Scintilla looked at her daughter, not sure if she should scold her or not. Then she looked up at the Chaos Whales, and she knew it wouldn't matter if she did. They had listened to her daughter's call and were coming if she wanted them to or not.

  "Nim'dor, if that Oculithar starts attacking us, how long can the shield hold?"

  "It depends on how much soulforce Dahlia can put out," the Ganvil said.

  Scintilla shook her head, looking at the female smith.

  "Let's hope it doesn't see us, but prepare for the worst," she said.

  As she spoke, a crack echoed through the calm area, and they saw a long rip run through the barrier.

  "Earilla, get us out of here," she said, turning to Zan. "Go down with the others and stay in your room," she said, trying to hide her annoyance. She'd have to have a word with her daughter later, but now they had other priorities.

  Zan wiped her face again before she ran to her siblings. Ti instantly wrapped her in an embrace, and a moment later, they headed down.

  Scintilla turned to Boohm.

  "Can you stay with them?"

  "Sure," the Onyxian rumbled as he walked toward the door, using his hand to find his way.

  Scintilla waited till he was gone before looking around.

  "Any other ideas?"

  "We can hide in the world," Helm said instantly.

  "It's a rank one world. The portal will close soon, and that means we will be left there with nobody knowing about it," Nim'dor said. "And that's if we can even survive on it. Rank one worlds are small, highly volatile, and dangerous. In the best case, we find one that is a desert or lava world. In the worst case, we find a world of poisonous rain with only swamps or seas."

  "We could try to scare the Chaos Whales away," one of the Igntizians offered.

  "By attacking them?" another asked, shaking her head. "If they retaliate, we are doomed. Most are small, but look at those two- they are as big as we are and could crush us."

  "Speed sneak through," Zender said. "We just go full speed, no hesitation. If we run into another Oculithar, we hope the shields hold."

  Scintilla looked around, listening to another set of half-hearted ideas, before realizing none would offer anything better than what she and Zender were thinking.

  "Alright. Everyone, get ready. Earilla, go as fast as you can," she said. She looked around, wondering if anyone would second-guess her, but nobody did, though Helm glared at the distant tentacles.

  The Concerto began speeding up, and Scintilla looked at the large group of Chaos Whales chasing after them.

  Maybe they will stop before they move out, she thought before walking to the prow and staring at the incoming barrier. Some of the tentacles were wrapped around it, though only the points, and Earilla was changing course slightly, aiming for an area with barely any.

  I wish you were here, Hotstuff, she thought.

  --

  Basil hummed as he held onto the chain that was pierced through the side of one of Scariander's fins, staring into the distance.

  "I still don't get where you are taking me, but don't you think it's about time to head back?" he said, using their odd bond to express his desire to head back.

  A wave of worry, anger, and stoicism flooded back together with a very clear goal. They were going to help Chaos Whales. Period.

  "Right," Basil grunted, looking back at the large amount of nothing behind him.

  It's a good thing we were on a scouting mission, he thought, moving back along across Scariander toward the giant bag that was his resting place. Hopping in, he grabbed one of his rations and ate it, wishing he'd brought something better.

  "There had better be a good reason for abducting me like this," he rumbled before lying back. "Because flying through this bloody wasteland for months is not my idea of a good time."

  --

  Basil shook awake as he felt a sense of intense urgency from Scariander.

  "Wuh…" he grunted, pushing himself upright in the bedding that covered one side of the supple leather bag.

  Scariander sent him a wave of emotions and images, jumbled and chaotic.

  "What do you mean, there's another problem?" he grunted, grabbing a water bag while climbing out of his temporary living.

  A single image of a small ship appeared in his mind, as seen from behind. It was accompanied by a sense of fear, being hunted, and trying to keep up. The hate that followed was so intense that Basil almost roared. It took him a second to regain himself, but when he did, his mind was sharpened.

  Oculithar, he thought, his own anger growing.

  His emotions and Scariander's seemed to blend and mix for a moment, as they did when they battled.

  He hated Oculithar!

  Basil didn't know whose thought that was, nor did he care. Scariander's desire to hurry increased, and another feeling was transmitted.

  They were close.

  "We'd better be," Basil grunted, sidestepping along Scariander's back, holding on to the chain.

  Reaching the head, he saw something he'd not yet seen - the other end of the sprawling Portal Gallery Section that housed Eluathar. It was closing in with astounding speed, which wasn't surprising, seeing as Scariander was moving over ten times as fast as any of the ships Eluathar had.

  "Please tell me you aren't going to bring us out into the storm," Basil said, feeling his own anxiety grow.

  A rumbling hum, so deep he felt his bones start to resonate, rippled from Scariander.

  "Great. Just great," Basil grunted. "I only have this one spot to sleep, and all my food is in there! If we go in there, I'll-"

  The rumbling came again, and the image of the ship came. With it came a sense of… wonder and a song: high-pitched and almost at the edge of Scariander's perception, it triggered something in the old and rugged Chaos Whale.

  Ship, save.

  The feelings and emotions were so condensed and sharp that they were nearly as understandable as words.

  "Fine!" Basil snapped, trying to unpack the ideas that accompanied the two not-words. He wasn't sure if Scariander meant the ship was safe, should be saved, or would be safe. It felt almost like all three.

  Holding on to the chain, he summoned his armor while Scariander began humming. A glow filled him as his soulcards resonated along with Scariander's hum, almost greedily absorbing the immense soulforce of the Chaos Whale. The thick armor on his body thickened, and the shoulder plates and some extrusions grew out.

  Scariander sent a concerned emotion that translated roughly to - everything will be fine.

  "Fine! But I'm not sleeping in your mouth again," Basil rumbled.

  Scariander's hum incorporated a hacking sound, and Basil grinned at the Chaos Whale's equivalent of a laugh.

  Then, they reached the barrier and pierced through.

  This is going to suck, I just know it.

  --

  "Stop those things! I can't keep up like this!"

  Scintilla spun on her heel, glancing at Nim'dor before scanning the area around them. Dahlia's constant hammering came from nearby as she worked as hard as she could. The barrier was shuddering under the assault of dozens of thin tentacles as Oculithar, a quarter the size of the Concerto, dashed in and out of the storm to attack them.

  Blademaidens that had ranged attack were lashing back at the incoming attackers while Zender stood on the tip of the sail, balancing as he struck out with his whip, which was able to stretch to insane lengths, managing to block some of the tentacles before they struck the shield.

  On the stern, Helm stood with his arms outstretched, constantly switching position as ripples shot from them, blocking incoming tendrils even more efficiently than Zender was.

  Everyone was doing their best to stop it, and it just wasn't enough. They had been fleeing for a week, and half of the Chaos Whales had died by now, with the only good thing being that the giant Oculithar hadn't chased them. She had no idea why, though, perhaps because they were going to be killed by its offspring either way.

  We need to stop these things, she thought.

  Looking back, she saw what remained of the Chaos Whales swimming close together. They were under as many attacks as the Concerto, and if it wasn't for their numbers and the few adolescent ones, they would have all been swarmed by now. Instead, the larger ones were body-blocking and squishing some of the small Oculithar if they got too close, trying to keep them away from the smaller ones.

  Scintilla grimaced. As much as it pained her, she wished the Oculithar would focus even more on the Chaos Whales so Nim'dor had time to recover.

  A soft roar came from Helm, and she saw a disk-like, silvery shield appear between the entire back of the ship and three incoming small Oculithar.

  As they slammed into it, their tendrils ready to circle the edges, the shield darkened, the silver almost turning physical, and then it exploded in a burst of energy shrapnel.

  "Good!" Scintilla shouted, only to see Helm drop to a knee, his face a rictus of pain and stress. He was still moving his hands around, and shields blocked some of the tendrils, but it was clear it had cost him dearly.

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Scintilla, prepare! I'm not sure how long I can keep this shield up," Nim'dor groaned.

  I need to get another card, Scintilla thought, wringing her hands. There was nothing she could do right now unless she wanted to risk rushing outside and trying to go on the offense, but with the storm there…

  A cracking sound from above coincided with a roar from Nim'dor, and Scintilla looked up to find one of the smaller Oculithar had crashed through the barrier. It was reforming behind it, albeit slowly, but the Oculithar let out a lilting screech as it rushed for them.

  Scintilla didn't even think - she summoned Leafbrand, focusing on the heat aspect. The next moment, she was tearing through the air so fast that the Oculithar seemed just suddenly to appear before her, and she slammed Leafbrand into its body. A second later, a dozen blade-wielding Ignitzians appeared beside her, slashing at the body of the Oculithar.

  They barely got in a single attack when tentacles lashed out, pulling back to the body like a tangled mass of hair.

  "Cut those tentacles off," Scintilla shouted, fire dashing out of the way of three tentacles and appearing at the base of one. She chopped down with all the force she had, but her blade only cut a few inches into the thick limb.

  Dashing to the side and dodging a swirling tentacle that would have swiped her off the deck and into the storm, she jumped back and chopped again.

  A pained cry almost made her turn around, but she held back. There was nothing she could do but continue, so she struck down at the same spot.

  It felt like it took hours, but it could have been barely more than half a minute when she finally slashed through the base of the tentacle, causing it to drop away, writhing and flailing as if it was angered by the act. The body of the Oculithar spun around, tossing her away as a deafening screech left a whine in her ears.

  Scintilla looked at the Oculithar to notice that three of its tentacles had been chopped away, and a few of the other Ignitzians were still dashing around in trails of smoke or fire, slashing at the others. Behind them, the barrier was cracking in multiple places as three more Oculithar seemed to smell their chance.

  It's too much… Scintilla thought, feeling her anger bubble up. Her children were here! She couldn't just-

  A deep bass rumbled through the storm, momentarily drowning out all other sounds. The Oculithar responded instantly, those at the shield surging back, all turning in the same direction, moving closer together. Whatever they had planned was too late, as one of the largest and most scarred Chaos Whales Scintilla had ever seen burst through a chaotic thundercloud, snapping up one of the Oculithar in its mouth and nearly biting it in two. A tiny, plated, sword-wielding warrior stood on one of its fins, one hand holding a chain that seemed attached to the Chaos Whale, while he pointed his sword at another Oculithar.

  He looked almost ridiculous next to the giant Chaos Whale, then a bolt of golden lightning, nearly as thick as some that were in the storm, rippled from the tip and exploded against one of the Oculithar, blowing a crater inside its body, goo and pale white ichor spraying out.

  The scarred chaos whale didn't stop but barreled forward, slamming straight into the grouped Oculithar, ripping two apart, and hurling the others aside.

  Scintilla gazed in stunned amazement at what was happening, completely losing track of her own precarious position. Then she passed through the barrier into the storm. The temperature plummeted, and chaotic soulforce rippled around her. She almost panicked. Then she triggered her ability, fire dashing back to safety, heading for the ship. She landed on the deck together with some of the other Ignitzians, many of whom thudded onto the deck, covered in bruises, blood, and, in two cases, with a broken and snapped arm.

  "Who is that?" some of them shouted, and Scintilla wished she knew.

  "Basil and Scariander," Zender roared, waving his arms in triumph.

  Right, that was the one, Scintilla thought, faintly recalling the story Irwin had told her and the children.

  For the next minute, they watched as the Oculithar were decimated by the much larger and furious Chaos Whale. They tried resisting for half of that, then fleeing after, only for the enormous Chaos Whale to rush after them, disappearing into the storm.

  Scintilla looked at where they had gone before turning to Zender, who'd landed on the deck beside her.

  "I hope he returns," she muttered, looking around. The Oculithar were all gone, while the remaining Chaos Whales had returned to circling them. At the wheel, Earilla was looking at her, mouthing now what?

  "Let's wait for them to return," Scintilla said, loud enough for everyone to hear as she looked around. "Get the wounded below deck and start healing them!"

  Many of the blademaidens were bleeding, and as she finished counting them, she grimaced when she realized six were gone.

  She shouted for those still healthy to search for their missing sisters, but as she gazed at the chaotic storm, she knew that if they weren't already on the ship somewhere, the chance that they would survive was close to zero.

  Almost fifteen minutes later, she started to get very worried. There was no sign of that giant Chaos Whale, and she was starting to worry that the Oculithar could come back. She was about to order them to start heading forward when the Chaos Whale broke through a lightning cloud and moved into a calm position forty feet from their side. The armored warrior still stood there, his sword now gone.

  "Can he teleport or fast move?" she asked, looking at Zender.

  "I don't think so," the metallic-looking Yuurindi said, walking to the edge. "I'll go and get him onboard."

  He waved at the warrior, then held up his whip and flashed it across the gap. It wrapped around the warrior's gauntletted hand, and a moment later, he flew back across the gap, slamming into the deck. He stumbled a few steps before finally catching his balance.

  "Thank Yilda, solid ground!" he shouted.

  The armor vanished, revealing a man with a finger-thick pepper and salt beard and tired lines etched into his face. He had matted brown and gray hair and piercing silver eyes that showed his soullake was very close to being full.

  "Zender! It's good to see you," the man said, looking at Zender with a smile before giving Earilla a quick wave. Then turned to Scintilla. "Unless I'm mistaken, this is the Concerto, right?"

  "It is," Scintilla said. "I'm Scintilla, Irwin's heat mate, and I'm temporarily in command, though Zender is acting captain."

  Basil's eyes widened, and he looked at Zender. "So, besides growing as tall as me and finally getting some skin on your bones, you actually made captain! Good on you!"

  Zender smiled. "It's just till Irwin is back."

  "Yeah, so where is he?" Basil asked.

  Scintilla sighed and stepped forward. "How about we move to the galley and talk about this while we have something to drink? That way, you can explain to us how you got here."

  "Sure! Just let me tell that scarred lug I'll be staying here," Basil said as he walked to the railing.

  He was quiet for a while, but when he walked back, the enormous Chaos Whale slowed down and began humming at the group of younger ones, of which only sixteen were left.

  "Alright! If you have anything to eat that's not rations, I'd love some," Basil said as he turned and walked to them. "But before that, I take it you know the route back?" At this, he looked at Earilla, who nodded. Her face was drawn and pale, but she showed no indication of wanting to be relieved from the wheel.

  Scintilla walked down while Zender began chatting with Basil, asking about how things were back home.

  "Well… we've been having some issues," Basil said with a grimace. "But those can wait."

  Scintilla sighed.

  I hope whatever they are, they are resolved when we arrive. I could do with some calm.

  --

  "Why did you not listen to Heatmum?" Soot whispered, looking at Zan.

  He was trying not to sound too angry, but it was hard. As much as he liked the Chaos Whales, why couldn't she see that she'd almost gotten them killed? If it hadn't been for Basil…

  "Let it go, Sootahr."

  Soot snorted as he looked at Ti and the others. They were huddled together in the boys' sleeping quarters with the door closed so they could talk without waking Heatmum, who finally had a chance to sleep.

  “Come on, Itirilla,” he hissed. "Our lives are more important than those Chaos Whales."

  "I'm sorry," Zan said, her shoulders lowering as she rubbed her eyes. "I just… I just…"

  Soot felt horrible as he saw her eyes tear up. He didn't want to make her feel bad, but he just didn't understand why she'd done that.

  "Soot, just let it go," Glow said. "We all know how much she loves Chaos Whales. I'm sure she didn't mean it badly."

  Soot didn't react, knowing that nothing he would say would help now. Instead, he watched Glow, Mia, and Flux share a look.

  "Do you think Dad will be back when we return?" Mia asked.

  "That's not possible," Flux said, shaking his head. "Even if Uncle Greldo brings them in a straight line, it will take at least another year."

  All of them fell quiet at that, knowing full well what that meant.

  "I think I'm going to ask Heatmum if we can live in the harbor when we get there," Glow finally said. "That way, time won't flow as fast."

  "I wonder if they will let us," Flux said, raising his eyebrows. "But it's a great idea!"

  "It depends on how safe it is," Ti said, still hugging Zan. "If it's dangerous, I don't think they will allow children there."

  "But we are really strong!" Zan said, wiping her eyes.

  "Not strong enough to fight Oculithar," Mia said, smiling at her.

  "I think it's a great idea," Soot said, nodding at Glow.

  "Me too," Mia and Flux said at the same time.

  "Let's wait with asking, though," Ti said. "Heatmum doesn't need any more things to worry about."

  They shared a quick nod, and a few moments later, the girls left for their own room, leaving Soot, Flux, and Glow alone.

  "I wonder if we can bond with one of those Chaos Whales, like Basil did," Glow said, his eyes gleaming brightly.

  "That would be amazing," Soot piped up, his mind suddenly filled with images of himself sailing through the Portal Gallery on the back of a Chaos Whale.

  "Perhaps Dad can make us some cards that allow us to summon a Chaos Whale," Flux said, his eyes gleaming as much as his brothers'.

  "Is that even possible?" Glow asked.

  "Dad can do anything," Flux said, sounding absolutely sure of himself.

  Glow and Soot shared a quick look, but they didn't say anything.

  "Let's sleep. It's going to be a long day tomorrow," Glow said.

  "Now you sound like heatmum," Flux snorted.

  They grinned while each moved to their own bed.

  As he closed his eyes, Soot imagined himself summoning the biggest Chaos Whale ever as he explored the length and breadth of the Portal Gallery.

  He fell asleep, mind filled with dreams.

  --

  "The barrier is ahead," Basil shouted, holding to the chain as he glided beside the Concerto.

  Scintilla almost groaned as her fingers clenched around the railing.

  "Finally," a weary whisper came from behind her.

  "You did great," she said, turning to Earilla, who looked pale and thin. The young woman had refused to let anyone besides Zender behind the helm over the last few months, and as much as Scintilla had wanted to help, she couldn't argue with the results. Besides knowing exactly where to go, Earilla and Zender had managed to navigate them through dozens of dangerous areas.

  "I couldn't have done it without Scariander," Earilla said, her face wan.

  "Yeah," Scintilla muttered, turning her attention to the enormous, ancient, and scarred Chaos Whale. It had been able to warn them of most of the Oculithar that roamed around, and between Earilla and Zender's navigation and steering skills and these warnings, the final bit of their journey had been as safe as the first part. Though not as boring.

  It's like these horrid things are multiplying like Yuurindi, she thought, shaking her head.

  She sighed, looking at the nearest Yuurindi and scolding herself for the comparison.

  "Look ahead!" Zannia screamed excitedly.

  She turned to see her youngest daughter shout happily as she pointed from the stern to the storm in the distance.

  A powerful blue glow was closing in, and with the speed of the Concerto, it took only a few moments for them to reach the source. As they flew through the glowing barrier, the constant, deafening storm faded instantly, the lightning-filled darkness vanished, and they saw the seemingly unending expanse of the massive branch of which Eluathar was a part.

  "Finally," she whispered, feeling a weight slide from her shoulders.

  She looked around as the ship began speeding up. Within minutes, it was traveling at ten times the speed it had before, no longer buffeted by the storms.

  "One more month, and we will be back home," Basil roared, his voice no longer constrained by the storm, clearly audible to all.

  Happy cheers burst from the children, and even some of the blademaidens, and Scintilla smiled as she turned to Earilla.

  "I can take over now. Wake the others and tell them to come above," she said. "Then go and sleep for a week. That's an order."

  Earilla stepped away from the helm, swaying as she did. Then she snorted as a small green bird appeared on her shoulder. It began twittering loudly, flying up and around like a small storm.

  "Yes, yes, I know you are happy the storm is finally gone," Earilla said. "No. You don't have to go back into my soulscape for a long time."

  The bird continued chirping, flying all around the ship, while Earilla turned to Scintilla.

  "You do know Zender's the captain, right?" she said, smiling wearily.

  "I know, that's why I want him up here," Scintilla said. "As soon as he does, I'm going to my own bed!"

  Earilla laughed, the absolute relief and joy stronger than the weariness.

  Mere minutes after Earilla moved down below, another blur of green, leafy feathers rushed out of the doorway as Sting, Zender's bonded Leafarit, flew out to enjoy its freedom.

  I hope I'll never have to remain inside a soulscape that long, Scintilla thought as she watched Sprig and Sting chase each other while her children followed them, all laughing happily.

  Common = Quartz, Uncommon = Amethyst, Rare = Topaz, Very Rare = Emerald, Epic = Ruby, Legendary = Diamond, Mythical = Ammolite