After returning to the expansive port and taking in the several dozens of pirate ships, he followed Flintwaters to the moored Crimson Tempest.
He smiled as he saw the familiar crew members and a few new heads sunbathing or lazing on the clean deck.
’They look much better after following my advice!’
Those ruffians transpired vitality through their healthy skins and bright faces. Their clean clothes gave them a distinguished look that was uncommon for pirates. Yet, it only added to their menace to him.
’Rich pirates are more dangerous than poor amateurs.’
He chuckled and turned to Flintwaters.
A stilly glint flashed in the pirate captain’s eyes as he nodded and roared his commands.
"Unfurl the sails and remove the anchor, but don’t pray for today we’ll seek a blessing from the Tide Caller in person!"
Despite their initial hesitation, the crew’s eyes sparkled with defiance as they roared.
"We won’t accept to remain on land! Let’s share a piece of our mind about her sea creatures with her!"
Just like that, the famous ship cut through the river’s water, drawing further from Skullcove and into the island.
He observed the scenery on the side, awed by the tropical forest’s mangroves and the colossal snakes slithering inside.
"They’re terrible magical beasts, but they won’t attack us because of the ship’s enchantments."
His eyes sparkled, and his enchanter’s soul awakened at Flintwaters’ words.
"Continue sailing. I’ll scan the ship in the meantime."
An eager grin split his face as he surprised the pirate by adding, "In the future, I might build a few Crimson Tempests."
For the next four hours, he memorised and penned down everything with a few of his momentary insights on a piece of parchment.
But Flintwaters cut his study short as his voice thundered.
"Everyone in position! Anything that lies beyond is unknown to mortals, so keep your eyes open and never drop your guard!"
Alarmed, he threw the enchantment at the back of his mind and rushed to the bow.
Eyes wide in shock and icy dread gripping his soul, he gazed at a towering skull reaching higher into the sky than Shepard’s tower.
’What kind of creature can reach this size?!’
The question rumbled in his mind as he narrowed his eyes at the third hole on the forehead and the few intact teeth as big as houses.
The worst part? The river entered through its mouth, and he could see nothing behind.
’It’s as if it’ll swallow us into a sea of darkness.’
Each second crawling added mass to the knot of dread wrapping around him and caused his arms to tremble.
A quick glance at the crew and Flintwaters confirmed they had never seen something so disproportionate either as the noise of their chattering legs registered in his ears.
As they passed through the mouth in a deafening silence punctuated by the noise of the ship’s cracking wood, he took one last deep breath, finding comfort in the smell of nature before everything turned dark.
He broke the oppressive silence with a snap of his fingers as a ball of condensed light hovered before the ship and illuminated their path.
Flintwaters reacted first.
Urgency fueling his voice, he steered the oar with all his strength and roared in panic.
"The current is too strong! Cling onto something and pray to your dear ancestors!"
He reacted next, channelling his mana to apply a layer of increased gravity on the ship to help secure everyone despite the crushing sensation they felt and the crew’s disgruntled grumbles.
Because before them, at the skull’s center, there was no water.
He could see it clearly: the gaping hole absorbing everything like a ravenous beast ready to swallow them into a flightless abyss.
’I must prevent the ship from crashing at the bottom.’
He gritted his teeth as the waterfall rumbled in his ears, drawing the ship closer to its ineluctable doom.
The sound of his wooden fists colliding against each other reverberated in the empty space as mana surged from his frame in a roaring gale.
Under his meticulous control, it passed underneath the Crimson Tempest, raising it a few centimeters above the water a second before it could plummet.
Yet, the solution was far from ideal.
’I won’t hold long! That ship weighs several hundred tons!’
His teeth sank into his wooden gum as his mind raced with complex calculations, melding timing and instinct.
In a split second, he nodded at his rough plan and yelled to warn them.
"Endure the shaking!"
With his words, a sensation of weightlessness engulfed everyone as he cancelled his spell.
The wind howled, battering the wooden planks and their faces in their free fall before he reactivated it.
The collision with his mana locked the ship in a battle against gravity as he felt his puppet’s circuits groan in protest.
But they had no other choice.
And as such, he cancelled the spell again, only to reactivate it every few meters.
After the sixth iteration, the puppet’s circuits burned hotter than scalding metal, letting a smell of burned wood waft into his nostrils. But his eyes burned hotter than an inferno, and his soul roared in defiance.
After the fifteenth time, the pseudo-mana circuits liquified, becoming unusable and charring the Runebark’s surface.
’Shit! I hope we’re not too far from the bottom.’
An inner scream pierced through his determination because, once more, his frame’s limitations showed up. Something he would have never believed to happen with the masterpiece he had built.
Unable to channel enough mana, the gravity securing the crew disappeared in the blink of an eye, prompting him to yell.
"Prepare for the impact and pray to whoever you want to survive!"
Everyone clung onto the rails, masts and ropes, murmuring prayers to their ancestors or imploring the Tide Caller for mercy despite their transgression on her forbidden territory.
In this atmosphere of despair and dread, the ship continued on its free fall until...
It collided with horrific violence with the water below. The tall masts shattered upon impact, and the hull cracked into pieces, letting a torrent infiltrate the ship.
Several crew members flew overboard, almost falling into the dark water.
However, he had been ready and blurred into action, catching them before they could disappear too far.