Chapter 25: A Devil’s Bargain

The Storm Reaper shuddered violently as Valeria rerouted the energy from the core. The ship groaned like a wounded beast, and the artifact pulsed in response, its shifting hues flickering wildly between crimson and obsidian.

Lucien wiped the sweat from his brow, watching as the spectral entity coiled itself around the artifact, its amorphous form flickering in and out of reality. They were playing with forces far beyond their pay grade, and he had no idea how long their containment plan would hold.

Evelyn's fingers flew across the console, stabilizing the field as best she could. "We need a destination," she muttered, her voice laced with tension. "If we don't get this thing somewhere secure, it's going to rip us apart from the inside."

Lucien nodded and pressed the intercom. "Rosie, find us a safe harbor. Anywhere but straight into Crowe's guns."

Rosie's voice crackled back, breathless from maneuvering. "Oh sure, I'll just magically find us a friendly port in the middle of a warzone. No problem, Captain."

Selene crossed her arms. "If we don't figure this out, we're dead anyway."

Rosie groaned. "Fine! There's an abandoned Aegis outpost in the north. It's deep in a canyon, hard to reach, but it's got old containment cells. Might hold the spook for a while."

Lucien glanced at Evelyn. She hesitated, then nodded. "It's our best shot."

"Good enough for me," Lucien said. He switched the intercom back on. "Take us there. Fast."

The ship lurched as Rosie adjusted course.

But before they could catch their breath, Victoria stiffened.

"…We have incoming."

Lucien turned sharply. "Crowe again?"

Victoria's golden eyes glowed. "No." She adjusted her sensors. "New signature. Stealth vessel. Unknown origin."

Marion's expression darkened. "That's never good."

A sudden boom echoed through the ship, followed by an impact that sent them all staggering.

"Damn it," Lucien swore. "Boarding cables?"

Selene checked her sidearm. "Looks like we're getting visitors."

The entity's voice rippled through the air.

"Ah… now they come. The ones who truly understand what you hold."

Lucien exchanged glances with Evelyn and the others.

Great. Because things weren't already complicated.

Above Deck: New Hunters, New Rules

The Storm Reaper rocked as magnetic harpoons latched onto its hull, reeling in a sleek, black ship barely visible against the stormy sky. Unlike Crowe's Red Jackal, this vessel was silent, ghostlike. No banners, no insignia. Just shadow.

Then, figures emerged.

They were clad in matte-black armor, their helmets smooth and devoid of any identifying marks. Moving with mechanical precision, they crossed the tethered cables like specters, weapons drawn.

One of them landed first, stepping forward with a fluid, practiced grace. A woman—tall, lean, and exuding an eerie calm. She removed her helmet, revealing piercing silver eyes and dark hair pulled into a tight braid.

Rosie, still gripping the ship's controls, whistled. "Well, you look like bad news."

The woman ignored her and spoke into a sleek wrist communicator. "We have confirmation. The artifact is aboard."

Lucien and the others stormed onto the deck, weapons ready. The woman's gaze flicked to them, then settled on Lucien. A slow, knowing smile curved her lips.

"Captain Graves," she said smoothly. "You've been very busy."

Lucien tilted his head. "Guilty. And you are?"

"Commander Veyna of the Black Veil." Her voice was calm, deliberate. "And you're in possession of something that does not belong to you."

Lucien smirked. "If I had a cog for every time someone's told me that—"

Veyna raised a gloved hand, and her soldiers snapped into formation, weapons trained on them.

"I'm not Crowe," she said. "I don't make threats. I make promises."

Evelyn's grip tightened on her gauntlet. "Who do you work for?"

Veyna's smile didn't waver. "For the ones who created the artifact. The ones who seek to restore what was lost."

The entity's voice slithered into the air again.

"Ah… the architects return. But they do not understand what they built."

Veyna didn't react, her gaze locked on Lucien. "Hand it over. Now. And we'll spare your crew."

Lucien exhaled sharply. "Yeah, see, I have a policy about giving away reality-breaking artifacts to mysterious organizations."

Veyna took a slow step forward. "Do you really think you can contain it?"

Lucien hesitated.

She saw it. And smiled.

"We both know this thing is beyond you," she said softly. "But we… we know what to do with it."

Lucien glanced at Evelyn, at Victoria, at Selene and Marion—at his crew.

Then he grinned. "Yeah… I'm still gonna say no."

Veyna sighed. "Unfortunate."

She flicked her wrist.

Her soldiers charged.

The Battle for the Artifact

The deck exploded into chaos.

Victoria lunged first, her cybernetic arms deflecting gunfire as she tore into the enemy lines. Selene flicked her knives, moving like a shadow as she cut through their ranks.

Marion took cover behind the mast, firing precise shots that dropped soldiers before they could retaliate.

Lucien? He did what he did best—improvise.

He ducked a strike, grabbed a loose rope, and swung straight into an armored soldier, sending them both tumbling over the railing. He barely caught himself, scrambling back onto the deck with a grin.

"Hope you love turbulence!" Rosie whooped as she veered the ship into a sharp dive, sending several of Veyna's soldiers staggering.

Evelyn was at the artifact's containment panel, fingers flying. "I cannot hold this field if we keep shaking like this!"

"Then don't!" Lucien shouted. "Release it!"

Evelyn's eyes widened. "Are you insane?!"

Lucien grinned. "Just a little."

With a muttered curse, Evelyn deactivated the containment.

The artifact pulsed.

The entity surged outward.

The shadows twisted, and suddenly, the battlefield shifted.

For a split second, reality warped—the sky darkened, the air shimmered, and then—everything snapped back.

Veyna staggered back, eyes wide. "What… have you done?"

The entity's laughter echoed.

"Oh, little mortals. You amuse me."

Lucien dusted himself off. "That makes one of us."

Then, without warning, the Black Veil ship detached from the Storm Reaper, its crew scrambling back aboard.

Veyna's voice was sharp. "This isn't over, Graves."

Lucien smirked. "Wouldn't dream of it."

The enemy ship vanished into the clouds, and just like that, they were alone again.

Evelyn exhaled sharply, staring at the artifact. "That was… reckless."

Lucien shrugged. "Worked, didn't it?"

Victoria crossed her arms. "For now."

Selene sheathed a knife. "And next time?"

Lucien grinned. "We make it up as we go."

The storm raged on. And somewhere in the darkness, the real game had just begun.