Cane stepped onto the deck—and froze.
Several muskets and sabers immediately pointed his way.
"It's Cane!" someone called.
"Cane!" Neri beamed, and before he could blink, the mermaid crossed the deck and wrapped him in a tight hug.
Rhiati wasn't far behind, brow furrowed as she stepped up, laying a hand on his shoulder.
"How are you here?" she asked, then waved the question off. "Never mind. I asked for help and they sent you?"
Cane chuckled. "Not sure how to take that, Captain."
Her sour expression broke into a grin. "You know what I mean."
"Apparently someone thought I could help," Cane said. "So fill me in."
He could guess the rest. Rhiati must've reached out to Telamon—quietly. Naval battles were under wartime command now. Telamon couldn't intervene directly… but he could send Cane.
The Defiant had seen better days. Cannon fire had torn through sections of the railing. Crew members worked frantically to patch the mainsail. The deck was blood-streaked, and tension hung thick in the air.
"Hey!" a red-haired sailor called out. "We're playing dice later—I want my money back."
She kicked over a bucket and slid it toward him.
"Name's Maud, in case you forgot. Have a seat."
Rhiati dragged a crate between them and unrolled a large, sea-stained blueprint, pinning the corners with shot pouches.
"This," she said, tapping the design, "is the Dark Avenger."
Cane studied the layout. Sleek lines. Double rows of cannons—twelve per side. Fast. Light armor. Under-gunned compared to heavier ships.
"And?"
"She's tearing through our fleet," Rhiati said, voice tight. "Damn near unsinkable. And that's our mission."
Cane scratched his head. "I mean… it's one ship."
"Runed out," Rhiati explained. "High-end camouflage. She blends in with open sea. Neri's the only reason we can track her—it still displaces water."
He glanced back. Neri stood behind him, both hands on his shoulders, her touch calming.
"Then find it and sink it."
"She has a metal hull," Rhiati added.
Cane paused. "Ahh. That's why I'm here."
Rhiati nodded. "And it's not just camouflage. Speed, turn radius, defense—she's covered in runes, head to keel. Wherever she goes, we lose two, three ships. Fast."
"I can sink it," Cane said, grinning as several sharp breaths echoed across the deck.
Rhiati stared, mouth slightly open. "Are you being serious?"
Cane nodded. "I need to get close—close enough to touch it. But yeah… once I do, I can strip the runes and peel the hull back like an orange."
"I love oranges," Neri whispered near his ear.
"Close enough to touch?" Rhiati frowned. "That's a problem."
"You know it isn't, Captain," Maud said from where she leaned against the rail. "Give him one of those fish suits and let Neri bring him in."
Rhiati shook her head. "Cane's too valuable to risk. You've heard of Cane's Folly? He made it. One arrow took out the Black Legion."
Maud shrugged. "When you've got a sharp blade, you don't keep it in storage. You cut."
"Fish suit?" Cane asked, cutting through the tension. "What's that?"
"I'll show you," Neri said, disappearing below deck.
Rhiati turned back to the blueprint, still frowning.
"Cane isn't a sharp blade," she said, not looking up. "He's… more than that."
She finally raised her eyes to meet his. "Why did you agree to come?"
Cane shrugged. "You know why."
She shook her head, fighting not to smile. "If you keep showing up every time we're in trouble, I'll conscript you."
"He's got my vote," Maud said. A few scattered crew echoed their agreement.
Neri returned, carrying a carved wooden box. She set it down on the deck and lifted the lid, revealing a folded suit of blue-green fabric. When she draped it across the crate, the surface shimmered—shifting between the colors of deep sea and sunlit tidepools.
Cane touched it gently. The fabric felt like smooth scales, and three small enchantment stones were sewn into the hood.
"Enchantments?" he asked.
Neri nodded. "This is merfolk-crafted. We gave them to important visitors before the Great Migration. I own two. You're holding one."
Rhiati let out a slow breath. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Her voice softened. She wanted him to say no—to return to the Academy, safe. But the Dark Avenger still loomed.
"I'm sure," Cane said, brushing one of the stones. "What enchantments are we talking about?"
"Underwater breathing. Depth adaptation. Improved vision," Neri said.
"Depth adaptation?"
She nodded. "The ocean depths will crush anyone not made to survive them."
Cane stripped off his outer garments and picked up the so-called fish suit, stepping into it one leg at a time.
Neri stood nearby, hands over her eyes—fingers splayed just enough to see everything.
Rhiati cleared her throat. "You could've gone below deck, Cane. Instead of giving the crew a show."
"What are you saying, Captain?"
"Don't listen to her," Maud called out. "We're all grown-ups here."
A few silver coins bounced across the deck.
Laughter erupted.
Rhiati shook her head. "Get back to work, all of you."
Cane flushed, but still took a second to collect the coins. "Right. Wasn't thinking."
Neri stepped closer to help adjust the suit, gently tugging it into place until the fabric clung perfectly. She pulled the hood over his head, tucking his hair carefully out of sight.
"It won't activate until you hit the water," she said. "Do you have a weapon that works underwater?"
Cane nodded and brushed a hand across his spatial ring. Starbolt snapped into his hand, gleaming with restrained power.
Neri blinked. Her face flushed. "T-Trident…"
Rhiati burst into laughter. "He looks like that merfolk king you're always drawing."
Neri didn't deny it—just nodded, eyes wide. "I'll find the Dark Avenger. We'll approach at night."
"How close can we get?" Cane asked, slipping Starbolt back into storage.
"Two nautical miles," Rhiati replied. "You'll have to swim from there. Neri will guide you in."
Neri dove into the water. A few moments later, she surfaced—eyes closed, brow furrowed in concentration. Minutes ticked by before her eyes blinked open.
"Found it," she said, pointing toward the horizon. Then she dipped beneath the waves, circling once before surfacing again, fishtailing across the surface while the Defiant adjusted course.
Cane wandered the deck while the crew worked, occasionally drifting near Rhiati, who seemed determined to keep him within sight.
"Worried I might break something?" he asked.
Rhiati shook her head. "Not really. Just... been a while since we talked without everyone else around."
"Got any smithing or metallurgy you need done?"
She considered, then shrugged. "We ported a few days ago. Since then it's been patch jobs—carpentry, sailwork, some sewing."
"What about the cannons?" Cane asked, remembering the enchanted shell that once held Chimi—fire runes etched into the metal for explosive impact.
"Do you know anything about cannons?"
"No," Cane admitted. "But I can purify the barrels—make them more stable. I could also adjust the properties of the cannonballs. Make them denser, harder-hitting. No promises on that last part."
Rhiati raised an eyebrow but turned on her heel. "Come on."
She led him below deck to the gun deck, where the cannons were retracted and locked along the centerline.
Cane moved closer to inspect them—his eyes scanning the tracks, the locking mechanisms, the soot-blackened barrels.
"What? Wait a second—"
Too late.
Cane tapped Blue against the nearest cannon. The cry of the Ice Gryphon echoed faintly, and the barrel shifted from scorched black to a deep, glacial blue.
"Will this do ice damage now?" he asked, a little sheepishly.
Rhiati stared. "Maybe we'll wait to test-fire that before deploying it in battle."
"Got carried away," Cane admitted, smiling. "All that steel…"
She tried to frown but barely managed a smirk. "Don't touch any of the others."
Cane moved to the stacked cannonballs and picked one up, resting his hand against it. His vision flickered—flashes of a distant mountain range, a forge burning bright near a sprawling city. Then the image shifted, swallowed by deep black.
"Get another one ready."
He sank deeper into the metal's composition, adjusting its weight, reinforcing density, making the shell hit harder—last longer.
"Next."
For the next hour, Cane worked his way through the entire stack. By the time he finished, each projectile gleamed—polished like obsidian mirrors, transformed from dull iron to gleaming, condensed steel.
Cane sat on a crate near the stern, casually flipping one of the silver coins the crew had tossed him earlier. With nothing to do but wait, he let his senses drift.
He submerged into the coin.
The familiar tug of metal met him with something new—tranquility. A mountain stream glistened beneath soft sunlight, where a young couple panned for minerals, laughing between scoops. The scene faded as he sank deeper, his focus narrowing.
With care, Cane stretched and shaped the silver, refining it into a thin rectangular sheet—sturdy, much thicker than the gossamer threads he'd used for cloth. When he wiggled it, it rang with a metallic thunder.
Maud's voice pulled him back.
"What're you doing?" she asked from the rail, one eye still tracking Neri in the water.
Cane held up the sheet. "I can record any runes I find—trace them here for later analysis."
Before she could reply, Neri reboarded the Defiant in spectacular fashion—shooting from the waves, twisting mid-air, and landing lightly on the deck, bone dry. She smiled and winked at Cane, clearly showing off.
"Maintain current heading. Cut speed by half," she called out. "The Avenger is running full stealth—on an intercept course with the Ora Bay blockade."
Rhiati glanced to the navigator. "You heard her. Heading confirmed—cut speed by half."
Neri joined them near the crate where the blueprint still lay spread. Her expression turned serious.
Rhiati tapped the parchment. "Cane's got a plan. Listen carefully. If it's not doable, we scrap the mission."
Neri nodded, her aquamarine gaze locking onto Cane.
"We approach from below," Cane said. "I'll need you to form an air pocket against the hull—about a meter wide."
"One meter?" Neri touched a finger to her chin. "She's runed for reduced friction and damage… water displacement shouldn't trip anything. I think I can manage it."
Cane smiled. "Then leave the rest to me. I'll disable the runes and play the rest by ear."
Rhiati sighed, shaking her head—half frustration, half admiration. "No playing by ear. Just take out the runes."
"Safe and quick," Neri added, wagging a finger at him.
Cane nodded. "Right. Those are my middle names."