Marvel: Playing Iron Man, Falling In and Out of Love with Jinx

BANG!!

A violent impact rocked the Swordfish, causing the ship to tremble wildly. Duke could even hear the hull groaning in distress. Clinging tightly to the railing, Jayce shouted, "What happened?!"

"We've been attacked by a school of sea beasts. Stay calm!"

Despite the relentless shaking of the Swordfish, Duke stood firm as if walking on solid ground, his balance unaffected. His eyes were locked on the seemingly tranquil sea below.

Donning Edith, he activated the exploration function. In an instant, the enormous creatures beneath the surface came into view.

Dozens of sea beasts were charging toward the Swordfish, led by a monstrous one several times their size. Even the smallest among them were as large as a carriage, while the largest rivaled blue whales.

"Attacked by a school of sea beasts?" Jayce's face turned pale, his lips quivering. "And you're telling me not to panic?!"

"At sea, anything can happen."

Gone was Duke's usual lazy demeanor. He gripped the railing tightly, using Edith to observe the school of Zhuo'er Fish beneath the waves.

"Captain!!"

Jayce spotted Captain Lister emerging from the cabin, noticeably without his signature pipe and wearing a grave expression.

Standing beside the railing, Lister stared at the increasingly churning waters.

"Why would we suddenly encounter a sea beast pack? This shouldn't be happening!"

He frowned deeply. Jayce pressed on, "Is this a random event?"

"Yes and no," the captain replied quickly. "It's not unusual to encounter sea beasts at sea, this is their territory. But they don't usually travel in schools during breeding season. Normally, they're solitary creatures."

"But they've clearly broken from that pattern."

Duke began to stretch, mentally reviewing Pyke's backstory. According to that lore, the Zhuo'er Fish were extremely rare sea creatures.

Their most prized feature was the cyan sac in their throats, which contained concentrated magical essence.

As such, they were prime targets for Bilgewater's hunting fleets. Once spotted, they were pursued relentlessly.

"This means one of these Zhuo'er Fish possesses intelligence and strength far surpassing its peers, a leader capable of commanding the others."

"A Beast King?"

Duke couldn't help but click his tongue. "Why do these kinds of creatures pop up everywhere I go?"

"Our top priority should be escaping. Otherwise, our ship will be sunk."

Even as Jayce spoke, a Zhuo'er Fish the size of a carriage slammed into the hull. The resulting jolt nearly threw everyone off their feet.

Lister and Jayce clung tightly to the railing to stay upright. But Duke remained perfectly steady at the edge of the deck.

The fish were now surfacing, no longer hiding beneath the ship. Their massive forms emerged, circling the Swordfish like vultures drawn to rotting flesh, ready to feast.

Jayce instinctively leaned over the side to get a look. What he saw made him recoil in horror.

Huge, shadowy figures swam beneath the ship. There were at least ten of them, the smallest the size of a carriage, the largest as immense as a whale.

Despite their bulk, the Zhuo'er Fish had two tiny, glowing green orbs for eyes, eerily disproportionate to their bodies.

Their swimming alone generated waves powerful enough to toss the Swordfish like a toy. The primal fear of the deep sea stirred within all who looked.

"So many of them... way too many..."

Even Captain Lister gasped. He had never seen so many Zhuo'er Fish gathered in one place. Each one represented an enormous fortune.

But none of that mattered now. This many sea monsters, working in unison, could easily destroy their ship.

SPLASH!!

One Zhuo'er Fish leapt out of the water, giving Duke a clear look at its monstrous form.

It resembled an anglerfish, minus the head antenna. Rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth lined its massive mouth, even down into its throat.

SPLASH!!

The fish crashed back into the sea, sending waves cascading over the deck.

They were too far from land. If the Swordfish sank, their fate was sealed: torn apart by ravenous mouths lined with knife-like teeth.

To a fleet of Bilgewater hunting ships, this sight might've been a cause for celebration.

The cyan sac in each Zhuo'er Fish held unimaginable value, one could provide for a family for ten generations.

The sac contained magical essence highly prized by arcane practitioners.

But there was a catch: it had to be extracted while the fish was still alive, or the essence would be lost.

Dead fish could still be dragged back to port and butchered for their meat, oil, skin, scales, bones, and even teeth, all fetching a high price in the bustling dockside markets.

The sac, however, required a harpoon team to first pin the beast down, then have someone dive into its maw to slice it free.

It was like performing a tonsillectomy on a lion in the middle of a jungle.

When Pyke was still human, he had been the best at this dangerous task, diving into jaws to cut out the sacs.

But as the saying goes: swim the river long enough, and you're bound to get wet.

That life turned him into the Bloodharbor Ripper, bent on vengeance, harpooning the hearts of those who betrayed him.

Duke ran through the possibilities in his mind and drew a deep breath. He knew exactly why the Zhuo'er Fish were attacking.

Their kind could detect magical energy due to the sac in their throats. Anything radiating such energy was their favorite prey.

And something on this ship was emitting that energy.

It wasn't Duke, his magic was concealed, and unless he activated it, no one could sense it.

But there were two other culprits.

"I know how to fix this. Keep an eye on them. I'm heading to my room."

Duke walked calmly toward his cabin. He had a spacious, comfortable room to himself, but the long, boring voyage had led to some trouble.

He'd let Pride and Wally out of his inventory to keep themselves entertained in the room.

Little did he expect that these two troublemakers were emitting strong magical energy.

Pride was powered by a Hextech primal crystal linked to an alchemical engine designed to transport magic fluid, it radiated magic like a beacon.

Wally ran on a Hextech mana engine, which also gave off magical signals.

Put the two together, and they became a giant neon sign screaming, "Dinner is served!" to the Zhuo'er Fish.

This oversight was on Duke. He wasn't omniscient, and accidents happen.

As he entered his room, he found Pride and Wally huddled together, whispering over an illustrated book.

"What are you two doing?"

Startled, Wally dropped the book. The ship rocked violently, and the book slid across the floor to Duke's feet.

He picked it up. His face darkened.

"Wally, you..."

"Father, I can explain!"

"Solitary confinement."

Duke grabbed both of them and shoved them back into his inventory.

The moment he did, the Zhuo'er Fish in the water below suddenly froze.

The giant fish that had been leading the group, the one as big as a blue whale, blinked in confusion. The tantalizing magical aura that had drawn them in was suddenly gone.

It lingered for a moment, then faded.

The fish stared blankly up at the Swordfish, then dispersed with a few half-hearted bumps against the hull.

When Duke returned to the deck, Lister and Jayce were sitting on the floor, leaning against the railing, drenched in cold sweat.

"It's taken care of. The rest of the journey should be smoo, "

"Unidentified ship spotted! Port side, ten o'clock! All hands, be alert!"

"Unidentified ship spotted! Port side, ten o'clock! All hands, be alert!!"

"Unidentified ship spotted! Port side, ten o'clock! All hands, be alert!!!"

The lookout's shouts rang across the deck, tightening every sailor's chest with renewed tension.

Duke's expression froze. He turned toward the indicated direction.

He, Jayce, and Captain Lister hurried to the port side and looked toward the horizon.

A large ship slowly approached from the distance.

"That ship..." Captain Lister pulled out his spyglass and peered through it. His brows furrowed.

"That looks like... a Noxian ship!"

End of chapter...

To be continued...

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