“Lily, do you have a second?”
“What is it?”
Kihet pulled her to the side to ask about the incident with Megith back at Vivrus when suddenly, a loud commotion drowned his question. Something jumped onto the deck and lunged at the sailors.
“Shipmaster! We’re entering an infested territory! A pillar is spotted at starboard!”
“Helmsman, hard starboard towards it. Get us out of this area!”
“Aye!”
Many monsters slither underneath these sands. It was a normal occurrence the crew would find themselves overwhelmed by sand crawlers that leaped onto the deck.
The worm like creatures grew tough hides to protect their fleshy innards as they burrow underneath the gritty sand. They lacked eyes but have the subterranean ability to detect movement on the surface and attack anything that pass over them. Sailors often found them a nuisance as they are common to attack ships in swarms. The Kobolds secured stairs leading to the wheel. Any sand crawlers that leap towards the Helmsman were pushed back by a wall of shield and pikes.
They were many but they were small creatures. It wouldn’t be efficient for sailors to fire harpoons at the monsters before they boarded. Instead, it was easier for them to fight on the deck.
“Lily, two of them just landed to your right! Aten help the crew on the left!”
Three sand crawlers slithered towards Kihet and sprung into the air. He braced with the Nagamaki and skewered one then raised his shield up and bashed the second incoming creature off the boat trying to take a bite at him. He weaved away from the third one and grabbed it by the tail. He was prepared to slam it onto the deck, but its tail suddenly snapped off.
“They use their tail to jump!” Tama shouted from behind the cover of the Kobolds. “Nyif you can cut them off, they won’t be able to jump at you!”
“Got it!”
Lily took an overhead slashing stance. Once a sand crawler pounced at her, she twisted her body to move out of harms way and in one fluid motion, severed its tail. Without it, the monsters couldn’t move as freely as they would.
Aten on the other side brandished his spears, batting the crawlers on the floor for the crew to finish them off. For this fight, he remained grounded as strong winds that pushed the vessel could easily take him if he were to fly.
Although it was their first time participating in naval combat, the three of them were quick to adapt fighting on a wobbling vessel. After entering the safe zone of the pillar, monsters stopped emerging on deck. Their assistance was greatly appreciated and helped the crew survive the onslaught with zero casualties.
“Crew, status!”
“Minor injuries, no casualties, sir! The wounded are being treated right away.”
After assessing the post battle results, the sailors returned to their stations. Kihet’s group went around to secure some of the sand crawlers before the Kobolds disposed all the carcasses.
While Kihet studied if the materials carved from them could be useful, Lily was beside him spectating the view. Despite the disgusting cutting into flesh sound in the background, she focused on the passing runic pillar. It was an obelisk with thousands of small ancient characters carved on all four sides with a sharpened tip pointing to the sky.
She couldn’t see through more than a kilometer through the sandstorm contained behind it. However, she heard a faint rhythmic thump. Within the billowing sand, a humongous silhouette of a spearing object stabbing the sand in her viewable distance for a split second before it disappeared back into the storm. Another one emerged, then a third. The shape was triple the height of the obelisk and reminded her of a crustacean’s leg.
“Kihet, you missed it! I saw something move!” She pointed. “It was huge!”
“What did you see?”
“I don’t know but it moved. It was there for a second and it moved away. I didn’t imagine it!”
“I never doubted you.”
[Guardian?] Aten flipped his slate around.
“Tama did mention there were Guardians living in the sandstorm. Maybe it was one of them.”
[Tower within?]
“That’s what I was thinking too. If so, getting to it would be troublesome. We can think about how to get to it later.” Kihet stared into the sandstorm. “Let’s focus on getting to Stusis first.”
“By the way, what do you plan to do with those?” Lily pointed at the stripped carcasses.
“I’ll trade them at the next port for medical supplies. This amount should fetch us enough to buy some remedies. I once read about long sailing where people frequently suffering from scurvy. Even though it’s not immediate, I don’t want to risk any of us suffering from it. Lemi’s book has procedures on how to avoid it.”
“Four weeks of looking into the sand. I’m starting to get homesick. I miss Big Sis, Kenji and Martha. I want to eat the dishes Martha makes.”
“Is food always on your mind?”
“We’ve been living off rations and hunting along the way. I appreciate we’re prepared but they’re kind of bland without any much spices.”
“Well, you’ll be disappointed when we hit the mess. We’re not going to be served anything like restaurants. Hold off until we get to Stusis or another port.”
“Okay…”
Kihet was correct when it came to food being distributed in the kitchen. There was a scent of heavy spices flowing out of the kitchen. Although the stew was watery and wasn’t as terrible, it had a strong flavor that was barely passable for Lily’s palate. Food was food and to combat her gluttonous, she dutifully ate it all.
“Even the bread is hard…”
“Is it really that bad?”
[Dip.]
“I guess.” Lily acknowledged Aten’s suggestion and soaked the bread into the stew. After waiting a few moments, she took a bite. It had softened, but still wasn’t as flavorful as she liked. “By the way, Kihet. Earlier you said there was something you want to ask me. What is it?”
“Not here. I want to talk when we’re alone.”
“Alone, as in us two, away from prying eyes? Oh, Kihet. You can’t wait for the night?”
“Why do I get a feeling we’re not on the same page?”
[I leave.]
“No. You can stay and finish your meal, Aten. You’re not interrupting anything. She and I are just going to have a talk later.”
“Sounds serious. Nyis Tomoe in trouble?”
“That’s none of your business, Tama.”
The Werecat set her plate on the table and sat across from Tomoe. With her hood rarely down, the others could now see the fur patterns on her face. The ground color was pale grey blue with blotch markings that are black. She had yellow eyes, single slitted that changed slightly to golden under dim lighting of the mess hall’s lanterns. Even the way she ate was ironically cat like as she moved the spoon up to her mouth and licked it.
Lily’s eyes sparkled as soon she saw Tama’s cat like features. “Can I touch your ears?”
“It’s gonna cost nya.”
“Ngh!”
“Nyahaha! I’m joking. You can touch them later, but not while Nyi’m eating.”
“By the way, you travelled, right? Have you been to Stusis before?” Kihet asked.
“Nyie did, although it was when I was little with Teach. I remember the good times where he gave me an egg and threw me into a village for my first lesson. I didn’t nyow how to speak Scylanis back then.”
“Are there any place of interest?”
“Holy one, Nyat was rude. Here I was explaining my backstory and Nyou just ignored it.”
“I’m not interested in knowing you. Tell me what indigenous creatures I should watch out for and what landscapes are there.”
“Stubborn, ain’t nya.”
The rest of the evening went by uneventful as the baked sun set behind the sandstorm trapped behind the border of obelisks. Aten decided to take an early nap due to the freezing winds the night brought. As an insectoid, his exoskeleton provided decent protection, but he was susceptible against cold temperatures. Not even his curse could warm his body to stay awake.
Having to finish their meal, Kihet led Lily onto the deck. The skies were clear unlike Sanctuary or the outskirts of Vivrus and Xu. The stars were out, and the crescent moon brightly hanged in the middle of starry night illuminating the deck and the desert in blue moonlight glow. It was freezing.
Occasionally, a cloud of sand hitched a ride from the gust and it splashed on Lily’s face.
“Peh! Some got in my mouth and eyes!”
“Here, wear this. The shipmaster handed them to me a moment ago.”
“On my head?”
“Over your eyes. I’ll put it on you.” Kihet loosened the straps and carefully moved it over Lily’s horns and adjusted it over her eyes.
“Oh! I can see through them! It’s a little foggy, yellowish, and my field of view is a bit, smaller...”
“These goggles should help prevent sand from blowing into our eyes. I also got us some masks and was told we’re going to pass through areas with strong winds that regularly change directions during the journey.”
“Something like this would be useful. What’s the thing that lets me see through it and how could I still touch it? Magic?”
“Glass.”
“No way! But it’s transparent!”
“Tama said it’s made from a kind of special sand by glass artisans different than what Xu uses. A friend of mine had something similar but clearer that he uses to help see.” Though it was taken from the -no longer existed- heroes’ treasury, Kihet thought.
“I see. Oh right, Tama! She promised I can touch her ears. Where is she?”
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“She’s busy selling her wares to other sailors. There’s something I need to ask before you go find her.” Kihet sat on the bench. “Megith told me you were strange during your talk. What was that about?”
“What do you mean?” She put on an innocent smile.
“You were asking a lot about a friend of mine.”
Lily went silent for a moment as she joined Kihet, leaning against the rail and looked into the open. He saw the shadows of her cheek puffed out a little but couldn’t see her entire face as the goggles kept her eyes hidden.
“I’ll answer if you answer a few questions of mine.”
“Okay, shoot.”
“Do you trust her or me more? It sounds like you’re doubting me at something I don’t know about.”
Her impossible question stumped him. He owed Megith and Lily so much, that if he were told to choose between them, he rather stayed silent his entire life.
“Sorry, that was unfair. Let me change that.” Lily skipped next to him. “Why are you bothered by it? You know I’m curious of everything.”
“It’s just that, Megith said you were acting strange with your questions.”
“I’m strange?”
“You’re right, what am I thinking about? You have a void in your stomach. You don’t eat. You inhale everything that lands on your plate. I never seen anyone in my lifetime that can eat as much as you.”
“How does that make me strange?!” Lily wailed at his shoulders.
“That actually hurts.”
“You deserved it. A lady is conscious of her weight!”
“I never said anything about your weight.”
“Besides, the reason I asked Megith about Sorah is because I heard you were engaged to her, and you never said anything to me. Just so you know, I won’t lose to her!”
“You just admire me, right?”
“No, I really mean it ever since I was little. I love you.”
Those words were able to make any man unwittingly halt in their tracks. Kihet always knew how she felt but he never looked at Lily that way. To him, she was always the child when he first met her. However, he was stunned by how she told him plainly, without any hesitation, as she said it loud enough for others to hear.
If he had met her when she was older back then, he would’ve probably fell for her charms. With her supple slender body, silky long black hair and big emerald pupils staring adorably, she was a beauty far beyond average.
It was dark, and moonlight covered everything in pale white, blue glow. Lily saw Kihet’s usual iron masked expression, but the silence provided proved her declaration struck him in some way.
“Did that make your heart skip a beat?” She grinned. “Does that mean it worked?”
“Nice try, but no.” Kihet shook her hair, messing it up a bit and stood up. “It’s late. I guess we should get some shut eye.”
“I hear we get to sleep on hammocks.”
“It won’t be able to fit the two of us. So, you’ll be sleeping on your own.”
“We never know until we try!”
“You’re going to end up breaking it.”
----------------------------------------
One day, the party woke up to an unpleasant morning. Everything seemed to float as the ship jumped off a hill, gliding through the air for a second then landed on a steep hill of sand. Strong winds brought forth a powerful tailwind helping their escape from Pirates that fancied their vessel. Two pairs of smaller sailboats from both sides launched harpoons into the hull of their ship, trying to slow them down for the enemy flagship to catch up.
Kihet went to cut one of the ropes when he saw a sparkling objects in the distance. He flipped his plated cape, catching arrows aimed roughly towards him. The bolts bounced off metal plates in his cloak and Lily returned fire on instinct. It was difficult to see if she hit her mark with the sandstorm cloaking everyone within it, but she heard a shout on the other side.
“Helmsman, hard starboard! All hands brace for impact!” Shipmaster shouted.
“Sir!”
“You guys might want to hold onto something, nya.” Tama warned as her claws dug into the coil of rope wrapped around the mast.
Aten held onto the rail firmly as did Kihet holding Lily close to him. As soon as the Helmsman spun the wheel, the nose of the ship sharply turned left and suddenly jerked upwards from impact. Thankfully it wasn’t enough to capsize the ship. Pieces of wood were thrown up from under the hull and a spurt of sand flew into the air. One of the Pirate’s sailboats was crushed below their vessel.
Slowly the boat was steadied by the pirate ships who spread out and put the boat Kihet was on into the center of the net even when the Helmsman turned the wheel fully towards the right. Compared to water, the course above sand was more rigid and it was harder to turn the rudder when horizontal force was applied on all sides.
“Shipmaster, I’ve lost control! The rudder would not turn the ship!”
“Port side! Enemy ship incoming!”
“There’s nothing we can do, is there?” Kihet muttered under his breath as a ship in the distance as large as the one he rode was sailing towards them at full speed. “Hey, shipmaster! We need to cut us loose! They’re going to ram us!”
“That’d be difficult!” The shipmaster replied. “If someone can sever one of the ropes holding my ship in place in the next minute, we might be able to turn away.”
“Aten, can you do it?”
On demand, Aten put away his spears as he snatched a hatchet from Kihet and scaled the side towards the harpoon. As he was an Insectoid, his race granted him the ability to climb on vertical surfaces without issues.
A hail of arrows sometimes struck his harden shell, some pierced between the joints, but the Dragonfly continued to hack the harpoon like nothing happened, but it was annoying to be shot at.
“Gah!”
“Sorry it took long. I’ll provide cover fire!” Lily said from above deck.
She moved her floating orbs across the sea of sand and over the enemy’s sailboat under the cover of the brewing sandstorm. The first arrow pierced one of the Pirate’s in the shoulder then travelled through the orb and struck the leg of another one about to climb on the rope to stop Aten.
Aten wailed at the rope until he hacked it apart.
“Aten’s got us loose!”
“The rope’s cut!”
“All sails down! We’re picking up current! Hang tight!”
Once the rope was severed and Aten was pulled to safety, the Helmsman steered the wheel hard right and directed the bow to point towards incoming the pirate’s ship right side. They narrowly avoided a head on collision, but both boats scraped against the sides of one another. Wood chips and splinters burst into the air as the cracking echoed from the impact. Everyone managed to leave the ship’s edge before the area near the rails were torn off.
Fortunately, even if the ship was filled with holes it was impossible to sink in the desert. The most damage a hole could inflict was gathering mounds of sand that seeped through the gaps.
“The winds from behind is pushing us hard. Release all sails, spanker whole out, rudder at center! Get us away from them! What’s the ship’s damage?”
“We suffered damage on the foremast after crashing into them. With only the main mast catching the wind, the pirates would catch up in no time-.”
“Port! Another ship fast approaching! Dey plan to board us!”
“Are pirates this prepared?” Kihet asked.
“A few are. Not all of them operate this large of a scale.” Shipmaster growled. “After the tower stopped sending out monsters, dey grew bolder.”
“It stopped here too?”
Before his question could be answered, an individual on the enemy ship caught their attention. With fancy captain’s clothing and a large feathered hat, he ordered his crew to prepare gangplanks to board them.
“Hoy’ there. Why don’t you slow down before my men and I decide ta murder ya.”
“Just my luck. We can’t take them. Drop the anchor.”
“What are you doing?” Kihet stopped the shipmaster.
“I’m going to parley. If there’s one unspoken rule everyone here on a ship follows. No harm will come to those who surrender peacefully. I won’t have my crew die in a place like this.”
“And you’re alright living like that?”
“As much as I hate to admit it.”
“You two, quit muttering der! I will have you two fed to Sand Crawlers below if any of you do anything suspicious!”
“Ya want our valuables, right? If we hand them over, will you spare us?”
“You seem to be a veteran.” The captain smirked. “Oh? I see you got ladies on your ship. If we sell those two, they’ll surely fetch us some coin. If y’all add those the girls and yer valuables, we’ll spare your lives. You have my word onet.”
“Them, I can’t. They’re my clients.”
“It’s a shame we cannot reach an agreement. That means my boys and I can slaughter ye all, right?”
“No, wait-!”
“What kind of a bad play is this?” Kihet interrupted. “If you’re going to start fight, you should just do it. Don’t waste my time.”
“Oh? Yer a bold one.”
“You’re just pitiful thief who only knows to bark loudly. Wolves out there show more tack than you.”
“H-hey, what are you doing?! Stop provoking them!”
“That lad’s mine. I’m going to cut you up piece by piece, makin you beg to be killed when I sink my fangs in ya. Where ya goin? Come back here!”
Kihet shrugged the shipmaster’s grasp and boldly stepped away, disobeying the enemy’s demand. He gave Lily and Aten a light tap on their shoulders as he nonchalantly strolled up to the helm. Once he reached the wheel, he shoved the navigator, and steered the ship into the enemy’s vessel, destroying gangplanks connecting the ships. Aside from Aten, Lily and him, everyone else were caught off guard, falling flat on the decks.
“Lily. The captain.”
“En!”
“You bastard! Leave not a single man alive but capture the female Devil Folk and Werecat- Gah!”
In the next instance, the enemy captain felt a sharp pain pierced into his shoulder and covered the wound with his hand. As he looked up, he saw the female Devil Folk loosened a flurry of arrows into his crew. A male Devil Folk and an Insectoid took a running leap across the gap mowing down his men.
“Kill them! I want their heads! Wait until my crew guts you bilge hares and leave you half dead. I’ll make sure every one of ya earn a suffering death!”
“Kihet, they’re getting up!” Lily warned.
“Aten, cover me.”
The Dragonfly immediately brandished his spears wildly, forcing the pirates to keep their eyes on him. Obviously being outnumbered and grounded, Aten wasn’t able to fend off every attack that was aimed at him. Numerous sabers came at him from all directions and chopped into his hardened body with some strikes successfully wounding him.
“What’s this black smoke?”
“Aren’t these the same as the Shadows?!”
As soon as two of his arms were severed and sent flying, a black smokescreen engulfed the area providing cover for Kihet to rush forward. Tentacles lashed out, snaring pirates in a web as they searched for Aten’s missing limbs.
From the billowing black mist, a bola twirled around and immobilized the captain’s guard. Following his attack, the Nagamaki pierced through a stomach of the second captain’s guard. Kihet darted out of the smokescreen, caught the bodyguard’s neck and slammed his foe onto the floor. The force was enough to eject the weapon as Kihet yanked it and swung against the captain’s falchion.
“You dammed rat! Yer ginna pay fer this!”
The captain cracked a magic crystal and sucked in as much air as he could into his lungs. Suddenly, he unleashed a booming howl laced with a magical effect that temporarily stunned those around.
Kihet was forced to stop and cover his ears to prevent them from rupturing. However, his body tingled and discovered having difficulty to move.
“Yer done for!”
Kihet quickly bit his lip to break free of the paralysis. As soon as pain travelled down his spine, silver flames combusted out of Kihet’s arm. A pillar of fire then erupted from below, cleansing any ailments caused by magic off his body.
Four blades in a spiralling pattern instantly emerged from the towering flames and struck the captain four times. Once to parry the falchion, once at both arms and the last attack cut his foe’s side. He kicked the captain down and doused a putrid smelling liquid on the captain’s head.
“Ack! You scuttering rat! What did ya throw at me?”
“Aten, we’re retreating!”
“You’re running again?! I swear I’ll-.”
A fiery arrow cut through the sandstorm and struck the captain in his chest, igniting the solution splashed over him. Numerous arrows barraged the pirates ship as more pots with clear liquid splashed everywhere. The wood that were soaked suddenly combusted as the strong winds further spread the chaos.
In no time, the pirates turned their focus against the flames instead of Kihet as he and Aten jumped to safety.
“Wait! Wait! Wait for me, Nya!”
“Tama?!” Lily exclaimed.
Lily saw Tama carrying a large sack leapt from the bow of the enemy’s ship and clawed into the sides of their vessel right before they parted from the burning ship. Even with Werecat’s exceptional climbing skills, Tama’s claws were only able to keep her hanging on the sides for a few second longer.
A hand managed to snatch her wrist before she fell into the sea of sand.
“What were you doing on the pirates’ ship?” Kihet grunted, pulling her up.
“Nyie took their loot. They had all kinds of treasures stashed away. As soon as I saw the two of you jump over, Nyit was an opportunity!”
“Lily, did you see her cross over?”
“I didn’t.”
“I’m surprised even though you have keen eyes and sharp ears.”
“Don’t belittle me! As a travelling merchant, Nyie have to learn how to hide myself from dangerous situations!”
“Speaking of dangerous situations, we have one now.” Kihet turned around, glaring at the sailors who had their weapons drawn.
Their hostility were mostly aimed at Aten as they recognized the shadow tendrils that came out of the Dragonfly’s body were identical of the creatures the tower spawned. The Kobolds were hesitant to bare their fangs against Aten, but as they were part of the crew, they had no choice but to obey their employer.
“Why are they suddenly turning against us? Didn’t we beat the pirates for them?” Lily asked.
[My fault.]
“They’re scared of Aten.”
While tension was high between both sides, the hostile atmosphere ended with a loud noise as Tama tossed the loot she stole from the pirate’s ship. Silver coins, shiny trinkets and gems spilled from the sack.
“Hey Nyow. We can all be friends, right?” She put onto a merchant’s smile. “If it weren’t for them, those bandits would’ve taken everything from your ship.”
“And I’m grateful for that, but Tama, you of all beastmen should know monsters from that tower were the ones who almost destroyed the pillars and let the guardians loose! And now, they’re on my ship! Those same monsters!”
“Do you have to remind me?”
“No-, I didn’t mean to.” Shipmaster grunted, almost as if he was fearful of Tama. “It’s just that, even if the other two are different than that Insectoid, dey are travelling with it. We don’t know if dey’re brainwashed! Heck, I don’t know if you’re brainwashed too.”
“Cut that crap.” Kihet drew his weapons. “If you lay a hand on any of us, I’ll kill all of you here.”
“Holy one, Nyie appreciate you’re trying to help but let me handle this.”
“Did you just call a Devil Folk a Holy One?”
“Why yes Nyie did!” Tama’s eyes sparkled. “You absolutely can’t kick them off because all of them are special people! This Devil Folk here is actually an Enui and his magic can control the curse in the insectoid’s body.”
Being so close, Tama quickly swiped the fake horn off Kihet’s head before he reacted. Even though showing the crew Kihet wasn’t a Devil Folk, many of them didn’t believe Tama because the lack of tail and feathered ears Enuis were supposed to have. However, they were certain the flames Kihet displayed contained the Shadow in Aten’s body.
“And the other Devil Folk is Xu’s Priestess-! Mmph!”
In a panic, Kihet quickly covered his hand over the Werecat’s mouth. “Shut your mouth. How did you know about that?”
“Nyahaha! Knowing is also part of my business as a merchant. You’ll never believe how valuable some information are and sometimes giving freebies can solve problems.”
“Giving that information freely could cost us our lives!”
“Nyie understand the Holy one has enemies. Nyaturally, the Shipmaster and his crew will keep it to themselves and deliver us to Stusis without complains, right?”
Shipmaster didn’t respond but after signalling the sailors to resume their duties, he turned away in a huff to assess the damage his ship suffered.