-Callia-

  Towering over us was a wall of dark water that blended in with the night, but its outline was clear in contrast against the stars of the night sky. I leapt between each of our companions, throwing them over my shoulder into a big pile. Then as the water reached us, I burst into speed, moving everyone first to the trees, and then I leapt upward, jumping from tree to tree like a Mario wall jump all the way into the canopy above. Finally I slid to a stop on a relatively thick branch. I kneeled down as I gasped for breath after transporting 4 people up a tree by jumping.

  I lean back, letting the others get out of the pile they had formed as I carried them. Looking down, I don’t immediately see Callen. There’s no way some nonmagical wave swept him away. I expected to see maybe some kind of vortex as he shifted the water around him into the void, but taking a moment to focus on our bond has me looking up. The soft light of his jetpack engine shone, hovering above the beach. Below us the water finally washed back into the river. With some effort I managed to help the others get down, and Callen met up with us at the base of the tree.

  “Seems like we just can’t catch a break.” Callen comments while I’m still recovering from the burst of athleticism. I just looked up at him with my usual mildly annoyed face.

  “In hindsight we probably should’ve just anchored out in the water. Still, what kind of a professional gets himself flung overboard like that?” I grumble out but immediately regret saying it. The man had almost certainly died earlier. “Sorry, my head is in the wrong space.” The others just remain silent, but it’s clear we’re all in rough shape after the chaos and exhaustive efforts through the day. Callen looks back towards the water and then shifts his gaze towards the forest.

  “You probably don’t want to hear this, but our shelter isn’t made for waves like that. We’re going to need to find a clearing in the forest or accept a night on a branch.” I straightened myself back up. If I wanted a bed tonight, then that meant it would depend on me finding a clearing because there was no way any of our companions would be much help in the dark. Personally I wasn’t too optimistic. Most forests had trees placed too densely for our shelter; previously, we took advantage of the space cleared from the road to set our shelter down. Out here we had no roads and no clearing until we found the road. It will likely be similar to when I was shot down.

  “I’ll check nearby, but it might be best to accept the branch tonight. Callen, I’ll leave getting the others back up to you.” I moved back up into the foliage while the guards and Hew groaned. There was some mild helpless annoyance since they had all just gone through the effort of climbing down.

  Moving from branch to branch quietly and with ease, I checked the nearby areas, and just as I expected, there wasn’t any prominent shelter available. The best I found was a river cave that seemed angled conveniently to avoid any risk of flooding. Looking down, however, the clear markings of webbed feet indicated that the cave was probably something's den. It's best to avoid looking for trouble. I passed the results of my search back to Callen so he could start cobbling together a temporary shelter.

  As I arrived, I found a set of three temporary shelters built onto three branches nearby. Two built for the guards, Hew and Callen, and a separate shelter for me. The outside was cloaked in a manner similar to the stealth cloak, but from the fresh markings inside the shelter, I can tell Callen made the enchantment on the spot. My arrival starts a quick update on who'll keep guard, but everyone insisted I get a full night's rest. Callen ended up with the majority of the shift since he was the least spent out of everyone.

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  Lying down, I can immediately feel the adrenaline that has been keeping me going the whole day begin to fade. From learning on the spot how to operate a barge to outrunning a massive wave while carrying 4 adults and then an extensive run trying to find a clearing, it had been a long day. Deep sleep took me as quickly as I lay down.

  “Callia!” A sound disturbed my sleep, but the haze of a poor night's rest leaves me slow and drowsy. However, I snapped awake as something slammed into my shelter. My senses snapped up, and I calmed down as the cause was revealed to be a guard throwing something to get my attention. I pulled myself up and left the shelter, spotting the other two guards and Hew up as well. “Callia! Callen is missing!”

  I focused on our bond and felt Callen was currently unconscious. I look back to the others. Anything that could abduct Callen wasn’t something three guards could handle. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I could handle whatever abducted Callen, but there was nobody we could call on to help.

  “Callen’s unconscious; all of you should stay here while I go find him.” Without waiting for their response, I set off. I didn’t make it far before I almost slipped my landing. I slowed down after the initial burst and took a moment to center myself. Rushing to something or someone that could nab Callen was risky, but I felt off balance, and my eyes were dry. Stopping to summon some water to splash over my face and taking a deep breath. I focused on our bond and felt that the distance was in fact relatively close and led right towards the cave I noticed while scouting.

  Once again I set off, but this time I measured my pace carefully. Jumping from branch to branch and scanning the ground and trees for any scouts, I closed in on the cave. From the shadows above I saw the light of a fire emanating from the cave below, and in the shadows around the entrance were fish/frog people. Each individual was a different kind of fish in a shape resembling a human. It didn’t seem like they had noticed me as they stared into the darkness, watching for threats while hiding. I circled around so I could look into the mouth of the cave.

  The cave wasn’t particularly deep, so I could make out what appeared to be a number of mud homes shaped around a central area, and Callen was hanging from a spit roast in the middle of a crowd of fishmen. One who looked like an eel stood at the center of the group between the drooling fish people and Callen. He was wearing various pieces of scavenged clothing and a big hat made from various shirts poorly sewn together. Despite that, it was clear he was the leader of the group.

  As for Callen, his condition didn’t look immediately dire, but being slowly rotated over a fire likely wasn’t promising for his future condition. Judging from the various burns across his clothing and the Eel leader, my guess is a sneak attack with some kind of stunning shock is what knocked Callen out. I won’t have time to bring help since it’s clear Callen is dinner, but it seems the fish people are willing to give it a slow roast. That means I have time to assess threats and plan out how to prevent the hungry crowd from stealing a bite while I’m busy with the leaders. I am, however, noticing a clear trend: the eagle, Lexia, and the fish are all clearly targeting Callen even at the risk of exposing themselves.

  Fishmen

  Chief Ruruk was swimming the waters of the great river hunting his next prey when he noticed a human vessel overhead. As the greatest warrior in the tribe, he often hunted alone, and he was undoubtedly the best ambusher in the whole tribe, being able to blend perfectly in any environment, hiding from every form of detection. He could even brag about having achieved the legendary skill level 100.

  Ruruk was very familiar with humans; he would often watch them for days, understanding how they divided work, and on this ship he clearly identified only one operator with several passengers. This is his favorite kind of target. He easily removed the old man by grabbing his pole at the opportune time, removing him and leaving the others stranded.

  He snapped the neck of his prey and dragged it with him while waiting for the others to capsize. Just in time, only moments later, a deep stalker shifted, making a great wave to push the ship. However, at the worst time, a large branch grew out, slamming into the waters below and catching Ruruk on his arm. A feeling of nauseous weakness filled Ruruk, and he retreated from the boat, not daring to approach again. Then as he was beginning to swim away, a fragrance, a smell unlike any he knew, drifted from the boat. The fish around all noticed as well, and soon a massive frenzy started as they rushed for a share of their own.

  Fortunately the smell faded just as quickly as it started, and the fish lost track of the promised prize. Ruruk followed behind, waiting for the inexperienced humans to rest. When their guard was down, he would steal the treasure and bring it to the tribe to share in a feast unlike any before.