Inside the bridge of the Nightshatter, chaos reigned like a relentless storm. Overhead lights flickered erratically, casting a strobing glare across the faces of the bridge crew. Sensor alarms shrieked in irregular bursts, punctuated by thunderous impacts against the hull, each collision fraying the crew's nerves further toward a breaking point.
At the weapons console, Takara stood tense and focused, her fingers darting expertly across the controls. Missile after missile streaked from the ship toward distant Kaigun vessels, only to shatter prematurely amid rippling waves of defensive spells. Takara glanced at Roy, panic edging her features. "Captain, our best artillery isn't enough," she shouted urgently. "Every missile is being torn apart by their spell arrays. These aren't pirates, they're disciplined, coordinated."
Roy nodded grimly, his eyes rapidly scanning multiple monitor feeds, absorbing the unfolding chaos. "Caliban planned this too carefully," he muttered darkly. "He knew we wouldn't nuke them if they approached defensively, and now they're already too close for anything high-yield. We need something they'll never see coming."
His gaze landed abruptly on the security feed from the brig. Sekhmet Sorrowclaw, seemingly oblivious to the battle raging around them, danced passionately alone within her cage, until Skellbro angrily kicked the bars, shattering her rhythm.
Roy keyed the PA system sharply, urgency thickening his voice. "Skellbro, bring Sorrowclaw to the bridge immediately!"
Kaelor bolted upright, lunging toward the bars of his cell, panic clear in his booming voice. "There's fighting outside! You're sending her into battle? Release me too, I want to fight! I swear I'll return to my cell afterward!"
Instantly, two sharp needles appeared at the edges of his grotesque torso-mouth, swiftly and efficiently stitching it shut. As the stitches vanished, only smooth skin remained. Kaelor clawed frantically at his sealed face, struggling fruitlessly to breathe until Skelly Mom dramatically flung open the curtain of her distant cell, eyes blazing irritably. "No yelling!" she shrieked, waving a dismissive hand and removing the sealing spell instantly. Kaelor gasped violently for breath. Skelly Mom then began screaming herself.
With a dark chuckle, Skellbro entered Sorrowclaw's cell, moving with sinister swiftness. In a flash, he lightly sliced her pinky finger, hissing a chilling threat. "Remember clearly, run or betray, I never lift curse. You never pass on. Never."
Sorrowclaw trembled violently, eyes wide with mute terror, managing only a shaky nod in reply.
A few tense minutes later, Sorrowclaw stumbled onto the bridge, openly sobbing. Skellbro lingered casually beside her, his grin twisted with satisfaction, as if presenting her for some perverse ritual sacrifice.
"Captain Gunn!" she cried desperately, tears dripping onto the polished floor. "I'll do anything. I'll be your slave, your servant, your footrest, wife, concubine, anything! Just spare me!"
Roy turned slowly toward Skellbro, confusion flickering behind his tense expression. "Skellbro… what exactly did you say to her?"
"You sounded angry, Captain," Skellbro replied with gleeful enthusiasm. "I assume execution. I explained very thoroughly and vividly how it would proceed."
"No!" Roy snapped, barely suppressing an amused smirk. "I just need her assistance. Also, you are getting much better at speaking, I'm not sure if that scares me or not."
Skellbro's excitement deflated visibly, replaced by boredom. "Thanks, I guess."
Roy returned his attention to Sorrowclaw, authority hardening his voice as he crossed his legs. "Get up, Sorrowclaw. You will help us escape."
Promptly, a Presidroid emerged from Roy's quarters carrying a set of simple grey sweatpants and a matching hoodie. "Wear these," it instructed emotionlessly.
Without any concern for modesty, Sorrowclaw swiftly stripped off her clothing, forcing Roy to quickly avert his gaze. As she pulled on the new garments, she sighed softly, momentarily distracted. "So soft…" she whispered, brushing the fabric reverently.
Roy quickly refocused her. "Cast an illusion large enough to trick them into chasing after a fake escape, buying us enough time to slip away unnoticed."
Her eyes ignited with a nearly fanatical intensity. "So I can finally dance!?" Sorrowclaw howled, surging forward and seizing Roy with ferocious strength. Her burning eyes locked onto his, radiating either rage or passion so intense Roy couldn't distinguish,and didn't want to.
"Wait, what?" Roy stammered, twisting uselessly within her powerful grip. He felt her hot breath brushing his cheek, his pulse spiking in genuine alarm.
"My illusions require dancing, beautiful, exquisite dancing!" she exclaimed passionately, pressing her nose directly against his, eyes ablaze with obsessive delight.
Takara sharply clashed her gauntlets in protest, and Sorrowclaw reluctantly stepped back, clearly displeased. "If you genuinely want me to hide this entire ship on top of creating a seperate decoy ship," she warned cautiously, her voice quivering with barely restrained excitement, "you must share your mana with me."
Roy blinked, stepping carefully closer. "Share my mana? How exactly do we do that?"
Her eyes gleamed feverishly, lips curving into a wild smile. "By dancing with me!"
Takara nearly choked, incredulous. "You're kidding. We're literally in the middle of a war!"
"Let me speak, you small, moderately attractive lady," Sorrowclaw purred insistently, voice quivering with fervent intensity.
Roy noticed Takara discreetly layering rune after rune on her gauntlets. Catching her eye, he subtly shook his head, and she reluctantly lowered her hands, jaw still clenched.
Sorrowclaw lunged forward, her proximity sudden and disconcerting. "My illusions aren't mere spells you casually toss around. They're a passionate performance, a sensual ART!" She twirled with exaggerated grace, eyes ablaze with fanatical devotion, her hair cascading dramatically. "I meld illusions with rhythmic motion, weaving them intimately with mana into a tapestry to deceive every eye. Concealing something as large and magically noisy as your Iron...Demon demands absolute synergy and enormous energy. Two souls, bodies synchronized, responding to each other's every subtle motion." She released a shaky, breathless laugh, her face mere inches from Roy's, her lips occasionally brushing his cheek as she whispered breathily, "In our dance, your mana will surge into me… deeply, overwhelmingly potent, fueling illusions beyond mortal imagination. It's undeniably intimate, intoxicatingly passionate even, but essential to cloak your ship from the enemy's watchful gaze."
Sorrowclaw's eyes sparkled feverishly as she theatrically pressed a hand to her chest, fingers deliberately grazing Roy's shirt. "Together we'll move as one, sensing every delicate tremble of mana, every throbbing pulse of energy passing between us."
Takara crossed her arms, scowling deeply, her cheeks flushing a furious shade of crimson. "Isn't there literally anyone else you can… I mean… I—" she sputtered, voice cracking. "Maybe my runic magic could amplify it enough so you two don't have to be so… involved?"
Sorrowclaw swiveled to face Takara with exaggerated gravity, lips curling into an impish smile. "Only Roy possesses such an immense mana pool. So vast, so overwhelmingly powerful, it makes my knees weak just sensing it." She turned back to Roy, voice dropping seductively low, eyes glittering hungrily as she slowly licked her lips. "I can barely stand it… the thought of your mana flooding through me, utterly saturating me as we… unite… for the greatest performance the mortal world has seen."
Takara bristled visibly, fists clenched tightly at her sides. "Stop saying things like that! You're making it sound… weird and wrong."
"WRONG!?" Sorrowclaw shrieked, practically vibrating with manic enthusiasm. Raw mana erupted from her presence in violent pulses, blistering the walls and causing the metal beneath her feet to screech in protest. Takara swayed under the crushing wave of power, her limbs suddenly leaden, breath trapped painfully in her chest. "It's like standing in a hurricane of raw magic," she thought dizzily. "I'd almost forgotten, this lunatic was a captain in the Abyssforged Alliance." Sorrowclaw continued, her voice rising even higher, "This is raw fury, passion, lust, greed, envy, jealousy, romance, and transcendent beauty, all delicately wrapped in a ribbon woven from Roy and my entwined souls!" Her chest heaved dramatically as she leaned even closer, her eyes wild. She looked like she simultaneously wanted to hug Roy and tear him apart. Then, abruptly straightening, she proclaimed indignantly, "Despite appearances, I harbor no affection for him! I literally tried to kill him! I'm his prisoner, remember?! ALL I CRAVE IS THE DANCE!"
Her voice thundered like a declaration of war, eyes shining with crazed fervor before dropping back to a throaty whisper as she leaned in once more, her breath tickling Roy's ear. "And now, Roy, we shall dance, intensely, relentlessly, passionately, whether anyone approves or not. It's purely practical, of course, for the sake of our escape."
As Roy took her hand he felt a tug on his mana, gently at first but it quickly ramped up before he instinctively clamped down on the flow. They began to slowly dance, bit by bit, the shimmering haze stretched outward beyond the confines of the bridge. Though Roy couldn't see it very clearly himself, the monitors around the room revealed the incredible scale of the illusions Sorrowclaw had summoned. A twisting distortion rippled into existence, cloaking the Nightshatter and warping its silhouette into something elusive, intangible. In the dark reflection of a console screen, Roy caught glimpses of the illusions forming, a shifting mosaic of shimmering lights and overlapping ghostly images, faint at first but rapidly strengthening.
"Captain," Washington's voice crackled urgently through the comms. "We're seeing something odd around the ship. Our visual position is blurring, the Dominion's mages and archers are starting to miss shots. It's like they can't pinpoint our location!"
Roy's heart surged in relief. Sorrowclaw's illusions were actually working, they were truly evading enemy targeting.
Her smile spread broadly, triumphant and wild as she spun gracefully once more, pulling Roy along into a fluid half-turn that pressed them even closer together, her eyes fever-bright with elation. "Yes… YES! Let it flow, flood me with it! This is my gift, my divine performance as Sekhmet Sorrowclaw, Head Khebait in the Sect of the Prophet Set! Witness it, my ultimate masterpiece, a dance previously known only in my fevered dreams! Behold the Dance of the Drifting Mirage through Desert Sands!"
"Most who contact me when I'm at full output can't handle it, so I shouldn't," Roy said reluctantly.
Takara cleared her throat pointedly, cheeks flaming crimson. "This is utterly ridiculous," she protested, voice strained. "Roy, are you absolutely sure—?"
But before she could finish, the illusions had intensified beyond any doubt or denial. On the external monitors, the massive spider had visibly slowed, its enormous form momentarily frozen in confusion. A flurry of magical flares erupted wildly from the Kaigun warships, bursting harmlessly in empty air as they pursued phantom targets.
Amid the swirling haze, Sorrowclaw's voice thickened, husky with excitement. "This is the moment… push harder, Captain. Make them real!"
Roy clenched his eyes shut, desperately forcing himself to ignore the absurdity of performing a bizarrely intimate, mana-fueled dance in the heart of a raging naval battle.
"Don't say I didn't warn you." He drew deeply from within, tapping into the bottomless reservoir of mana he held inside, willingly handing over power to Sorrowclaw at a scale she had never before experienced.
A surge of electric warmth flared from Roy's core, passing through his fingertips into hers. Sorrowclaw gasped sharply, illusions blossoming from their perspective like midnight flowers suddenly unfurling. Outside, the horizon lit up with illusory crew members and phantom copies of the Nightshatter itself, engaging directly with enemy forces. Remarkably, the illusions did actual damage; each added layer seemed to grant them more form and solidity. Roy watched in amazement as the sea itself twisted beneath the illusory Nightshatter, waves morphing and shifting, reality bending under Sorrowclaw's influence. For an instant, Roy almost lost his balance watching the false ship drift impossibly away.
Then, illusory copies of the Nightshatter crew began fighting with the enemy forces directly. Doing actual damage to them.
"How is that possible? Is the damage also an illusion?" Roy asked.
"After enough layers the mana density gives them actual form, but, without your mana I could only do it on a small scale," Sorrowclaw quietly responded.
Then, without warning, Sorrowclaw's knees buckled beneath her, and she collapsed forward into Roy's arms. The illusions flickered just once, barely perceptible, noticed only by Eryndra and Harmony, even the Kaigun Dominion warriors didn't seem to notice.
Panting raggedly, she whispered weakly, "I'm… sorry. The scale and density are enormous. I need more time, we need to maintain the illusions continuously for at least an hour, or they'll vanish the instant we stop."
Roy felt a sick twist in his stomach. "An hour?" he repeated numbly. "You mean we can't break physical contact for an hour?"
She gave a faint, exhausted nod. "If you let go now, the illusions collapse immediately, leaving us completely exposed. Maintaining illusions of this scale requires uninterrupted synergy."
Takara groaned sharply, frustration clear. "An entire hour? How long did you dance to maintain your fleet of ten thousand ships?"
Sorrowclaw swallowed, struggling upright with Roy's assistance. "That fleet? Let's see... it took about fourteen days to build up the mana necessary, and I sustained it actively for another forty-five days or so afterward. One of my shorter performances."
Takara's expression deadened visibly. "I beg your pardon?"
"I'm sorry," Sorrowclaw muttered tiredly, still leaning heavily on Roy's shoulder as they lightly swayed. "Large-scale illusions require continuous dancing, or at least prolonged close contact with a reservoir this large. So we can rest for a few moments. But, remember, this proximity is essential for the mana flow."
Roy grimaced, shoulders sagging. "I guess… we can manage that."
He guided her slowly toward the captain's chair. She gripped his hand tightly, desperate as though holding onto a lifeline. The illusions continued swirling powerfully outward around them.
Warrex peered back in through the doorway cautiously, eyebrows lifted in confusion. "Everything alright in here, Captain?"
"Yes!" Roy snapped, cheeks burning furiously. "We just… have to keep holding hands." He sat down and rested Sorrowclaw in his lap.
Heavy footsteps echoed urgently up the stairwell, and a moment later, Eryndra burst onto the bridge, armor vents snapping shut, face smeared with soot. She froze abruptly, eyes widening in shock and disbelief at the bizarre sight: Roy awkwardly holding Sorrowclaw, their fingers interlocked intimately, Sorrowclaw mumbling incoherently to herself about rhythms and steps as her head rested on Roy's chest.
"What in the world is this?" Eryndra demanded, voice rising dangerously. Her gaze shifted from Roy's flushed, mortified expression to Sorrowclaw's tear-streaked face, clearly struggling to comprehend. "I leave you alone for five minutes, and you're—" She gestured broadly, words momentarily failing her.
Roy opened his mouth, tripping over explanations. "It's not—this isn't—she's fueling illusions. We had to… I mean… we're stuck like this for an hour and I...."
Eryndra's confusion turned swiftly to suspicious irritation. "Stuck? Holding hands? For illusions? That doesn't even sound remotely believable. I may be dumb, but I'm not that dumb!"
Sorrowclaw, dazed but lucid enough, finally cleared her throat weakly. "You should've seen our glory, tasted our synergy! Roy, please, can we do it again? I beg you!"
Eryndra's face twisted in disgusted incredulity, tension radiating off her armored frame. "You better not be lying to me."
"I'm not," Roy insisted quickly, desperate for understanding.
"Then… fine," Eryndra conceded grudgingly, glaring pointedly at Roy. "But keep your eyes and your hands exactly where they belong."
Outside the forward viewport, the illusions had convincingly lured the Kaigun blockade away. Roy watched with cautious relief as the monstrous spider lumbered off in entirely the wrong direction, baited by the copy of the battleship. The primeval dragon wheeled overhead, spewing turquoise fire uselessly at nonexistent targets.
Unexpectedly, the spider halted its charge abruptly. It turned slowly toward the hidden Nightshatter, clearly suspicious, briefly confused, eyes rapidly changing colors. Roy spotted a tiny, suspicious flash emanating from the magical barrier holding Corvy and the other traitors, but after a tense moment, the spider grudgingly turned away to chase the illusions once more.
The hour crawled by with agonizing slowness, Roy's arm aching fiercely from prolonged extension, but Sorrowclaw's illusions held strong. Gradually, the sensor feeds revealed the Kaigun Dominion's ships drifting further and further away.
After the hour went by, Sorrowclaw's eyes fluttered open fully. She nodded weakly at Roy, voice barely audible. "We can stop now. They've surrounded the false ship and I've convinced them it sank. Now they're wasting time searching the depths for it uselessly. Fools."
Roy exhaled a massive sigh of relief, finally releasing her hands. His fingers tingled painfully, numb and damp from the extended contact. Around them, the elaborate illusions concealing their presence slowly faded, dissipating like mist beneath sunlight and leaving only the calm, empty sea.
Eryndra studied the "strategic map" thoughtfully, though it was an unrelated map of a nearby town. "We have breathing room now, but the Dominion won't take this lightly. They're bound to regroup."
Roy gently eased the drained Sorrowclaw into a nearby chair, wrapping her with a spare blanket. Turning back to the console, Serenity's calm voice came through clearly. "Captain, perhaps now would be the ideal moment for a clear demonstration of our full capabilities, something to dissuade the Kaigun Dominion from further attacks."
Harmony quickly added, "A controlled demonstration, like you did with the Umbral Consortium. Something impressive enough to prove our courtesy to not immediately nuke them pre-battle is just that, a courtesy."
Roy chuckled darkly at the suggestion. Perhaps showing off a truly awe inspiring nuclear demonstration would serve as a stark warning, much as it had for the Umbral Consortium. But these warriors seemed different from the undisciplined bumblers from that kingdom.
"I never wanted to say this, but," Roy began as he crossed his arms in discomfort, "perhaps it's time to inform the kingdoms of this world precisely what total annihilation looks like."