Roses can be deadly, but rarely hold malice. A flower can’t move to strike you, but when we cut ourselves on its thorns we immediately cast the blame outwards. Often the most beautiful flowers bear the most sorrowful fates.
-Excerpt from ‘Tale of a Broken Heart’ by Ilias Fairflower
You have forged a Soulbound Treasure!
Divine Serpent’s Lure ★27
Beast/Divine Aspect
Forged with the divine power of Sylack, a simple fishing rod elevated to a tool of a nascent deity. Using the purified fang of a colossal sea serpent, this rod is able to hook even the most tenacious of fish. While equipped, this treasure will allow the user to channel divine energy with greater finesse and always find a catch. Whether they can reel it in remains on them.
Skill up!
Crafting 1 > 12
Divine Attunement 2 > 3
You have earned a new trait!
Inventor: When looking at scrap and waste, most people dismiss it as objects at the end of their life. You however, know the true value of spare parts and can work magic with what others discard.
On a normal day, Rose would’ve been stunned into submission by her ability to craft an epipelagic treasure with the divine aspect and raise a skill 12 levels in a single instant. Today, it felt like something that was meant to happen.
Without wasting a moment, she raised her arm, letting the fang hang down her back. She’d told herself she would prioritise Felix, but as she was now, she could spare a second to deliver justice.
Her arm snapped forward, leaving a trail of golden energy in its wake. The rod snapped taut and the reel hummed as the line sailed outwards.
She watched with rapt fascination as the fang carved through the air, never once erring from its perfect path. Rose had barely needed to think about her aim, knowing the rod would carry the hook where it needed to go.
Her target was aiming his pistol at Felix when the fang struck, burying its curved tip in his chest. He coughed and sprayed the deck with blood, but his comrades barely noticed in the chaos.
She grabbed the reel, stopping the line from reeling out further and then placed her other hand on the rod. With a smile, she unleashed her strength and ripped the hook back, tearing his heart from his chest in a gruesome display of power.
Skill up!
Precision 8 > 9
Fishing 24 > 25
You have earned a new trait!
Seductive Lure: Even without bait, your fishing hook holds an enticing allure to anything that sees it hang. Fish are drawn to your hook for reasons unknown to them and even life outside the depths finds fascination in its beauty.
Your title has evolved!
[Murderer] > [Slaughterer]
Slaughterer: Dealing death is becoming natural to you. Your hands are steeped in blood, friend and foe alike. This title heightens your lust for battle even when not equipped. When equipped, your mind can only think of slaughter; you become a merchant of death.
A hazy sheen fell over her vision at the moment her title evolved, but Rose didn’t feel a loss of control. If anything, it only heightened her already keen senses. A golden spark in her eyes washed away the haze.
It seemed she had the abundance of divine energy to thank for keeping her sane. She tossed the coward’s heart into the ocean, offering his blood and flesh as sacrifice for the beasts below.
The rumbling continued to grow louder. Something was emerging from the depths to answer her call. Something monstrous.
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But that wasn’t for her to worry about. Nasar’s killer lay dead, his blood staining Liberty’s deck. His allies trampled over his body in their rush to attack, a fitting end for a coward like him.
Looking around, she realised that the part of the ship she’d been standing on had almost sunk entirely, only a few square metres of wood remained. An island of solitude.
Raising the rod, she whipped it back and then swung down once more. The serpent’s fang tore through the air and buried itself in a sailor’s neck. With a flick of her wrist, his life was snuffed out.
Golden sparks crackled in the air as she began a dance of death. Every swing of her arm heralded a kill. Soon, the navy soldiers could no longer ignore her in favour of the closer prey.
All those with rifles and pistols turned their barrels on her, an unavoidable wall of explosive intent. Before the first soldier could fire however, the ocean’s surface burst in salty spray as a titanic tentacle pierced the air.
It was a dark orange, with a pale pink underside covered in dozens of suckers. A shadow fell over the remains of the ship and the chaos took hold. Some soldiers screamed in fear, some turned their guns and blades on the tentacle while others were frozen on the spot.
It didn’t matter to the beast. The tentacle fell upon them, shattering the broken hull and sending them flying in all directions. A single soldier fired at Rose as he stumbled into the sea, but the bullet went wide.
Another tentacle ripped through the ocean’s surface and pounced on Felix. Her heart lurched for a moment but it didn’t drag him under the depths. Instead, it reached over and dropped him beside Rose.
She chuckled at the bewildered boy, before pulling him into a tight hug. Looking at the drowning soldiers, she could leave them to the mercy of the beast, but they’d gone too far.
After releasing her hold, her rod resumed its deathly dance. Now that her targets were floating in the sea, this felt like true fishing. The beast wasn’t to be outdone however, and for every soldier she ripped from life, its tentacles dragged two more to the depths.
Skill up!
Fishing 25 > 26
Divine Attunement 3 > 4
She heard a whining screech as from below, not of anger but playful discontent. Before her eyes the ocean fell, giving way to an abyssal maw ringed with concentric rows of razor-sharp teeth.
Dozens of soldiers fell into the snapping beak within and a gruesome symphony of crunching bones and spurting blood played as the beast dragged the remaining survivors into its jaws.
Rose watched with a mix of disgust and fascination, but there was an invisible sense of connection between her and the beast. Her blessing made them kin, under the same father.
When the sound of snapping limbs finally ceased, all that remained of the battle were a few floating weapons and splintered planks. The creature’s tentacles retreated to the depths and its beak snapped shut before sinking under the surface.
However, it wasn’t done yet. A wave buffeted the little island they stood on as a bulbous orange head broke into the air, two eyes with rounded slits straining on either side to stare right into her own.
Rose cracked a smile as the gigantic octopus reached out a tentacle and wrapped it around them both. Felix threw up, but at least had the grace to point himself away from her.
“What the hell is going on,” he moaned weakly. “What is this… monster?”
She continued to giggle as they soared through the air. The wind blew across her face and despite the awful events of the day she felt a little of her wanderlust returning.
“Don’t be silly, that’s not a monster. Just look how cute he is,” she cooed, rubbing the slimy tentacle and smiling at the beast as it rumbled. She could’ve sworn its cheeks turned a little red.
The octopus deposited them on top of its bulbous head and then turned towards the devastating battle that shook the sea. Rose thought this beast was the source of the deafening rumbles she’d been hearing but she was mistaken.
Underneath the sounds of Trent and Commodore Saff’s clash there was a bone-shaking bass that made the ocean tremble. Even the gigantic octopus that had torn their ship apart like paper seemed to shrink in fear at what was approaching.
In the distance she saw a cloud of black ink burst through the surface, then fall away to reveal a mostly unharmed Yasmin. She turned her gaze towards the clash, a spear of ink clutched in her hand as she sought an opening to strike.
The octopus made a steady approach, though she noticed it was carefully avoiding certain places. Once they were close enough to make out the details, it stopped.
She wanted to help Trent, but wasn’t sure what she could do. Even with the remains of the divine power coursing through her veins and her new bound treasure, she didn’t think she could intervene unless the timing was utterly perfect.
Every time the two men clashed swords, giant waves radiated outwards. The octopus barely seemed to notice and gently rose and fell with the swell.
It seemed as though Trent and the commodore were evenly matched, with neither able to gain momentum. All of a sudden a column of flame rose to the heavens, consuming Trent within.