Songs of Reamere: Attack On The Ship (oh god oh why I didn't sign up for this)

The sound of panicked voices roused Armand from his sleep, and he opened bleary eyes to the chaos around him, wondering what could possibly be going on. Sailors ran back and forth across the deck, a man shouted from the corva's nest, and the ship's tyto called an alarm.

“What is it?” Armand called out, “What's happening?”

The tyto's yellow eyes snapped down to his, and she called out, “Monster spotted under the waves, we're under attack! Grab your gear, we need you in the sky in case anyone falls overboard!”

“Attack? Oh, dear, where's my equipment-” his exclamation was cut short by sailors throwing ropes over his back with practiced ease, tying quick knots as the tyto glided down. Armand shrunk back at the forwardness of the sailors, flinching from their rough hands on his feathers, and he looked towards the tyto with wide eyes. “May I ask-”

“Ropes for the sailors to grab, shore-wing! Hold still, they'll be done quick.”

“Yes ma'am”, he answered meekly, shrinking down as the tyto's eyes followed something under the waves, circling the ship. “My name is Armand, by the way. I don't think we had the pleasure of meeting?”

The yellow eyes snapped back to his face as the sailors thumped his sides to show they were finished, and he felt himself being evaluated and casually dismissed.

“Desert, now get your feathery ass up in the air and keep an eye out.”

“Odd name for a sailing stryx!” Armand remarked, and to his surprise she sent him a rakish grin, following him into the air, lightly buffeted by his downdraft.

“I've been told!” she answered, peeling away from him, and he took the hint and banked to the opposite side, aiming for height and trying to ignore the discomfort of the ropes against his skin. Once at a height above the ships masts he glanced down and balked at the size of the enormous shadow circling the ship, feeling himself wilt in the air.

“Gods in the sky, mighty Daius, protect us”, he whispered, still in the air from shock. As he watched, the shadow spun one last time and finally, cruelly, collided with the ship, sending the sailors flying across the deck and the mighty timbers shuddering. The shadow then dove deep, out of sight for the moment, and he tried to keep an eye on it in vain, scanning the waves.

A flash of yellow caught his attention, the tyto's bandana, and he was snapped out of his horror as he suddenly remembered he had a task to fulfill. Ashamed, he began scanning the waves again, looking for much smaller targets, and spotting a sailor getting swept away by the current he dove, wings tucked to his side. However, he found once he reached the water he had no idea what to do, as the waves were too rough for him to hover close to the surface and he could not reach.

“Desert! How do I-” he called out, looking wildly for the tyto, only for him to grunt in surprise as her small form collided with his back, for a moment setting off alarm bells on all his instincts. He felt her beak scrabbling at his back and panicked, bucking slightly, and she hissed a warning.

“The ropes got tangled, hold still!”

Coming back to his senses, he did as he was bid, panting slightly, and with a cry she flung a rope down below him, a loop tied into the end.

“There! Hover as still as you can as close to the men as you can, once they're secure in the ropes bring them back to the ship! Move quickly, it's coming back!”

He turned to follow her gaze and gasped, seeing she was right, but turned his attention back to the man below him as Desert took off again, screaming at the shadow below the waves. He gently lowered himself closer to the surface, rope finally touching the water, and struggled to maintain his position as best as he could while the man hooked the rope under his arms. Once the sailor gave a quick tug, Armand rose again, reaching the ship in two smooth wingbeats and gently lowering the rescued man to the deck.

“Good lad, eh! Go on for anyone else!”

Dismissed, Armand watched the man run back to his post, completely unfazed, and felt a rush of admiration for the sailors. These men were able to brush off a close touch of death, facing insurmountable odds, and go right back to work like nothing was happening.

A shriek rent the air, and Armand whirled to see the blur of a tail breaking the water, lashing the front of the ship sharply. The protective runes, powered by gems, activated, and the beast shrieked once more, diving under the hull once again. Armand could only watch in horror as the gems didn't dim, and a few only grew brighter, meaning-

“Get away from the front of the ship! Get away now!”

Desert whirled at his shout, looking alarmed, and when she turned back to the ship she finally noticed what he had seen. Her eyes grew wide, and she dived sharply, echoing his warning. However, with a sound that was felt more than heard, a few of the gems cracked and exploded, throwing magical shrapnel everywhere. Armand could only watch in horror as a shard of crystal embedded itself in the arm of the man he had just saved, mutating his flesh into a mass of vines and flowers before the loosened magic swallowed him whole. Armand dove to the rocking deck, spreading his wings and casting a quick control spell to try to contain what he could, peering over the stricken man and closing his eyes when he realized he was too late.

“What do we do?”

He turned, seeing Desert watching him with wide eyes, and Armand had to blink long and slow, inhaling deeply to calm himself before answering.

“Get as many men to the lifeboats as you can. If the ship gets struck again, the rest might go and we all need to be very far away. It seems to only be attacking larger targets, so I'm hoping they'll be safe. If anyone else is afflicted by loose magic keep them together; I'll try to contain what I can once everyone is safely away.”

“And what are you going to do?” Desert challenged, and Armand looked to the Reamere, where the shadow once again was heading back in their direction.

“I'm going to try to scare it off, or at least move it away from the lifeboats. I have a few spells I can try.”

“I wish you the tide of your choosing, Armand.”

He blinked at the blessing, and laughed dryly in return, already beginning to prepare a noise spell as he spread his wings once again for takeoff.

“And may the wind be warm under your wings, Desert. Get these men to safety; I'll do what I can here.”

Facing the shadow, he heard Desert begin barking out orders behind him, but tuned it out in favor of charging the spell. He supposed it was time to see if Inari's faith had been well-placed in him after all.