The dubstep of Ice and Fire had died down by the time the smaller vessel slowed beside the Southern Vigil, pivoting with inhuman precision until its hull settled alongside Thane's ship.
Thane Aurelian stood on the forward platform, arms crossed, posture straight as the night wind tugged at his coat.
Then the man stepped out of the command center of the smaller vessel.
Tall, built like the gods decided to make an example of what "peak physical condition" should look like.
His coat was black, his shirt was black, his expression no less predatory than any Chimera.
Wild black hair, he pushed back with a hand as he grinned and then jumped.
And one effortless leap carried him across the gap between ships, landing directly in front of Thane with a heavy THUD that vibrated through the platform.
Thane didn't blink.
Luke absolutely expected him to.
"Captain Luke," Thane said with a curt nod.
Luke spread his arms like he was greeting an old drinking buddy rather than another captain in the middle of a containment emergency.
"Well, if it isn't my favorite grizzly bear," Luke drawled, "Still scowling at the ocean, I see."
Thane's jaw tightened by exactly one millimeter.
"That's Captain Aurelian to you," he replied dryly.
Luke clapped him on the shoulder, hard enough to make any lesser Tier 5 buckle.
But Thane absorbed it like a stone wall absorbing a raindrop.
"Is that a whiskey flask in your pocket, or you just happy to see me?" Luke said, stepping past him to peer toward the island.
"Damn brat," Thane muttered with gritted teeth, "B-41 isn't alone, we have detected another presence in there… A human's."
Luke's grin sharpened as he let out a nonchalant, "Sure..."
Thane exhaled like he'd aged ten years in ten seconds.
"Follow me, I'll show you the way to our command center. We need to discuss the mission parameters."
Luke cracked his knuckles, eyes still fixed on the glowing horizon, "No need, we're simply here to contain, secure, and extract B-41… My team is already ready and prepped for infill. I just came here to say hi."
Thane's forehead vein throbbed so aggressively it damn near popped.
He turned to give Luke a piece of his mind but... Luke was gone.
Vanished like he was never there.
"Damn it, LUKE!" Thane snapped, spinning toward the railing.
-Vurr!!
Only to hear the sound of a small mana skiff was already ripping across the waves toward the island with six figures aboard.
And standing at the bow like a pirate king who'd stolen the sea itself was Luke.
Grinning like an idiot and waving at Thane with both hands.
Thane yelled something, the wind thankfully shredded into nothing.
While Luke kept waving.
But the moment the ship grew small in the distance, Luke's expression settled into something colder.
And a soft voice rose beside him.
"Captain," the silver-haired elf spoke, a staff resting across her lap, "... not to question your judgment… but do we really need that artefact for this containment?"
Luke didn't look at her. His gaze stayed on the glowing horizon.
"B-41's file says it can devour direct offensive spells," he said. "And now that it's a dragon… who knows how far that ability's evolved."
Then chimed in the seven-foot man in full heavy armor, a shield the size of a door resting beside him.
"I say we bring it to every containment breach… Just in case."
Luke shot him a betrayed glare.
"Gods, Gorran, you don't bring divine artefacts wherever! And besides…" he sighed dramatically, " ... It sucks the fun out of the fight. Look, you guys… Artefacts are crutches. You lean on them too long, and one day you won't even be able to kill a mosquito without divine assistance."
Luke then tapped the relic under his coat.
"And this one? It was Lord Hale's…. Our Founder's favorite weapon. It's sacred."
And just as he was about to go on another rant about the relic's importance and how much the Pantheon must trust him to issue it to him, something tugged his coat's hem.
Luke looked down, and a set of wide blue eyes stared up at him, bright and curious, belonging to a kid no older than twelve.
"Big Bro Luke… can I…Can I hold it? Please?"
Luke's expression instantly melted into a fond smile.
"Sure, why not, Naf... But just for a bit."
He reached into his coat and pulled out a slim construct of black metal and wood with a long barrel, smooth frame, and heavy grip.
It looked like a crossbow stripped of its limbs.
Naf accepted it with both hands like it was a newborn baby.
"Hooo…" he breathed, eyes sparkling.
His reaction rippled into a soft chuckle across the boat.
And the next moment, a girl with ocean-blue hair in a white priest's attaire scooped Naf into her lap and asked gently:
"Do you know what it's called, Naf?"
"Boomstick!" he said proudly, displaying a missing front tooth that made the rest of the squad snicker.
"That's right," she said, patting his head. "It's imbued with the unique magic of the First Hero. It's tens of thousands of years old… He crafted it as a gift for his daughter. And do you know who she is?"
"Lady Sera! Goddess of Heroes and Adventure!"
"Correct. And who did Lady Sera give it to?"
"Our Founder!"
"Exactly," she smiled. "After millennia of keeping it close, she entrusted it to him. And it's been with Pantheon ever since."
"I knooow, Big Sister Naya!" Naf huffed, hugging the artifact closer. "Now let me inspect it before Big Bro takes it back!"
Everyone laughed.
And If Nico could have seen the artefact they were lovingly calling the "Boomstick," he would have screamed:
"THAT'S FLIPIN' SHOTGUN!"
And if the System saw it?
It would've had a full-blown panic attack.
Because it would know the truth:
That wasn't just a shotgun.
It was a relic that could punch through anything with a single pull of the trigger.