'That's different...'

During Jeffrey's earlier demonstration, he had transformed into a humanoid shark. Now, the peculiar werehuman had shifted fully into a massive shark, leading Noah to believe that Jeffrey possessed three forms he could assume: a human, a monstrous-looking shark, and a hybrid between the two.

'So, assuming he was telling me the truth, that's Jeffrey's true form?'

Noah watched intently as the demonic shark fully submerged into the river, disappearing from his sight.

'Right, so I just had a friendly conversation with a giant monster...'

For a brief moment, silence hung heavy in the air, only to be shattered by the sudden eruption of chaos. Two gargantuan, monstrous forms emerged from the surface of the river, spraying water in all directions. Jeffrey's jaws were latched on to the Scaly fish's side.

The monstrous fish, in response, ensnared the demonic shark's body with its slithery tentacles. To Noah, observing from the riverbank, it felt as though he was an insignificant insect, merely observing the clash of titans.

Jeffrey's enormous head thrashed about as his jaws sank deeper into the scaly fish, staining the river red with blood. Eventually, the tentacles released their grip on the gigantic shark's body, sliding off him, followed by a massive green, misty cloud, the largest Noah had ever seen, emerging from the giant fish carcass and and floating towards him, before absorbing into his body.

'Oh wow...' Noah knelt down, as he felt overwhelmed by the unprecedented amount of power that he had just received.

Jeffrey continued to feast upon the monstrous fish carcass, tearing massive chunks from its flesh with voracious bites. After a time, it seemed as though the shark had satisfied his hunger, abandoning the remains and shifting his focus onto Noah.

Noah let out a yelp, feeling incredibly uneasy under the gaze of the gigantic shark. Jeffrey, with his monstrous head protruding from the water, seemed to gesture for Noah to join him in the river.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Fudge no! I'm not going in the water with you!"

Jeffrey transformed into his smaller, human-shark hybrid form and spoke in a terrifying voice. "Huh? What are you waiting for? I killed the monster."

"No... There's still a monster in the water."

"What?! Where?" Jeffrey pretended to look around.

"Very funny..." Noah rolled his eyes.

Funnily enough, the werehuman's feeble attempt at humor oddly reassured Noah that the terrifying shark-monster before him, was still the same individual who had conversed calmly with him earlier. Eventually, Jeffrey persuaded Noah that he and his two skeletal minions would depart the cave, riding atop the werehuman's full shark form.

'I can't believe I'm doing this...'

With an unsteady step, Noah mounted the back of the demonic shark, which was waiting by the riverbank. Steve and Claws quickly joined him. Crouching low, Noah gripped Jeffrey's dorsal fin tightly as the shark began swimming against the river's current.

Noah squinted against the sunlight, momentarily blinded as Jeffrey swam outside of the cave. The early dusk cast a soft glow as the sun began its descent.

'Beautiful...'

After spending several days stranded in the Hollowed Depths, Noah felt like he could truly breathe for the first time in a long while.

Jeffrey halted by the riverbank once more, allowing Noah, Steve, and Claws to disembark. However, Noah's fleeting euphoria quickly dissipated. He had been certain that upon resurfacing, he would catch a glimpse of Arcturus City in the distance. Yet, as he scanned the unfamiliar surroundings, there was no trace of his home, nor did anything look even remotely recognizable.

While never setting foot outside of The Arc, Noah was well-acquainted with the city's surroundings. His role as a drone operator during his military service included reconnaissance missions.

'How far did that lunatic take me?'

If Voidstrider had intended to kill him, Noah couldn't grasp why not simply do it in that cursed, dark alley. And why transport him so far away from The Arc?

Surrounded by desolate, untamed land overrun by monsters, Noah felt lost, uncertain of his next move. Checking his omni device, he still received the 'no service' message, but at least the solar panels were recharging it now.

"What's wrong?" Jeffrey's demonic sounding voice had asked, after transforming into his hybrid form.

"I... have no idea where I am."

Jeffrey emerged from the water, his massive humanoid shark form striding towards the cave wall. He moved a few rocks aside and retrieved a raggedy-looking backpack, handing it to Noah.

"Huh? What's this?"

"Hold it for me, will you? It'll be dark soon. I'll take you to my place for the night."

Without waiting for Noah's response, the werehuman leaped back into the river and transformed into his shark form, waiting for Noah and his minions to climb on.