There was a crash and the whole ship shook violently. Linus squeezed his eyes closed and threw his hands above his head protectively. A mast shook and fell, slamming into the deck, splintering the floor around them, sending Linus reeling, and his camera skittering across the deck before disappearing into the hull through a crack in the deck.

The teeth clamped down on the prow of the ship, the jaw penetrated the shield as though is wasn't there, there was only the briefest glimpse of 3 rows of teeth on the top and bottom jaw before the wood of the prow buckled. The water seemed to be repelled from the creatures head, just as it had been from the ship. The eyes blazed red, before closing, heavy slate grey lids, sliding into place, as though the giant monster was settling into slumber, inspite of not having finished it's 'meal' of the ship and it's occupants.

There was a screaming noise echoing from the creatures throat, a haunted and somehow hollow noise that set Linus' hair on edge. If it had not been unmanly he might have burst into tears - he might yet! 'Do we kill it?!' Linus screamed, too afraid to be ashamed of the hysterical pitch to his scream.

---

  

With the ship now diving down heading in the direction the merman had suggested, Walter drew out his wand to be ready for anything. Just as he spotted something, a shadow against the murky depths which vanished almost as quickly as he noticed it, he heard the reporter shout. He was pointing in almost the same direction he had spotted the shape, then started pointing elsewhere, panic clear in his voice.

He didn't get a chance to tell the boy to shut up and get below before a large maw appeared before them. Walter raised his wand, several spells jumping into mind but he didn't cast any just yet.

"Bubblehead charms, Now!" He said, casting one on himself. If he was going to attack the creature he wanted to make sure they wouldn't all drown should the beasts fangs rupture the protective shield. He could only hope the designers created the spells so magic could be cast out of it without shattering it. If not, then they will have to get wet.

"On my mark, fire stunning curses at that thing," he shouted, glancing briefly at Mackay then any other person present who looked like they had a wand and kenw the spell. Once he felt he waited for as long as he could without risk of the ship being crushed he raised his wand, aiming for the roof of the beast's mouth. "NOW!"

As soon as he said the word 'now' he fired a stunning spell at the creature using as much focus and power as he could muster.

  

---

Conall’s instinct was always a solid no when it came to killing creatures, even red-eyed rabid, unnaturally monstrous things like this, but he didn’t bother answering because he doubted they would be able to best this if they tried, not with the way it was already clamping down onto the ship and tearing the mast out of place with its teeth.

He did manage to heed Staghart’s instruction about the bubblehead charm, and even shot a Stunner in unison with him towards the creature, although he was almost sure it was too late for them and the ship. The stunning spells seemed to have no effect –

Another jolt sent Conall sprawling sideways, stumbling on his bad leg and hitting the deck hard enough that he was sure he blacked out for a moment from it. Or was it just the looming shadow of the creature around them? Conall tried to pull himself upright again, but it felt like they were either all going to drown here or be swallowed whole.

---

  

---

Linus cast his bubble head charm, he wasn't entirely sure how long the thing would last, certainly not long enough for him to make it to the surface - not from this depth. Linus had the horrible thought that he might die down here - he hoped that Silas would look after his mother if he didn't make it back. He was sure he would.

The stunning spells made no discernable impact on the creature, Linus had expected the creature to sneeze or choke or something, in stead their ship gave another clunk and seemed to roll further into the creature's mouth.

There was a low clunking noise and Linus held up his own wand to try and make the sort of paltry defense he might be able to make against this creature. The back of the creatures throat came up to meet them - and Linus realized that it was exactly that! They were not going down the creatures throat it was coming up to meet them! Was that a thing creatures could do?

'What the fuck is that?' he screamed, and was embarrassed at the raw fear that was in his voice.

---

  

This was a cluster fuck! What a disaster! He had been minding his own business, trying to work out how to return these yockles to the surface without giving up the truth of his continued existence, when suddenly his proximity alarms were sounding. He had no time to turn the vessel, the best he could do was open the prow docking bay and try to mitigate the damage for the other craft and possibly more importantly -his own.

There was a shuddering thunk as the prow embedded into the other craft. 'Stay the fuck here!' he roared at the two morons who were sitting meekly on the bridge. With a rather dramatic whirl of his cape, he made his way to the pro docking bay. He swung open the hatch-style door, a vision of wide-eyed fury, bringing him face to face with the unfortunate crew of the beleaguered ship.

'Can you stop blasting spells at my ship!' he roared, with not even the pretense of chill or self control at the intruders.

---

Welcome to the Krakken!
This is the ship plan - the area to the left is shaped like a jaw and open and closes as a docking bay

  

It was clear the stunning spells weren't having any effect on the monster which did make Walter concerned. At last with the bubble charm they had some chance of swimming for the surface, assuming the beast didn't just suck them into its maw as well.

From the light of the various spells pinging off the monster's maw, Walter started to see there wasn't any opening beyond the 'jaws' of the beast. It looked more like a solid wall which was confirmed a moment later when the prow of the ship slammed against it. Moments later an opening appeared and instead of some fleshy throat appearing beyond the opening, Walter was confronted by a wizard.

So this was a manmade object and not a monster at all. Well this made things easier. Still whatever this mechanical monstrosity was, it's Captain had plenty to answer for, if that was indeed who this wizard was.

"Identify yourself," Walter commanded, aiming his wand directly at the wizard. "Are you the owner and master of this...monster ship?"

  

---

Horace didn't flinch as the one that looked like a potato pointed his wand at him. 'You'd be better pointing your cock at me as that thing' he snapped in his harsh scottish brogue. 'It would have more effect and it couldn't be any more shriveled'. He ignored the very obvious threat from the auror's wand. He had had little respect for society when he had lived in it, and time had not improved his veneration. The wand trained on him didn't stop him from moving and his long legs took him to the place where the 'teeth' had come in contact with the other vessel forming the sort of air lock that allowed him to access the deck of the other vessel. There was no sign of obvious damage yet, it was clear that the spells had been intended for organic suppression and so had had no effect on the metallic maw, for which he was grateful.

'Which one of ye is in charge- or maybe the least incompetent?' he snapped, glancing between the two older men, ignoring the cowering photographer. It was a miracle that one hadn't pissed himself there was no chance he was in charge. Almost automatically he glanced at the older male, almost expecting to hear that he was the captain.

---

  

If Conall had guessed where their little crew would end up, it was very much as toast, hurtling into the afterlife if one existed, and not... here. Wherever here was. A ship, of sorts, apparently commandeered by this half-crazed Scotsman with grey hair and an egregious cape.

Conall, still recovering from his last stumble, was slower to react than the Auror; instead, he took his time, as he hauled himself to his feet, to look around the place. Not that they could see much from here, but Conall eyed the way the stranger had come with narrowed eyes. Belatedly, he realised the fellow was addressing him. “Don’t look at me,” Conall countered with a shrug, not bothering to get out his wand again – he wasn’t trained for duelling men. In fact, this had taken a turn very far from his whole remit on this expedition, because as far as he could see there wasn’t a creature to be found.

Still. “But if you didn’t want us blasting spells, you might have tried not to chew us up,” he remarked, about their little collision. Unlike Staghart, he was a little less interested in the Scot’s identity. “What is it you’re doing down here exactly?”

---

  

---

Wilhelm didn't like this cocky bastard from the moment he appeared out of the maw of what he now realize was some kind of underwater ship. One thing was clear, he thought he could do whatever he wanted without retaliation.

Now that it was confirmed the 'monster' in the Black Lake was nothing natural but a wizard made contraction it put the entire exhibition into his jurisdiction or close enough as the only Magical Law Enforcement officer in the mission.

"Dismiss me all you want but as of now, I'm the one in charge as this is a criminal investigation. You sir, are under arrest for the destruction and murder of the crew of the Little Tern. Hand over your wand now." Wilhelm still kept his own wand trained on the wizard, all it would take was a simple flick and he could have the man wrapped in chains.

  

---

'docking....not chewing...docking' he corrected the hairy ginger one, 'I can see how you'd think that but it's not that.' he waggeled a finger in the air, like a professor correcting a class of insolent and slightly slow witted children. The gobby one with the chin like a bare arse was talking again. Horace didn't respond to the order to hand over his wand, he didn't need it most of the time, but he also had no intention of dueling these people.

'They are hardly dead? They've been eating me out of house and home for days now' Horace complained loudly, 'Mipsy!' he roared, 'Bring those two useless sacks of dragon shite down here, their lift home has arrived.', the groveling house elf, bowing so low to the floor her long nose almost scraped it, a gesture of abject obsequiousness that Horace had initially rather liked, but now served to annoy him, as it made him feel old - he could almost imagine the pain his own back would feel under the circumstances.

'So what's the crime exactly? They crashed into me!' Horace's tone was pitched, incredulous and near hysterical, as though the idea of him being in any way in the wrong was entirely beyond the realm of possibility. 'Same could be said of you, might I add, but for my ships ability to dock with yours we'd all be washing up on the shore of the lake - or at least bits of us, whatever left after the squid has picked his arse with our bones' Horace disliked behing challenged at the best of times, he liked it less when it was someone he neither liked nor respected.

---

  

Staghart had the official bureaucracy of it well in hand, Conall decided – mostly because he was uninterested in that. He did arch an eyebrow in suspicious surprise to hear that the fishing crew were here, and alive, and although the fellow was asking what’s the crime, Conall fancied it was still probably abduction of some kind.

He also presumed this ship, as the man was calling it (though it was like no other ship he’d ever seen), probably hadn’t gotten any Ministry permits for it. Conall didn’t care much about permits, but –

“More likely that your bloody great underwater home’s going to kill the squid,” Conall retorted, in impassioned defence of the squid. The giant squid had more than likely been in this lake first.

---

  

---

Walter didn't like this wizard at all, too full of himself and clearly unaware he had done anything wrong. Whatever this ship thing was he came out of it certainly made a point to remain hidden till a collision was unavoidable. Whatever his explanations were, Walter wasn't buying it. Clearly he was hiding and didn't want to be discovered and only reacted when it looked like they were about to be discovered.

Learning the crew of the lost fishing vessel were alive and apparently under this man's care was a surprise but it didn't make what happened any less illegal. The only thing the man spared himself from was multiple murder charges.

"How can a ship floating on the surface crash into this...monstrosity of yours?" Walter said in a deadpan voice. "You, your crew and your 'guests' are coming with us, as soon as we make sure the integrity of the underwater charms on this ship are intact and yours releases us. I would prefer this all go down calmly and you can explain your reasons for multiple attacks upon the inhabitants in and around the Black Lake to the Wizengamot."

Through all this talking, Walter still had his wand trained on the mystery man, ready to stun him should he make any hostile move. A part of him felt like just stunning him and getting it over with but a proper arrest was tantamount to seeing this madman safely in Azkaban, or at the very lest out of the Black Lake and his ship destroyed.

  

---

'I've been down here 9 years, it's done nothing to the squid' he said with a dismissive hand. Mipsy appeared in the door, followed by two rough dressed men, clearly fishermen by their garb, and he made a rather excessive and dramatic gesture at the door indicating that they were in fact fine. 'I've been trying to return them for more than a week, but apparently my kitchen was too tempting' he shot both men dirty looks. 'Me and the squid don't see much of each other, and I'm in the sea caves more than the open water' he said by way of explanation to the older man who he intrinsically decided he liked more than the gobby loud mouth.

'That chap Fraser, used to be on the charms committee - that spell looked like his work if I'm not mistaken?' he remarked, craning his next to take in the bubble charm that kept the ship safe. 'Should be safe enough to ascend, if everyones knickers are untwisted enough for us to raise.' he looked pointedly at the auror - he seemed like an overly anxious person, prone to some form of hysteria or other, a trait of weakness he had little time for.

---