Jesse didn't get to finish her sentence, both her and Lukas's attention immediately drawn to the loud thud.

"What was that?" She asked uncertainly.

"I don't know." Lukas admitted. "It sounded like we rammed into something, but the boat didn't jerk or-"

Another loud thud cut off Lukas's voice. She and Lukas exchanged worried glances. Jesse walked over to the side of the boat and peered over. All she saw was darkness, barely able to make out the waves lapping against the side of their boat.

Jesse opened her mouth, about to call out to Lukas just she couldn't see anything. Then another loud thud came from Jesse's blind side, her head snapping in that direction to see what it was.

Jesse only about saw something glinting in the dark before getting pulled under the waves again.

"See anything?" Lukas called over from adjusting the sail a tiny bit.

"Yes, but it disappeared." Jesse replied, frowning. "I have no clue what it was."

She pulled away from the edge of the boat, unaware of the two eyes that watched her from below the waves. Jesse quickly walked back to Lukas, peering over her a shoulder a few times.

Then all of a sudden there was another loud thud against the wood, this time followed by almost a splintering sound. Whatever it was, it was damaging their boat.

Lukas jogged over to the side of the boat, grasping the rail with his good hand as his eyes quickly scanned the dark surface of water beneath them.

"I swear I don't see a thing either." He said as Jesse came up to him. Letting go of the railing, he pointed to the side of the boat. "There, those planks have been damaged." He said as he gestured towards something that was beyond Jesse's vision's capabilities.

All of a sudden, a large objects hurtled itself through the waves. It's sharp fork-like front getting embedded into the wood. Then it ripped itself back out, disappearing into the water.

"What on earth was that?" Jesse asked, turning to face Lukas.

"I don't know..." He replied, brow furrowing in concern.

Jesse opened her mouth to say something when the strange object all of a sudden shot back up through the water and over the boat's railing.

It hit the wooden deck right at their feet, getting embedded into the wood. Then it miraculously pulled back out of the wood and slink backwards off the deck and into the water.

On instinct, both Jesse and Lukas retreated from the edge of the boat, exchanging horrified glances. Neither of them knowing what had just happened before their very eyes.

"Was that a sword?" Jesse asked as she and Lukas both backed up a few more steps. "I didn't get a good look..."

"I don't think it was." Lukas replied, frowning. "It looked like... I don't know, a giant fork or something."

"A what?" Jesse asked, raising her eyebrows. "I feel there's a higher chance of it being a sword than a giant fork!"

"I didn't say it was a giant fork, I said it looked like a giant fork!" Lukas argued back.

Jesse opened her mouth to continue arguing, when probably one of the most terrifying sounds she's ever heard caused both their head's to snap back.

"What the hell was that?" Jesse asked, not daring to pull her gaze away from the direction the noise came from.

"I have no idea, but it does not sound friendly." Lukas replied, his own gaze fixed on the side of the boat.

"Guys, what the hell is happening up here?"

Both Jesse and Lukas spun around upon hearing Petra's voice. The redhead was emerging from the hatch, a look of confusion plastered on her face.

"Petra, get back down there!" Lukas called over to her. "It's raining."

"Thanks for the weather update, captain obvious." Petra snapped at him. "I woke up to what sounded like rocks grazing the side of the boat, care to explain?"

At that moment another strange noise sounded out, a gurgling type of growl. Petra raised her eyebrows at the noise.

"Yeah, there's something trying to attack us." Lukas replied matter-of-factly. "Jesse and I will take care of it, you need to get back below deck."

"You guys don't even know what you're up against!" Petra replied, gesturing wildly in the direction it had sounded from.

"And you do?" Jesse asked, only mildly surprise. Petra had fought just about every monster there has ever existed, of course she'd recognise them by sound.

"What you're hearing right now, is a regular old zombie." Petra replied matter of factly, making Jesse and Lukas exchange baffled glances.

"A drowned zombie." Petra added. "Commonly referred to as just drowned."

"And how dangerous are they exactly?"

"Very dangerous, once they drowned they obtained the dark magic of the ocean." Petra replied sarcastically, giving Lukas an annoyed face. "They're just zombies! As long as they don't have any tridents, you have nothing to worry about."

"Tridents-?" Jesse asked uncertainly, her voice cut off as Lukas all of a sudden grabbed her by her arm and pulled her out of the way.

Another gleaming weapon embedded itself into the the wooden deck, right where Jesse had been standing a mere second ago – having arrived from her blind side. It slipped back out of the boat, as if somebody was rewinding time.

"Crud." Petra breathed. "That is a trident."

Her hand slipped down, immediately unsheathing her golden sword that Jesse didn't even realise she had with her. There was another gurgling, growling noise. This time followed by the sound of nails scraping on wood.

"It sounds like he's coming up to play." Lukas muttered, the fingers on his broken arm flexing in frustration.

"Let him came to us." Petra said, pushing back a loose strand of wet red hair. "They're not a tough monster to bring down, three hits from Miss Butter will make quick work of him."

"Right." Lukas said. "Give your sword to Jesse."

"What?" Jesse and Petra asked in unison.

"Give your sword to Jesse." Lukas repeated. "You're not going to be fighting this thing, Petra. You're going to get back below deck, out of the rain."

"No way in hell." Petra scoffed. "Stop acting like I'm on my deathbed here."

"Lukas, I'm with Petra on this one." Jesse said anxiously, hearing the scratching noises getting louder as the monster climbed it's way up the side of their boat. "I haven't wielded a sword since I lost my eye, there's no way I'd be able to kill this thing."

"Exactly." Petra replied. "The two of you have never even seen a drowned, much less fought one with a trident."

She pointed in the direction the noises was coming from. "Have you ever fought a mob that was shooting both arrows at you, as well as holding a sword? That's exactly what tridents are, they serve as both projectiles and swords. Enchanted to return to who threw them in the first place."

Lukas's mouth opened, but before he could say anything Jesse interrupted. She let out a gasp of surprise, raising her hand and pointing. Lukas's gaze shot up, Petra turning around on the spot.

A head was appearing above the side of the boat. Teal-ish blue skin, eyes glazes over and white. Instead of patches of rotten skin, seagrass grew on it's flesh. The remains of a tattered brown shirt flapping on the monster's upper body.

Petra immediately raised her sword, her blue eyes narrowing. Lukas reached back, grasping his bow and quiver of arrows which he then held out to Jesse. He had no choice but to step back and leave the fight up to the two girls, unable to use a weapon with his injured arm.

The drowned raised one of it's skinny blue arms, clutching the powerful trident. Now that Jesse could see it, she understood why Lukas called it a giant fork at first. Made out of solid prismarine, it's deadly spikes pure diamond. Glowing with enchantments.

The drowned raised it's weapon, hurtling it right at them. Lukas pulled Jesse backwards, the trident impaling itself barely a ruler's length from her feet. Petra somersaulted to the side, clear of the blow. Her chest slightly started to heave, breathless from that one manoeuvre.

"How do we go up against this thing?" Jesse asked as the trident ripped itself from the ground, sailing back through the air into the drowned's hands.

"The same way you'd go up against any zombie, with the bonus of having to stay clear of his trident." Petra replied, adjusting her grip on Miss Butter as she crept closer to the monster.

Jesse nocked an arrow into the bow, keeping it ready for in case she needed to back her friend up. Even with her lack of depth perception, she was the only one capable of helping the redhead if she needed to.

Rain pelted down around them as Petra crept up closer to the drowned. It raised it's trident, turning it's back on Jesse and Lukas. Instead of throwing the trident at Petra, it held it like a sword. Pointing the three diamond tips right at their friend.

Jesse raised the bow, now that the drowned's back was turned to her, giving her an advantage. She felt Lukas's hand on her shoulder, gently guiding her aim.

And then Jesse released. The arrow soared through the air, sailing down towards the drowned's back. To their utter horror and shock, it turned around at the very last moment and instantly deflected the arrow with the trident.

At that moment, Petra launched forward. The drowned let out a screeching noise of pain as Miss Butter's blade pierced the skin on it's back. It swung back around, growling and letting out short grunts.

It raised it's trident, flinging it at Petra like a sword. The redhead's reflexes were good, quickly blocking the attack with Miss Butter. But the large, bulky prismarine trident was a lot for her golden sword to hold off.

Giving a hard shove forwards, the drowned knocked Petra back completely. She staggered a few feet back, her boots slipping on the wet surface of the wooden deck. Unable to get her feet beneath her on the slick platform in time, Petra's legs slid out from underneath her.

Miss Butter uselessly sliding across the wet wooden surface, out of the redhead's reach. Petra placed her palms on the wooden deck, trying to push her body back up off the ground. Her arms dangerously wobbled beneath her, before she sunk back down onto the deck, her body all of a sudden racked with sharp coughs.

The drowned raised it's weapon above the redhead, ready to bring it down on her. Petra had no armour on – the diamond spikes would end her life on the first blow.

But right before the drowned could delivering the finishing blow on Petra, it spun around again to deflect another arrow.

Jesse's breaths was quick and jagged, her eyes wide. She had shot that arrow without any guidance from Lukas, a sudden shot on pure instinct, moments before what would have been her friend's death.

And then she knew exactly what to do.

Jesse placed another arrow in the bow, but this time she didn't aim it at the drowned – instead a few metres off to it's side.

The mob turned it's head, eyes blinking in confusion as it glared down to where the newest arrow was lodged in the wood.

"Go." Jesse said to Lukas, pulling another arrow from the quiver. "Get Petra. I got this."

There was obvious reluctance in Lukas's next moves. But he didn't need telling twice, Petra still being collapsed right at the drowned's feet.

"Yes, come here." Jesse taunted, her voice bold in comparison to how anxiously her heart was beating inside her chest.

As desired, the drowned followed her voice, coming up to her. Jesse's eyes flickered over to her friends. Lukas was helping Petra up from the deck. She was protesting, but didn't push him off as her legs were threatening to give way.

Jesse directed her attention back on the drowned. Now that her friends were out of its way, her life was the only one on the line. And unlike with the phantom's encounter, Jesse wasn't trembling with fear this time.

Because for once, her handicap was her advantage.

One key detail Jesse has been picking up on, was a slow increase in her hearing. The loss of her one eye, made up for by her other senses starting to sharpen. As her sight faded, her hearing increased.

And that's how Jesse knew; the drowned was blind.

It's eyes white and glazed over, it was reacting on sound. It could hear her shooting the arrow, it could judge the distance by sound alone, it knew when to deflect it.

Jesse slowly started circling around, still holding the bow. The drowned followed her, hearing every creak the deck made beneath her boots. Jesse raised the bow again, letting go of another arrow. But as predicted, the drowned raised its trident and immediately deflected the arrow.

Jesse took a deep breath. She needed a sword.

Jesse was good at fighting another armed being. In the years that followed after the Storm, Petra had trained her well, the two girls spending hours every day to perfect their skills.

But she hadn't used her sword since she was exiled. She hasn't used her sword, since she lost her eye.

Jesse glanced over her shoulder, gaze catching the golden sword that was still lying discarded on the deck. Her own diamond sword was packed away below deck, untouched. She hoped Petra wouldn't mind, as she didn't really have much of a choice.

The beast in front of her growled, raising it's trident again. Aiming to throw it at Jesse.

She stopped dead in her tracks, extending the arm that held the bow. Opening her fingers and letting the weapon drop to the ground uselessly.

Her gaze flickering to the side, preparing to grab the discarded golden sword.

The drowned let out a low, gurgling growl and threw its trident right at Jesse. She somersaulted clear of the blow, sliding slightly on the wet deck. No wonder Petra couldn't get back up from it...

Jesse's right hand clasped around the weapon, raising it at the drowned. It was already holding its trident again, letting out short grunts.

Jesse took a deep breath, her stomach tightening in a knot of panic. Her eyes fixed on the drowned in front of her. This was it... time to see if her old skills was of any use with the lack of vision.

The drowned raised it's trident in an aggressive stance. Jesse gulped slightly. Miss Butter really was no match for that weapon.

Jesse and the drowned slowly circled each other. Two hits... Petra already delivered the first blow, Jesse only had to land two more hits on that thing. And of course she had to land them right.

The drowned swung it's trident at Jesse, her leaping back instead of trying to block it. Breaths coming out in short gasps, her eyes widening as she looked down – a slight tear in her beige overalls from where the diamond tips has only just grazed her clothes.

The drowned raised its trident again. The two of them brought their weapons down at the same time, gold banging against prismarine and sending sparks flying.

Jesse kept her eye on the golden sword, gritting her teeth.

Just remember what Petra taught you.

The tips, the tricks.

The techniques.

Don't let hours of practise go to waste.

Jesse circled her blade back up around, nearly dislodging the drowned's trident from his hand. Pushing all her weight forward, relying on instinct rather than sight.

The drowned wailed in pain, blood gushing from it's blue skin and coating the golden blade. It raised its trident, violently stabbing at Jesse with the weapon. A burst of new aggression pulsing through the monster's veins.

Jesse somersaulted to the side, sliding slightly on the wet wooden deck. She flipped her drenched hair out of her face, wondering how cold she actually was. Adrenaline may have been keeping her limbs active, but she needed to get herself dried off and warm if she didn't want to end up sick like Petra.

The drowned approached Jesse, baring its teeth aggressively, it's weapon raised. One hit away from death and he wasn't planning on making it easy for her.

Jesse backed up slightly, feeling her back meet the railing of the ship. A terrible place to be cornered.

Jesse raised the golden sword, the drowned raised it's trident. And then to her horror, he knocked her weapon right from her hands with his own.

Jesse tried grabbed the sword, her fingers only ending up beating the air. She turned her head back to the drowned in front of her, it's trident pulled back.

Jesse had nowhere to go. Soon those sharp diamond tips would be embedded into her chest and she would be dead within seconds.

On pure instinct, she raised her arms defensively above her head, pressing back against the railing she was cornered up against. Tears brimming her eyes.

The drowned was a split second away from plunging its trident straight through her heart. But then it's body jerked slightly, and it let out and odd, choking, gurgling sound.

Jesse watched in shock as the ground dropped to the ground, the prismarine weapon clattering onto the wooden deck right at her feet. Her gaze shot upwards.

There was her own diamond sword, the blade shining brightly. Lukas's uninjured hand clasped around the helm.

And within seconds the diamond blade too was lying on the ground, Jesse and Lukas's arms wrapped around each other.

Both overwhelmed in relief – No lives had been lost.

___

Mkay, what happened here. A fast paced chapter - something I'm usually very bad at - at the length of 2900+ words? Excuse me? What sort of magical force hit me when I wrote this, because I want that magical force to come bless some of my present day works-

Anyhow, drowned attack! Another goal to cross off my bucket list!

I might have made the drowned and his trident a lot cooler than they actually are... *smiles innocently*

But hey, at least I refrained from killing anybody!... For now

That's all I have to say, so I'll go now. Be sure to leave any theories you may have!
And I'll see you all in five days with chapter 8!