Keeping with the effort of listening to the 'sound of forewarning', as he labelled it himself, Alec was not able to get many results. Even as he moved the boat around to face in different directions, there was no hint of that ringing like noise.
It was not like the waters were all of a sudden safer, as he encountered more of those scorpion tailed monsters. That he chose to mostly avoid, other than the few times he sailed in their direction. Only when he was nearly about to collide with them, while standing on the bow of sail boat, did he again hear the ringing.
This was not how he had wanted it to be. With a frown he made the sail boat jump up with a tide, passing right over them and landing it at a distance. Walking back close to the mast Alec had a thought.
'Do I really need it that badly?'
He wondered if it was really worth it to put all this effort into the application of a power he knew so little about. This was no longer the safe environment of the spire of knowledge, where he could test whatever and recieve immense help while doing so.
No, this was a place far worse and dangerous. Somewhere he would have never dared to visit if it was half an year ago. Now he felt like he was prepared better, and would be squandering all his preparations to chase after an impossible idea. Maybe he could just leave it during one-on-one, or if there is any assassination attempt.
Both of those applications were important, yet, despite knowing all that, Alec could not help from carrying forward with the thought of.
'But I still want to improve.'
Not able to stop a laugh from coming out at the sheer ridiculousness, Alec then shook his head sideways. Feeling a mix of pride and concern at his own reasoning. Now feeling like he had found a change of pace, Alec tapped his chin with the index finger. Searching for an idea that could help him, an idea, a feeling, even a memory related to hearing.
His eyes widened for a moment, as he recalled an item suitable for this back from his childhood. Back when he was young, he used to play with the kids in his neighbourhood. One day his friend brought a toy, which was made out of two plastic cups and a kite string. It worked only when the string was held tight, and through it sound easily passed.
There were many games they played with it, soon they grew up and got bored out of it. When Alec was made to go live with his grandparents his communication with them was cut off.
With that feeling in his heart, he tried to implement it by taking out two metal cups, in which he drank boiled water and ate soup from. Connecting them with a string of rope in between he was finished.
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"String-phone!"
Lifting it how a certain cartoon blue cat in television did, Alec then threw one cup into the sea. Understanding that his blind spot as well as the source of the danger was under there.
Then he tightened the rope in order to let the sound waves through, while making the open side of the cup to spin in horizontal axis. Various muffled and distorted sounds kept coming from it, in between that Alec could briefly heard that ringing so he stopped the cup.
Noticing the direction that it pointed was also where he had come from, while in his escape from the Kraken earlier. Pulling it up he then made a couple more changes to the other cup, attaching a plate that he cut from between and then curved it a little. Making the other cup sort of like a satellite. This brought a significant increase in hearing ringing noise, that he felt glad at being finally useful now.
After the elation was over a wave of tiredness hot Alec, making him utilise the danger warning string-phone. Listening to the ringing sounds at different directions, Alec followed the one where it was not present.
During which he made another such device, dwindling his kitchen supply a little more. This time he did not use any plate that would increase the range, for he wished to use it to detect danger directly below him.
Heading in the direction which he heard no ringing from, Alec sat down with a tired gaze. His mind focused on detecting any danger above the floating above the sea surface. Until at one point when he saw a small island body with trees and some foliage on top it. Bringing the first string phone out, Alec pointed it toward the island. Listening closely for any ringing which he found none.
This small island body was something he had been told about by Myr. As a safe zone of sort that he could take rest in, only being careful of one thing about it. That if the island began shaking even a little bit then had to immediately leave. Since this island was not a mass of land, but on the top of the shell of a really massive turtle.
No sea monster comes near this gigantic turtle, the only type of living thing this island-sized creature actively attacked. Bringing himself to dock near it, Alec then tied the sail boat to a couple tree. Pulling out ingredients and utensils from inside the boat, he cooked something for himself instead of eating the dried food.
Cleaning up after himself, Alec then put the cooking supplies back inside the box he kept them in. Seeing that the island was not shaking any signs of shaking, he then went back to the boat to sleep in there. Without having to put on any seat belts on himself this time.
He then slept for long hours giving his mind the necessary rest, only to wake up from the shaking he ignored briefly before jumping out of bed. Seeing the entire island to be shaking and the level of it rising, Alec then untied the rope tied on a tree there. Then opening the sail from the mast he moved the boat away quickly, and at a distance he felt was stopped.
All the while during his sail he kept looking backwards, at the giant creature that had risen up. Showing the giant turtle head and body under the shell which was a massive forest. Then using the forelimbs it swam ahead, a sight that looked really elegant in Alec's eyes.
Looking at that for a while Alec's attention was soon diverted elsewhere, as he heard a ringing noise coming from the string-phone facing down. Throwing a handkerchief backward the sail boat moved ahead quickly, while Alec followed in the direction that would bring him to an actual island. That he would pass by from a distance, due to the monsters that resided in it.
One of which Alec saw flying at him from a distance, meaning he was in the range of it. The path that Alec had been following to reach the end of this sea, included a number of various monster territories and three Islands.
Among which the first one was filled with large bird monsters, one of which was making circles around Alec's boat in the air. Annoyed by this he went over the mast, and tied a rope to it's beak. Crashing it down to the sea where it then soon drowned. Sadly he was a little late, since the bird monster had already signalled to it's entire flock. A number of which came from right behind him, while high up in the air.
Using all his means to make the boat move faster, he then saw a number of these birds came from the forward direction as well. Seeing no choice but to fight as he changed the shape of the boat, changing the front part of the like he when he had fought off the ten legged squid.