[h1][u]Manfred[/u]______  __  __    _    _[/h1]
Manfred searched. It was all he could do, but such was the chaos and its energy that picking out two mages not actively engaged in using the Gift was a mountain of a task. In truth, the blind man beside him saw more. "You focus," the Kerreman assured him. "I'll keep guard."

More than once, people tried to interfere, often through panic and ignorance instead of malice, but there were a couple who'd meant intentional violence. One ate the but of Manfred's rifle. A second had an arm broken, courtesy of a Kastang hold. The third was put down by the powergazer, whose name his uneasy ally had already forgotten.

Then, out of nowhere, welcome words: "I have them: near the galley, rummaging through a hidden storeroom."

"Excellent," replied the youth, "then we should make haste."

The shorter man caught him by the arm and Manfred's gaze shot towards the offending hand. He belayed the instinct to strike out immediately. "They are not alone," the powergazer warned. "There is... something very large down there with them. I fear..."

Ice took over Manfred's stomach, for he knew that, in these environs, it could be only one thing: "That beast is known as the Schluckodil, and it is a maneater." He shook his head. "We will be hard-pressed to take it down, only us two. Its skin is like armour, and een its eyes. It has a protective membrane. It has something of mana as well, though only so that it cannot be attacked internally." 

"So what do you propose?"

"There are a couple, perhaps three of my teammates who may be of assistance. We might stop it with enough power, tempt it outside, or else, we can bait it into opening its mouth and then my rifle may be of use, with the help of the Gift."

The blind man did not look at him, but rather [i]through[/i] him. "This isn't some ploy to have me outnumbered?" he half-asked, half-[i]accused[/i].

"There are easier ways," Manfred replied, "were that my goal."

His response seemed to have satisfied his partner, and he announced that he had found at least two of them. The unlikely pair jogged once again through he chaos, though it seemed to be lessening. Still, with a forty foot beast like that thrashing about inside the Lorentine Queen, how long could things truly remain calm? How long until some less-responsible mob tried to kill it and punched a hole in the ship's side if the animal itself did not? They made all possible haste until they had reached the others. "There you are!" Manfred explained, panting and doubling partway over, hands momentarily on his knees. "We have a schluckodil in the boat. It's cornering our two Arcane mages." He shook his head. "It needs killing and it needs more than two people, or else maybe we can trick it. I do not know. I am out of ideas."