Strange Entities

"He's right," Mishka decided. "Howard, lead us to your boat. Mercer, bring your device. Everyone else, prepare for—" she hesitated, searching for the right word.

"Battle," Catherine supplied grimly. "What awaits us isn't just disruption. It's opposition."

They descended the spiral staircase quickly, Howard leading the way with surprising agility for his age. At the base of the lighthouse, a narrow tunnel led to a protected cove where a sturdy vessel was moored—larger than a lifeboat but smaller than a commercial fishing craft, its hull gleaming with metallic patterns that seemed to shift in response to the storm's frequency fluctuations.

"The Wayfinder," Howard introduced his vessel with evident pride. "Built by my grandfather, modified by my father, maintained by me. The metal alloy in the hull resonates with stabilizing frequencies—it can navigate waters that would destroy ordinary boats."