• L u n a r i a •

Chapter 3

          Lunaria gasped as she stared at the statue right in front of her.

      "C-Chancellor Bergen?" She quietly called, shock still washing over her.

        Oh.my.god. He's a statue. Lunaria stood up and looked for the spellbook. She couldn't find it, but noticed a golden amulet on the neck of statue Chancellor Bergen. She unlocked it and clasped it onto her neck, muttering an I'm sorry before dashing to the gap in the wall. Glancing around the room, she saw the entrance that Chancellor Bergen came through and ran through there. She breathed in the cold, fresh air and creeped near the corner of the tower. Lunaria smiled as she saw the pile of crates and barrels that the men were lugging into the ship, and decided to make a plan.

        I'll hide in a ration barrel! Her eyes lit up as she thought of this, and scanned for a vacant barrel. When she knew the other men were distracted, she opened the lid and slipped inside. Thanks to her slim figure she was easily able to fit inside and sit in a slightly uncomfortable position, and placed a hand over her mouth to disguise a gasp as she felt someone lift the barrel.

      "Aye, what's with this barrel ov'r here? It's so damned heavy!" Lunaria overheard the man exclaim.

      "Ah, quit yer worryin'. It's probably them ol' rations again - the likes of these guys! Givin' us all the rations for the seven day journey, ey?" Another hearty man laughed.

        Lunaria was glad they didn't suspect her, but her eyes widened as she rehearsed what the man had said. Seven days?! I might not be able to survive this! She thought worridly. How would she survive on only squished rations and a measly waterskin? She sighed quietly, and felt herself being placed. Lunaria peered through the top, lifting the lid slightly. She caught a glimpse of a man walking out from below-deck, before hearing a door shut and latched. The stream of moonlight dispersed, leaving her in practically complete darkness.

        Well, I guess we're locked and loaded! Lunaria sighed. She grabbed some of the rations and drank a pitiful amount of water before shifting a bit. Closing her eyes, she fell into a sleep that wasn't all that comforting.

                                  ○ ○ ○

        Lunaria stirred awake from the sounds of a man yelling orders, and screams breaking the air as she heard something (Harpoons, perhaps?) being fired into the air. She fought to keep her balance as the ship rocked back and forth, but ultimately failed as the barrel tumbled to the side, making Lunaria crash into the ships walls.

      "Augh! W-What is that?!" Lunaria cried, crawling out of the barrel. She gasped as she saw a giant box approaching, slipping towards her end of the ship.

        She rolled to the side, wincing as she heard the loud impact on the wooden walls. I have to be careful. I almost got crushed! Lunaria shook her head and crawled up the stairs leading to the deck.

        The sight she saw was devastating. She almost couldn't believe it, until the captain(?) yelled.

      "SEA SERPENT! GET TO YER STATIONS, OPEN FIRE!" The man yelled, making sure his voice projected well.

        Lunaria had to make a hasty decision, which could possibly determine her rate of survival. She sighed, and dashed towards a harpoon gun. She heard the man exclaim when they saw her, but he picked the wiser option.

      "Let her help, boys! We have bigger things to worry about!"

        With a nod to the captain, Lunaria aimed the harpoon gun. She could feel her heart pounding as she realized the size of this creature. It was easily about
70ft tall, and it slightly intimidated Lunaria. She shook her head quickly to regain her composure, and shot the harpoon into the serpent.

        The creature roared, the harpoon hitting it square in the chest and injuring it's flesh. Other men shot the harpoons, yelling and aiming while some of the stronger ones threw javelins at the serpents' head. Only a few got pass the intensely powerful scales of the creature.

      "WATCH OUT-!" The captain attempted to yell, but failed to save anyone as the serpent brought it's massive tail upon the ship, breaking it in two.

        Men yelled and screamed as they immediately fell into the water, and the rest tried to help or run to the sturdiest side of either part of the boat they were on. Some had been injured severely and were dead or on the verge of it. Lunaria was slightly out of the serpents' range, safely out of the cracked centre. However her side was sinking, and her heart sank as she realised she would die here, against a serpent. Never getting to see the world.

        She had no time to react as the sea serpent slammed its tail into her side of the boat, knocking her off. She was hanging onto the railing, and cried out.

      "Somebody, over here!" She yelled.

        She blinked away tears, and tried to use her upper body to lug herself up. But everybody else was dead or incapacitated, leaving her stuck without help. She struggled to hold herself any longer, as the surface was wet and gave her a disadvantage as she held on.

        Lunaria screamed as her grip loosed, sending her plummeting downwards from 20-30ft in the air into the harsh depths of below. She reached out for anything as she fell, grabbing into the air for support.

      "Selune help me!" She screamed, and there was a sharp pain, then nothing.