The auror steeled himself for the retaliation that the monster was likely going to exhibit after enduring an onslaught of offensive spells from them. Clutching onto the railing with one hand, he aimed his wand at the target, preparing to fire.

Instead of hearing the order, Benedict heard a most unfamiliar groaning noise — it...wasn't exactly a groaning noise, was it? No, the noise ripped through the air almost as prominent as the scream from the monster. Whipping his gaze to the sky as quickly as he could before turning his attention back to the monster, he saw the source.

"Protego!" He shouted, thrusting a haphazard protection spell behind him in attempts to shield the inhabitants on the lower deck before following the captain's orders and firing. He was used to the noises and sounds experienced in a battle but none that ever rattled his person as much as this one.

All of a sudden there was a jerk from the boat, and Ben was thrown to the ground. It was as if a band had constricted around his torso and he drew a straggling breath in attempts to draw the wind back into his lungs. That was going to leave a bruise. And just like that, Ben remembered the protection spell he'd hurled over his shoulder. A quick cursory glance over the crowd and his heart sank again and he scrambled up, eyes raking the deck in desperation to find her. "Dionisia!" he shouted, his voice half swiped away by the cursed wind. Merlin no, no, no, nononono...

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The following 2 users Like Benedict Sterling's post:2 users Like Benedict Sterling's post
   Dionisia Fisk, Zelda Darrow

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"You're welcome!" Clifford shouted after the ungrateful witch. Slapping his hand as if he'd intended something inappropriate by keeping her in one piece! Good luck to her then, at least he wouldn't feel compelled to keep her breathing if she was out of sight.

Perhaps as punishment for the horribly unprofessional thought, the lurching ship sent him crashing to the deck along. His shoulder had the honor of landing first, the jolt shuddering through his body. He managed to get an arm over his head as part of a mast and a sail joined him. He crawled free of the debris, but not before taking some sort of beam hard across his ribs. Apparently, he was the lucky one.

He could see Mrs. Fisk not far from him and he heard before he saw the frustrating Selwyn land with a smack. Hissing a whole string of curses, Clifford scrambled over the deck toward Mrs. Fisk. The auror screamed for her, but this was the sort of thing he was actually equipped for. "I heal, you injure." Clifford barked. "You kill that thing and I will see to her. Them." The last he had to remind himself as well as the Auror.

Wand jammed unceremoniously into the waist of his breeches, Clifford's hands went to the woman's throat for a pulse, his free hand going to her hairline. She was breathing, but when his hand gently probed beneath her head, his fingers came away wet. Please let that be mine! "Mrs. Fisk, I need you to answer me. Come on, medic, I need you to answer me."

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The following 15 users Like Dionisia Fisk's post:15 users Like Dionisia Fisk's post
   Angelica Selwyn, Anne Moony, Benedict Sterling, Bianca Warrington, Clifford Goyle, Hermia Bonaccord, J. Alfred Darrow, Liliana Parkinson, Mikail Karim, Nemo Fisk, Odina Hill, Roberto Devine, Sebastian Urquart, Titania Allaway, Zelda Darrow

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The woman he’d told to relay his command was unceremoniously flung onto the deck at Alfred’s feet, which he supposed solved the mystery of where she had gone. He knew better than to spend any time thinking about one person when his entire ship was at risk, though, so rather than taking time to address her or see if she was wounded, Alfred vaulted over her on his way to the quarterdeck. The ship was still rocking beneath him, spells flying through the air above, but the tentacles hadn’t reattached to the starboard side yet. They had their opening, though perhaps only for a moment.

He reached the quarterdeck and began shouting orders at once, the helmsman and his crew working quickly to get the Voyager moving in the right direction. She wavered and shuddered under the pressure of the tentacles on the port side, but then broke free. Alfred broke out in a grin as his terror turned to adrenaline, exuberant at having escaped the clutches of the monster — but it faded as he remembered the Voyager was damaged, and he had yet to fully take stock of what had become of the crew — or the debutante on the deck — or Dionisia.

  

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MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

The healer's orders, although making him bristle (he was usually the one to bark orders, wasn't he?), snapped Ben right out of his panic. A shuddering breath later and he'd calmed down enough to spot where Dionisia was. This time he didn't make a sound but made his way to her, steadying himself as they made headway. Giving the healer enough room to do his work, Ben hovered cautiously, his lips pressing into a hard line as the healer's hand came away from his lover's wife's head with a good amount of blood. If Ari didn't kill him for letting Dionisia get hurt, Ben certainly would complete the job.

Still, the healer was right, he had work to do and it wasn't going to get done by standing here being useless and glowering. With the salted air chapping his face, Ben turned back to the rail only in time to see part of it fly off followed by another vibrating screech.

Bracing himself, the auror began firing more spells; there was no mending the railing when the pieces were now long gone, lost to the depths of the ocean. Another tentacle came crashing from overhead — how in Merlin's name did it manage to get overhead?! — and Ben turned to cast another shield over all three of them huddled on the deck.

Thank Merlin this time it was accurate and effective, though he strained under the concentration of making sure it was large enough, baffled as to how the beast was both keeping up with them and knowing which points were their weakest. As an auror, being lured into a false sense of security by an opponent was no new concept to Ben. But he never thought he would see the day where he would get bested by a bloody sea monster. And then —

— there was a slight pressure around his ankle that told him today was the day.

Ben froze and felt his ankle twitch. Looking down he was met with the sight of a smaller, thinner tentacle coiled snugly, firmly around his ankle. Ben's breath hitched in his throat and he uttered the only word that came to mind.

"Shit."

The wind was forced out of him yet again as he was jerked backward through the hole the monster had just made.

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The Auror disregarded him, but Clifford paid him little mind since he didn't interfere with his examination. Clifford cast a quick episkey over the witch to close up superficial wounds, but what damage was done beneath the skull was what worried him. There wasn't much beyond triage he could do without a run to the potion stores and there was still Miss Selwyn and an enraged sea demon to deal with.

Considering how to stabilize his two patients, Clifford jumped when the explosion of wood and the monster's shriek had the Auror shielding them. Clifford covered Mrs. Fisk with his body, anticipating another rain of debris, but apparently, the Auror was quick. Clifford breathed a sigh of relief until he heard the expletive and the shield over him disappeared.  "Damn it all!" Clifford roared as he scrambled after the Auror. Clifford's heart was in his throat as he reached the splintered railing but somehow, Sterling had held on. Trying to ignore his screaming shoulder, Clifford reached for the man, hoping to drag the man to safety. "Give me your hand!" Hoping to be heard over the noise, he shouted for someone. "I need help here!"

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Fuck fuck fuck fuuuuuccckkk —

What a wonderful picture they all made. Captain and crew who likely had never encountered a sea monster before, a wounded healer, a wounded debutante, an auror gone overboard, and a poor healer who seemed well past the point of having his hands full of things and people to look after.

Fuuuuccckkk.

His hand was quickly seizing up, nails digging into the wood as he clung to the edge. A strangled grunt bubbled up in his throat and there were tears in his eyes. Whether from sheer desperation or merely the wind buffetting against his face, there wasn't any way Ben could apparate out of this. It wasn't that he hadn't done it before, but his breath caught in his throat and he knew — just knew — if he tried now, he would be severely wounded.

Over the howling of the wind, he heard screaming for help coupled with the healer appearing over the railing, his hand outstretched. With Ben's ankle still caught in the monster's grasp, his hands were rather tied. With a prayer to anyone who was listening, Ben took a breath, aimed his wand down at the struggling monster's arm and muttered a few spells.

Another ear-splitting shriek coupled with agonizing pain in his foot told him his spell had worked and he used the remainder of his strength to lunge forward to grasp Goyle's hand.

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The following 2 users Like Benedict Sterling's post:2 users Like Benedict Sterling's post
   J. Alfred Darrow, Zelda Darrow

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Alfred had his hands full and his thoughts busy with just the navigation of the ship. They'd gotten out of the monster's grip but it wasn't as though they'd gotten far, and one wrong move could have seen them back in its clutches. From his vantage point on the higher deck Alfred could see that some of the tentacles they'd injured on the starboard side had sunk back down into the water, as if in retreat, but he had no confidence at all that they would stay down — or that there mightn't be other, healthier ones to replace them within the span of minutes. They were still being assaulted from the port side, too, and with one of their sails already damaged the Voyager's manueverability was compromised. They needed to move in a way that the monster didn't expect, to buy them a little time to put some distance between the two of them — that, and perhaps they needed to hurt it a little more to get it to think twice about the pursuit.

He barked another series of orders, but then was distracted by a call for help from the main deck below. Alfred closed the distance as fast as he could, but by the time he'd reached it the healer was already pulling Sterling up onto the deck. Alfred moved towards the railing (or rather, where the railing had once been — alas for his poor ship), wand drawn, and tried to determine what had happened.

"I rescued you from the sea once already," he quipped, since for the moment they didn't seem to be in immediate danger. "That's enough for one trip, isn't it?"

At that, one of the tentacles lashed back up towards them from the waves, but Alfred had been watching for it — his spell struck it before it could reach them. "Can you still stand and fight?" he asked Sterling — the healer, he assumed, had his hands more than full with the ladies.

  

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MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

Clifford was not a weak man, but he never planned to haul a full-grown man to safety, and playing tug with a sea monster wasn't conducive to Clifford or the Auror to survive with limbs attached. Thankfully, Sterling was still helpful (if reckless) and managed to free his leg with a volley of spells. Adrenaline at work, Clifford pulled with all the strength as the auror caught his hand. Hauling him to the deck - too early to call it "safety" - Clifford dropped to his back sucking in lungfuls of air and clutching his shoulder.

Darrow's arrival and the subsequent joke had Clifford laughing, the absurdity of the situation hilarious until the jolting of his own laughter forced too much upper body movement. "Maybe attach yourself to a line before you go back to dueling with the deep, Sterling. I already have two damsels in distress and I am afraid that is my limit."

Hauling himself to his feet, he moved to Miss Selwyn, levitating her closer to Mrs. Fisk. He was hesitant to move anyone with a head wound, but if the creature started grabbing for victims, he couldn't protect both women from a distance. Settling the women side by side, his face set in a grim line, he shot a look at their captain. "Can you get us away from here before that thing invites us home to see its cave? I will be extremely displeased if we die today. Bad for business and all that."

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The following 1 user Likes Clifford Goyle's post:1 user Likes Clifford Goyle's post
   Dionisia Fisk

He wanted off this ship and he wanted it NOW. Still winded, Ben remained sprawled face down on the deck as if only a few more seconds would quell the incoming wave of exhaustion threatening to take hold. "Both points duly noted, thank you, gentlemen," he said into the floor, a hint of annoyance coating his response.

Slowly, gingerly he peeled himself off the deck and eased into all fours as he still fought to reunite oxygen with his lungs. The fight wasn't over, he knew. Dionisia was still dreadfully unconscious, as was the blonde debutante, and they clearly still weren't safe from the animal. As much as his body was screaming to be done with this godforsaken trip, the ship and her inhabitants needed more protection.

As he eased into his good foot, Ben winced slightly but got up all the same. "Ill have to be, won't I?" He replied to Darrow, reaching out to clap him on the back, peering down at Goyle working on the two women. "I make no promises, but I shall give you my word that I will do my best to try, how's that?" Without waiting to see if that suited Goyle, Benedict proceeded forward, testing his gait. "Bad for business," he repeated, "The paperwork is a nightmare too. I should hate to have to die and return as a ghost only tl be forced to file my own paperwork."

With a wave of his wand, Ben bound his foot as best he could (look, he wasn't a healer, he usually depended upon Ari for that) before placing a spell over the gaping hole in the railing to automatically repel anyone who came near it. Not the most effective but it would do for now.

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The following 1 user Likes Benedict Sterling's post:1 user Likes Benedict Sterling's post
   Anne Moony

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Alfred's unexpectedly high spirits (still the adrenaline more than anything else, he thought, and the fact that whatever had happened to Dionisia hadn't fully sunk in yet) dipped slightly when the auror didn't get up as quickly as he expected. His brows drew together as he watched Sterling rise and test his ankle, but he didn't say anything. It wasn't as though he would do any better for an injury than the auror would, and one healer left to them had much bigger problems to worry about. And Sterling seemed to be making the best of it, anyway, because he was already up and casting again. The spell he used on the open edge where the railing had been wouldn't have occurred to Alfred, but it was smart. Advanced magic had never been his forte — complicated spell work was Zelda's realm of expertise — but he knew enough to appreciate it, particularly given that the situation was obviously still chaotic.

"I'm sure you'd rather be anywhere else," Alfred said with a wry twist of his mouth. "But you're a good man to have about in a crisis. I'm glad you're here."

The Voyager was picking up some speed now, which was good. The damaged sail flapped noisily overhead, and Alfred glanced up at it with a frown. They'd gain a good deal of speed if he could send a man aloft to tie it down in some approximation of where it was supposed to be, but having men in the rigging was risky under the best of conditions. It was doubly treacherous when wind or wave picked up or the ship gained speed, all of which were likely — and, of course, one more lash from the creature's tentacles could send a man to their death.

"I'm going to bring her around hard to starboard, then cut across to port," he told the two (somewhat) able-bodied men left on the deck. This tactic would give the crew two chances to hit the beast, if it hadn't already slunk down to whatever depth it came from, and would put the path of the ship on an unexpected turn which ought to prevent the monster from striking back until they were out of range. "We need to make it think twice about following us. We can't outrun it, with our sail in this condition."

  

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MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

"No. Absolutely not, thank you anyhow." Clifford needed to focus on the two women, but the only real hope they had at getting home was limping like an invalid and Clifford had no desire to be eaten by a monster squid. Pushing himself to standing, damn it everything hurt, Clifford approached the limping man and aimed his wand at the injured limb. The binding around it fell away and a rather audible pop - hopefully one of the smaller bones in the foot popping back into place - was followed by a new binding. "You're going to be limping until we can get the swelling managed, but at least you won't make things worse by hobbling on it now." Clifford shook his head, annoyed that he couldn't just fix everything right now, but he lacked the potions and the energy. God, how far from home were they now?

Raking a hand through his hair and scowling at the splintered mast that littered his hair, Clifford shot a wary look at the ruined mast and then the remaining sails. To Darrow and Sterling, "If we lose the creature, can you get us back to port?" If the answer was no, they needed to make some hard decisions now.

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Darrow was right. This was far from a situation that Ben would say he was glad to be in, however he understood the captain's sentiment and nodded his agreement. At least with Darrow, him and Goyle they would have a fairly okay team to haul everyone home in. Ben just hoped it was all in one piec —

"Aaaghh!" Ben cried out in anguish as he felt his ankle explode in more pain and heard the pop! of his ankle, which buckled beneath him. He landed on his opposite knee and caught himself before he face planted completely into the deck. Panting as he tried to get his breath back underneath him, Ben gritted his teeth as he felt the new bindings wrap around his ankle. "A warning next time, please." he groaned, gripping his wand and resisting to give the man a smack up the head. With a pang in his heart that had nothing to do with his injury, he couldn't help but think of Ari. Ari whose bedside manner was far better, even under pressure —

Ben took a deep breath. Ari would be okay; he was on dry land and out of danger, unlike them. Ben had a job to do, to help get himself, Ari's wife, and the rest of the crew back into safe waters. "Nothing to do but to try." he quipped, his expression seriously contrasting with the tone of his voice. They had to try. He had to get back to Ari; more importantly had to get Dionisia back to Ari.

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Alfred shot the healer a derisive look at his question. "Of course I can," he replied, honestly offended that the man even felt the need to ask. The damage to their main sail would impact their speed, but it wouldn't entirely cripple his ship. The Voyager was built for battle, and she could operate through a good deal worse than this if it came down to it (not that Alfred had any desire to put the principle to test). And even if she had been a much less capable ship, did this man even know who he was? Alfred had, infamously, survived being shipwrecked in the mountains of South America. He was hardly going to roll over and die after one well-placed blow from a sea creature. He was a survivor, and nothing if not resourceful.

Sterling seemed to be on the same page, at least — hopefully between him and whatever sailors Alfred had who could make themselves useful with a wand, they'd manage. Sailors didn't always even have wands, since this was one of the careers that didn't necessitate a magical education, and those who did might not have them on their person or might not know any particularly useful spells, but there would be at least a few hands to assist in a crisis like this. "Alright, I'm bringing her about," Alfred called out to the two on the main deck before dashing back up the ladder towards the quarterdeck and starting to bark out the necessary orders to maneuver the ship the way he wanted her to.

  

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MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

"Apologies," he cringed at how hard Sterling went down to his knees. Clifford was more tired than he thought if he was further injuring his charges in the throes of healing. Blast it. Clifford looked to the damaged ship, the unconscious women, and the now-offended captain before raising his hands in the universal sign for alright, sorry I asked. Even if the man was delusional and about to drive them back into tentacle land, there wasn't anything he could do about it. Might as well pretend the odds were in their favor.

As the ship came around, Clifford tried to calm his breathing before doing something that, hopefully, would work. With a few spells (and inspiration from how trapped he felt at present), Clifford fashioned a sort of wooden cage around the two women. If something happened to him or the Auror, at least there would be a layer between the witches and the flailing fish fiend. Turning opposite the Auror, Clifford yelled back over his shoulder. "If that demon follows, I hope it plays fair and challenges you. If it plays dodgy, I have your rear covered, for what that's worth." Clifford found a proper duel satisfying, but he doubted Krakens observed proper form. Playing dirty was the auror's domain.

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Ben headed to stand next to the healer, gripping his wand and casting Goyle a grateful look as he fashioned something to shield the two unconscious women. At least they wouldn't suffer any further injury than they already had. Ben prayed they would be okay; he had little time to complete the thought, however, as they prepared to face the sea monster one more time. Or, what he hoped was the last time.

A thought came to him as he adjusted his stature to keep him sturdy while the ship rolled with the waves. Then another thought came to him and Ben looked over at Goyle; then up at Darrow. It was a risk, but the ship was already half destroyed. Their lives were certainly at risk and this was a warrant for drastic measures. Ben stood next to the railing. Pointing his wand out at the sea, a red light shot out and carved a path through the air. It hovered just above the surface and cast a vast red glow, illuminating the waters beneath it. There they could see exactly how enormous —

"Bloody hell..." Ben murmured, watching the monster writhe below the surface. It was at least double the size of the ship they were on. He could see several of the appendages thrashing in an oddly coordinated manner.

"Goyle," he muttered through clenched teeth, his heart pounding as resolve took over. He raised both his hands in front of him and slowly but with increasing speed, a slick substance began to gather in the air, coiling and undulating in a gradual sphere a few metres in front of them and away from the ship.

"I need you to help me get as much of this as you can." He glanced at the healer again to make sure he understood. "Once we have enough, we're going to send it into the water." His voice strained slightly as the sphere grew in size. "And set it on fire."*

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*shout out to Amy for this idea <3

  

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