### 277

You haul yourself over the rim of the nest and discover the lookout: he is huddled on the floor, shivering with fright. He mutters something but his words are lost in the noise of the destruction raging below. Then the ship rolls violently and you grab the mast to stop yourself from being hurled into the sea. The Xargath has freed its head and is now wreaking havoc amidships, tearing the Intrepid asunder with its claws. The massive head rises once more, trailing broken timbers, and lunges for the mast. With an ear-splitting crack it bites it clean in two and, in a flashing instant, you are sent tumbling from your perch to crash upon the debris-strewn deck. Death is instantaneous.

Your life and your mission end here.