One thing you’ll rapidly realise, if you set out to sea for adventure and glory, is that no matter how far-fetched your imagination, you will never be able to concoct anything quite as absurd as the ocean itself. Real life is often much stranger than our wildest fantasies.

-Excerpt from ‘Unusual Tales from the Dark Seas’ by various contributors

Four more of the vicious salamanders had ambushed them from the dark, emerging from hidden tunnels or dark corners previously unseen. With every battle the pair grew more fluid in their footwork, more skilled with their swords.

Especially Rose. Felix was gaining confidence—no longer pale and hesitant—but she was like a vengeant goddess of war. Perhaps it was the unparalleled quality of her cutlasses that allowed her to carve the beasts apart like vegetables, or perhaps she truly was gifted by the gods.

A particular memory from her childhood, of being whisked out to sea and then returned in one piece, came to mind. She felt as though she hadn’t been praying as much in recent days.

Not wanting to forget her roots, she closed her eyes and offered silent thanks to whichever deities were listening; mainly Sylack, despite the obvious lack of fish in the vicinity. As she walked she pulled up her status, marvelling at the rapid progress.

Name: Rose Everblue

Race: Human

Occupation: Apprentice Scholar 9

Title: Apprentice

Available Titles: Murderer, Apprentice

Bound Items: Sunsplitter 51

Skills: Cleaning 11, Reading 11, Fishing 14, Swimming 8, Writing 13, Butchery 9, Cooking 7, Herding 2, Focus 14, Drawing 11, Sailing 15, One Handed Weapons 5, Blades 12, Pistols 11, Firearms 5, Unarmed Combat 2, Endurance 5, Precision 6, Arcane Attunement 2, Light Attunement 4, Stealth 5, Athletics 8, Toxin Resistance 2, Appraisal 1, Climbing 1, Crafting 1, Dual Wielding 3

Traits: Sensitive Line, Deft Hand, Good as New, Tunnel Vision, Endless Inkwell, Quick Consumption, Knot my Problem, Reliable Duelist, Steady Slash

Most of the skills she was improving were combat related. That wasn’t a problem, as they were essential for a pirate, but she did want to explore the more interesting skills. Arcane Attunement in particular.

The problem she faced there was that aside from the rare moments the world seemed to draw her into the arcane fabric that underlined reality, she was unable to even sense the strange energy. Rose was reminded of Zut Rubysoul’s words; whether she would improve further was down to fate.

Her progress in her occupation was lacking recently, as well. They’d been caught up in one chaotic event after another and she’d had no time to read, write, or draw in her sketchbook.

A rock tumbled to the floor. Rose saw a flash of pink in the corner of her eyes and hastily raised her cutlasses to guard. Before the salamander could reach her, Felix darted forward and cleaved the beast in half.

A nervous chuckle escaped her lips. “I had that,” she complained.

“Then you should’ve cut faster,” he replied with a smirk. Now that he’d found his fighting feet, he was back to his usual self.

Rose felt the tug of a harvest, but as it wasn’t her kill she decided to leave the reward to Felix. However, when she stepped forward to keep guard he followed her.

“What are you doing? Harvest the treasure, it’s all yours,” she said, waving at the body with one of the cutlasses.

His brow furrowed and he turned to look at the corpse in confusion. “What treasure? It’s just a dead salamander.”

For a brief moment she was lost, wondering if she was imagining the tug of the tide. But, when she moved towards the body there was a definite pull. A treasure waiting to be claimed.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Wait… Have you ever harvested a treasure before?” she asked, knowing her question was stupid before she finished speaking. He’d not fought a wild beast until today, of course he hadn’t harvested one.

Felix stood there mute, looking sheepish. Rather than further embarrass him she grabbed his hand and led him over to the body.

Trent had guided her through her first harvest and she wanted to do the same for her friend. However, she was far less experienced and not quite sure how to explain the feeling one had to follow—she barely understood it herself.

“So basically, you need to focus on the subtle pull in the back of your mind. It’s like an itch you can’t scratch,” she explained. “Just follow that feeling until the tide steps in. You’re scratching it with your energy, I guess?”

He stared at her like she was crazy. Maybe she was, but her explanation was close enough to Trent’s that it had to be the norm and not just some unique method of her own.

Ultimately he trusted her word and bent down over the corpse, closing his eyes. There was nothing left for her to do there, so she turned around to keep watch while he focused.

Her eyes darted to every little flicker of movement or dancing shadow, keen to catch any predator hiding in the dark. None pounced. A yell from behind made her jump, spinning around and lunging forward with her cutlass.

“Woah, easy,” chided Felix, hands raised in surrender. “It worked! For a while I couldn’t feel anything… I thought you were spouting nonsense, to be honest. Then it was there. The pull. Just like you said.”

A beaming smile split his face in two as he stood up, slapping his hands on his thighs. “I failed once, but still. Level 19 isn’t bad considering my skills and occupation.”

“Don’t sweat it,” she comforted him, punching him in the arm lightly. “I failed twice the first time.”

What she left out was that her first treasure was almost double the level of his, but there was no need to kill the mood. A drop of sweat rolled down her face, the salt making her lips tingle. With a spring in their step the pair advanced into the tunnel.

***

Rose rolled up the sleeves of her blouse, undoing the top button and tying her jacket around her waist. Sweat dripped down her face and her hair was plastered to her scalp.

The air was thick and sticky, almost solid. Not only was the environment fighting against them, but the salamanders they encountered were progressively larger and more aggressive.

Between them they’d collected three more [Salamander’s Gland of Rejuvenation] of varying levels, though all greater than the first two. Rather than the pale pink of the original aggressor, the beasts were closer to a cherry red.

Rounding a corner of the tunnel, Rose saw an orange glow in the distance. They were searching for an exit, so a source of light should’ve been cause for celebration. Instead, her mouth curled into a frown.

“I’m getting a bad feeling about this,” she muttered.

“Do I still need to hold the torch? I think it’s making me sweat more than usual,” Felix grunted.

She wasn’t sure it made much difference with the overbearing heat in the tunnel, but the salamanders were no longer as fearful of the flames as they’d been closer to the entrance. Keeping it was a hindrance at this point.

“Toss it at the next one we see. Might take the bastard by surprise.”

He smiled, adjusting his grip on the makeshift torch. To no one’s surprise, another of the nasty beasts leapt out at them halfway down the tunnel.

Felix lunged forward and sent the torch flying like a javelin, right at the salamander’s head. Rose smiled at the accuracy, already following the opening strike and raising Sunsplitter over her head.

Before the torch reached the monster however, it opened its mouth wide. Rose was already slashing down at the reddish neck.

“Wait, something’s strange. Dodge!” yelled Felix from behind.

She barely heard the last part of his shout, but her instincts made her throw herself to the side and abort her strike as an orange spark flashed in the beast’s open mouth. A pillar of flame erupted outwards, painting the tunnel like the morning sun.

If she’d been less frazzled, Rose might have had time to admire the dancing beams of light that shone from her blades. As it stood, her right arm was blistering. Red skin peeled back from her bicep, the fabric of her blouse burnt to cinders.

Loud pattering startled her back into focus, the salamander already pouncing. The sharp claws raked across her calf, drawing three deep gashes and spraying blood across the rocks.

Unrelenting, the beast scampered forwards and raised its claws for a second strike, but Felix stepped in. A clang echoed out as his blade met the claws of the beast and a furious clash followed.

No longer hindered by the torch, his fighting style was ferocious and dogged. He’d slipped the dagger into his free hand.

A squelch came from her side. Rose saw half a claw lying in a small splatter of blue blood. Gritting her teeth, she clambered to her feet and started to search for an opening.

There weren't any obvious breaks in the clash. Neither Felix nor the beast were letting up, the flurry of strikes traded back and forth intensifying as both sought an opportunity to cripple their foe.

Rose saw the salamander open its mouth and start to glow orange. Felix either hadn’t realised or was simply too caught up in the melee to break free without suffering damage. She had to do something.