On the Nightshatter's bridge, screens suddenly flashed, rippling with bursts of incoming data. A faint, unmistakable explosion signature radiated clearly through the hydrophone lines. The second AI's delicate voice cut sharply through the tension. "We got him! There! Right there!"
Takara leaned in swiftly, squinting at the dim display. She pointed to a rapidly triangulated set of coordinates on the glowing map projection. "The depth… that's almost five miles deep! How can we possibly get to him down there?"
Lutrian's breath caught in his throat, eyes wide with disbelief and cautious hope. "He's still alive down there? We can't afford to wait a second longer."
"Set course immediately," Eryndra ordered, voice tight with urgency. Her hand slammed down onto the engine throttle, and the great battleship responded with a low, vibrating groan. "Fast as we can. Get us to that spot now."
Within half an hour, the Nightshatter sluggishly drew to a halt over the marked coordinates. The ocean outside remained maddeningly calm, a mirror-like surface reflecting the dull gray sky. Beneath that quiet façade, however, Roy was trapped miles below, fighting a lonely, impossible battle against the abyss.
On the main deck, Presidroids had already assembled in disciplined, methodical lines. They bustled efficiently, pulling massive bundles of heavy chain from the hastily-requisitioned copy of Takara's Home Improvement Box. Carefully, urgently, they linked section after section together, swiftly creating a formidable length that snaked its way across the ship's open deck, gleaming darkly beneath the muted daylight.
One by one, drones were launched into the water. Some shattered from pressure halfway down, others imploded dramatically, sending muted shockwaves trembling faintly to the surface. The largest drone survived, but crawled downward at an agonizingly slow pace.
"Too slow," Takara muttered anxiously, tapping rapidly at the barely functional side console, eyes darting across the dim readouts. "We'd need ten hours at this rate, and judging by how dim the lights are, Roy's mana is nearly depleted. There's no chance he lasts that long. We need another option—"
Before she could finish, Washington stormed onto the bridge, snapping a crisp salute. "Commander Thunderborne, the chain is prepared!"
Eryndra stepped toward the reinforced glass window, peering down to see an enormous pile of chain rising nearly fifty feet high, gleaming menacingly on the deck below. Without hesitation, she nodded.
Takara smiled and quickly turned to Washington. "Attach one of the spare tungsten rods from the reactor-room storage, feed the chain down now!"
Immediately, Presidroids hauled the dense, heavy tungsten rod from storage, securing it firmly to the chain's end. With a loud, metallic groan, they began lowering it methodically into the water, each link clanking heavily over the Nightshatter's reinforced edge.
Over the course of ten minutes they managed to lower nearly seventy percent of the chain's length when the entire ship suddenly lurched violently, shuddering beneath everyone's feet. A loud, sickening snap reverberated through the deck as the heavy chain ground against the ship's edge, abruptly shearing off.
"No!" Warrex roared in disbelief, fists clenched at his sides. "What happened?!"
Serenity's tired voice filled the sudden silence. "Sonar suggests… some sort of large organism tangled itself in the chain and... yanked it away," she said, voice starting to slur.
Another tremor shook the ship, but this time from within. Eryndra had slammed her foot down, punching clean through the thick deck plating in frustration. Her voice trembled with barely-contained fury. "Enough waiting. I'll go myself."
An instant hush fell across the bridge. Serenity briefly shook off her lethargy, her voice incredulous. "Are you insane? Since when do you have gills, Eryndra? Roy wouldn't want you to throw your life away like that."
Eryndra's face hardened with cold determination. "I don't need air. Remember the battle with Kaelor's crew? I found out firsthand when that Octopus-folk dragged me under."
"Oh, I thought you just held your breath for a couple minutes," Serenity replied.
"Lutrian," Eryndra said sharply, turning to him, "I need a rope."
Lutrian's hands shook as he slowly raised them, visibly swallowing back fear. A brilliant glow formed between his palms, solidifying into a sturdy chain composed entirely of searing white light. The radiant chain began to spool out steadily from his trembling fingers. "Five miles is... really pushing it, Eryndra," he warned quietly, sweat beading on his forehead. "I don't know if I can even make a few dozen feet, I've never tried."
Warrex stepped forward resolutely, gripping the glowing chain firmly, testing its solidity with a powerful tug. "You just get down there, find Roy, and secure this around yourself while in his barrier. We'll handle the rest."
Takara stared, eyes wide with alarm. "Wait! Breathing is one thing, the pressure on the other hand will crush you! No diving gear can survive half of that depth. You can't—"
"Takara…" Eryndra murmured, a dangerous edge to her voice as she turned slowly to face her. The vents along her armor flared open fully, arcs of electricity dancing menacingly across her body, illuminating her expression. "…Shut the hell up."
Her vents snapped shut with a decisive metallic clang, cutting off the crackling energy. Without another word, she stepped onto the railing, the luminous chain clenched tight in one hand.
Lutrian followed silently, face pale and jaw clenched as he swiftly secured the other end of the glowing rope to a sturdy bollard near Warrex. Takara hovered nearby, visibly biting her lip, the urge to speak warring clearly with caution.
"At least take an anchor!" she finally blurted, desperate. "So you don't drift off course down there."
Eryndra looked back over her shoulder, meeting Takara's anxious gaze. Her harsh expression softened slightly into a brief, reassuring smile. "Good idea."
She jumped down onto the anchor and with a swift, precise swipe of her armored hand, she severed the anchor's securing link. The heavy mass plunged down into the waves below, trailing a thick chain behind it. Eryndra leapt gracefully over the railing, grabbing onto the swiftly descending anchor chain with one hand, Lutrian's glowing chain in the other.
The sudden, wrenching force of the anchor dropping nearly yanked Lutrian clear off the deck. He cried out, sliding helplessly across the slick metal surface, arms flailing desperately.
Warrex lunged forward instantly, massive arms catching Lutrian by the waist, veins standing out sharply on his powerful arms as he braced himself against the edge. His teeth ground together, muscles rippling with exertion, holding both Lutrian and the glowing chain securely.
The ship's lights suddenly flickered and died, plunging the Nightshatter into eerie semi-darkness, broken only by faint, ghostly blue glows from scattered display panels.
Washington immediately stepped forward, barking crisp commands and gesturing sharply to the assembled Presidroids. One by one, they dove neatly over the railing into the dark waves below.
"What the hell are they doing?" Takara demanded, bewildered.
Washington didn't look at her, eyes fixed grimly on the water. "Protecting the first mile or two of that chain—ensuring no devils of the deep try to interrupt our rescue."
Takara nodded silently, clenching her fists anxiously as she stared into the waves, willing Eryndra to survive.
Roy's vision blurred darkly at the edges, exhaustion pulling him relentlessly downward into numbness. The endless strain of keeping the fragile barrier intact had drained him utterly, tearing away any last shred of resistance he had left. His mind hovered uncertainly between resignation and despair, accepting that perhaps this was finally the end, that the cold, dark ocean floor would claim him after all.
A shape pierced the abyss above him, shimmering faintly like starlight through fog. Roy squinted weakly, convinced he was hallucinating, his exhausted mind playing cruel tricks on him in these final moments. Yet the shape continued to descend steadily, resolving slowly into clarity: silver armor, pale limbs, delicate bubbles trailing behind her graceful form as she drifted toward him.
It was Eryndra.
Roy's heart stumbled, then soared, beating painfully hard against his battered ribs. He blinked, desperate to believe his eyes, desperate to trust that she was real—that this angel, radiant in her gleaming armor, floating down through the blackness, was not just another cruel figment of his dying imagination.
"Eryndra? What are you...?" he whispered hoarsely, voice raw and broken, cracking beneath the impossible weight of hope.
She touched down softly at the edge of his flickering barrier, her armor vents half-open, trails of gentle bubbles drifting upward around her. Through the trembling, glass-like barrier, Roy saw her lips form the shape of his name, her expression shifting immediately into a warm, reassuring goofy grin so filled with affection, confidence, and relief that it shattered the remaining walls he'd desperately held together.
He let her pass through the barrier without thought or hesitation, reaching out desperately to meet her outstretched hand. The instant their fingers touched, Roy's composure collapsed utterly. He let out a ragged, choking sob, the walls he'd built crumbling in an instant beneath the gentle strength of her grip. His vision blurred again, but this time from tears that flooded freely down his face.
"I...I thought I'd never see you again," Roy whispered, voice shaking, breath hitching painfully. He trembled violently, overwhelmed with a chaotic storm of relief, pain, and raw, profound joy. Eryndra didn't answer, didn't need to. She wrapped her strong arms tightly around him, her embrace surprisingly warm, reassuring, undeniable proof that his nightmare had finally ended.
Roy pressed himself desperately into her, clinging to her as if terrified she would vanish if he loosened his grip even slightly. His whole body shook uncontrollably as sobs overtook him, pouring forth all the pain and fear he'd fought alone in the crushing darkness. He wept openly, fiercely, like a child lost and alone finally seeing the comforting face of his mother appear above the edge of the well, like a drowning man feeling his beloved's hand pulling him from the water, like someone finally allowed to collapse into safety after holding themselves together for far too long.
Eryndra simply held him, letting him cry, never wavering in her steady presence. Without a word, she gently reached her hand through the barrier and snapped her fingers with such strength that a flash briefly illuminating the ocean floor accompanied by loud bang. Then, with calm strength, she reached down and effortlessly broke the heavy chain binding his ankle, freeing him from its cold, iron grip forever.
Roy gasped softly at the sound, at the feeling of freedom. He tightened the barrier closely around them both as Eryndra secured Lutrian's glowing chain around herself. They began to rise, gently at first, then steadily, accelerating upward through the darkened depths.
Roy cast one final look toward the immense, luminous eye that had watched him silently from afar. It blinked slowly, its gentle, alien gaze filled with quiet compassion. Then Roy buried his face against Eryndra's metal pauldron, shivering with exhaustion, relief, grief, and gratitude all at once.
He held onto her desperately, feeling the steady, powerful pull as they ascended, leaving behind the suffocating darkness, the crushing pressure, the endless loneliness that had nearly broken him. Roy squeezed his eyes shut, finally allowing himself to believe he was truly being saved, not by some abstract miracle, not by a vague hope, but by her.
By Eryndra.
She had come for him, plunging fearlessly into the abyss just to bring him home.