. He's a fluffy dog, and Hector is Hector. To not even ask is...well. Weird and wrong.
Cesar's company is appreciated, and the emotional support pug gets pet for all his troubles. He's a good boy. Best, even, worthy of all the attention he recieves. It also allows Alucard to do something besides just standing and waiting, which is the real mercy all things considered.
He's not sure how much time has passed when Hector calls for him. Alucard's careful to crouch once he gets up the stairs. His stomach may as well be to the ground when he gets to the side of the ship, and he places his forearm over his head to obscure his hair when his eyes peak over the railing.]
Just barely, and it looks like they may be changing direction. Hang on.
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What? You’re still you in there. It’s not like.... I couldn’t....would you say yes?
[This is The Worst situation and he hates it, and he would sure as Hell pet the big dog if it was an option. But he can’t go around asking to pet Alucard.
He’s regained some composure at least by the time Alucard returns to scout.]
Damn, they fixed it that quickly? They’re much more competent than the last ship.
[The same trick won’t work on them a second time. Fuck.]
Look for movement in the skies. They could have creatures to send out. I’ve got a watch set below the surface.
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[Alucard keeps his eyes focused. The ship is moving, flags sailing and....]
It's turning around. Slowly and--
[And that is the moment that there is movement over the sail. Alucard swears softly.]
They have something in the sky. I can't tell if it's circling their ship or it is awaiting instruction to come here.
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[Hector’s foot taps nervously on the deck. They’ve been made, that’s all he can think.]
Ok, plan. We can’t let them send out any messages. If it’s just one creature up there, I can send a bird-devil after it to try to stop it. If it can just bear it down into the water, the mercreatures can take care of the rest.
[Both of his flying creatures- albatross and skeletal bird devil- will stand out in the darkness, though. On his own ship, at full capacity, Hector would have creatures suited to stealth assassins in the night. On this hastily-assembled replacement ship, he just doesn’t have what he needs.]
They’re going to take notice if I do it. I could sink them, but it will be costly. My kraken isn’t finished or whole yet. She’s fragile, and I don’t know what they have to combat her.
[He looks to Alucard. He is co-captain, and if they’re going to likely die horribly, he should be afforded the courtesy of a say in the matter.]
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[Alucard has heard everything Hector's said. But his eyes have been on the creature the entire time, watching it and---
it returns to the ship.
Alucard's eyes narrow, and he gestures at Hector. He's looking for the spyglass, because there's an awful thought that has just occurred to him.]
I think I see someone who's in charge. Please, I need to see.
[It's said with quiet urgency.]
It'll define all our plans from here on out.
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Alright, but we can't afford to hold for long. Hurry.
[He stays by the wheel, fingers drumming on the spokes, trying to work off his nervous energy. He hasn't slept enough and he won't be resting anytime soon.]
Can you tell who it is?
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It's Isaac.
[There's only a soft hiss, and then Alucard's eyes go to Hector.]
We need a plan that will force him to search and buy us enough time to do this work.
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Isaac has no better eyesight than mine...and he won't be sailing with any other vampires. His creatures will need to get close to see us.
[The downside is, unlike all of the other vampire crews, who had a mixture of Hector and Isaac's forged creatures, Isaac will have a ship full of creatures fully loyal to him. Hector has no chance of being able to command any of them.]
I can send the creatures I have out in different directions, create movement to draw Isaac's searchers. We need to destroy anything that comes our way, but it would at least divide their numbers.
[It feels like trying to keep a sieve filled with sand, but it's all he can think to do.]
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[There's a quiet urgency to Alucard's voice. It isn't a good idea, but it is an option all the same.]
Create movement. Scatter. And then we're scattered too, and harder to track because it's a smaller vessel. Or I can try and become mist to cover an escape. I don't know how far I can spread myself in that form.
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[He hasn't had this ship long enough to grow attached, but it's still a strategic advantage that they'd be abandoning. If they can reach their Seeker ally, Sypha might show them pity and deliver them to a port- if they survive Death Island and the Belmonts.]
The mist is a no-go. You don't know the limits of it, and what happens if I breath some of you in? Start loading supplies into the lifeboat.
[They are still two days out from their destination, so if they do go with this plan, it'll be a race to get to the Belmont stronghold before they are found again.]
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Alucard rubs at the bridge of his nose, weighing stupid idea after stupid idea. Fighting Isaac? Extremely stupid. Maybe if it was a more even match with no forged creatures around. But Isaac has a legion to defend himself, and Alucard knows he can be done in by sheer numbers now.
It's bad, abandoning the ship. But there's a thought.]
I know your large friend below is still fragile, but is there a way she could grasp the ship and make it appear to sink without doing it harm or rendering it truly unusable?
I'm so sorry, my inbox apparently ate this notification
Usually, she would rend a ship asunder as she drags it down, but perhaps if we made some holes to let the water in, she could carry the ship the rest of the way down...
[He doesn't know this vessel as intimately as the one Carmilla stole from him, but every captain has a basic idea of where a ship can and can't take on water and stay afloat. They could open her up in places it wouldn't be too hard to repair.]
We couldn't have her do it within Isaac's sight. He'd never believe that she'd attack my ship. But if we worked quickly, before he gets to us... if we go down at the right angle, there would be air pockets in the hull enough to sustain us for an hour or more.... My kraken has the strength to pull us down, but it's a gamble whether she'll be able to hold us down and bring us back up when Isaac has gone past. We may lose the ship anyways.
[But if they could sink their ship and hide beneath the waves, and send a few of Hector's crew piloting one of the life boats, they might elude Isaac's notice.]
No problem !
[It's a big if. The whole thing is a massive if, and Alucard doesn't like any of the options available to them.
They don't have time to think. A horrible lump rises up his throat.]
Make a call. If we're to be adrift on a life boat, I will contact the Speakers with our rough coordinates so they may pick us up en route to the Belmont. Or...whatever the plan is.
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Fuck it, we're probably going to die anyway. I might as well go knowing that that bastard Isaac is fucking bewildered wondering where we disappeared to. I hope you're not claustrophobic.
[The crew begins securing everything on deck, save for the decoy lifeboat.]
Come with me. I'll show you where to make the holes, and you can put that freakish strength to good use.
[It's the path that, if a miracle happens and everything goes to plan, sacrifices the least. One life boat, one crewman wearing a borrowed sash and Hector's captain's hat, a mer-creature to pull the boat, and a bundle of blankets that, in the darkness, could theoretically conceal a wolf. The sight wouldn't fool Isaac, but it might fool the monstrous eyes that carry their report back to him.]
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[It's not helpful to seek refuge in being a dick. Alucard knows it, but he needs something normal to help power through this. Alucard lets out a low, stressed breath, but--]
Hector. I need to write and send the note to the Speakers first. Then holes.
[Alucard doesn't know where the albatross is. He can't call her right now, the movement will be too suspicious. But the note still has to be written and dispatched.]
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Be quick about it. [He turns to see to the decoy boat and the other preparations. Beneath them, the waves churn with the kraken’s approach.]
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