The fog of of death continues to wrap the fleet.
News of the Corpse-stalkers have become the talk of the fleet, breeding fear in the hearts of the fleet’s crew. In the boat was the usual group with Mardon piloting the boat. Thick and sickly fog wrapped the boat as they row against the tides.
“A corpse-stalker can breathe in both land and sea. Remember, we can only approach this monster in five directions,” Lady Rosalve’s palms glowed with strange writings. Her speech was foreign. “Caldor, you will watch my back, and make sure that this monster cannot break the hull of the boat.”
“Understood,” Caldor Ando nodded. He placed his sword on his lap.
Lady Rosalve placed both hands on his sword, and it lit up like a torch in the dark. His left hand’s back was a crest that glowed dimly against the darkness of the fog.
Felecia sang a song that made the surrounding spirits danced and then become part of her hands like crests of light wrapping around her arms. Each spirit was multi-colored, making strange humming sounds. Each spirit was a crest that wrapped spirally around her arms.
Terin felt odd seeing them freely use their abilities. He raised his hand and then within the palm of his hand was the power. A power that seems to burn in every sinew of his body. It felt so strange that it embedded such power inside of him. He felt his eyes glow, and through that light he saw clearly better than anyone. It was as if the fog itself didn’t exist.
“Do you see anything, lad?” Caldor Ando said.
Terin shook his head. “Nothing, only bones and carcasses, Sir.”
Giant bones protruded from rotten mean, each bone softened and falling as the waves crashed. In-between the corpses of giants were the ships that watched from the distance. Terin could feel the eyes from the crow’s nest as they watched him from the distance.
“Don’t mind the eyes, lad. They would find out and will make use of you as best as they could. If you think that they are so kind to ignore your powers, then you’d be wrong. It is better if they think that we can help them more. Once we get them up and light like a lamp the fleet will do their job.”
“I know. But it’s just that the eyes pressing on me are getting heavier.”
“That’s what you choose to walk, lad. I gave you the choice that day. To fight or to let the creatures of the Interstice take your life. You and Mardon choose this path willingly and you will carry it in your shoulders.”
The enemy would come after him. If it wasn’t for Caldor Ando and Lady Rosalve that day. They would have not found him just in time to save him from the Hunter of the Interstice.
A creature of the void that should sit beside the one who calls for the dark. One of the strongest being that he had faced was the right hand of their greatest enemy. If it was not for the Chancellor himself and the Grandmaster of Accad’s foresight. They would have not reached this fleet and escape the clutches of the Hunter of the Interstice.
He was weak. He didn’t have mastery over his powers and because of that they sent the best Hunter they could offer. Kill it before it becomes a problem was the solution that his enemy comes up to. He had lost their trail because the Chancellor and Grandmaster of Accad banished the Hunter back to the Interstice.
He was alive not because of chance, but because of the foresight of others. Lady Rosalve herself was powerful enough, but she couldn’t possibly win without the help of the Chancellor and the Grandmaster of Accad. Terin was rather thankful that they were far from Aon. He knows that the Hunter will come back. He knows that they will not stop, but that was the only thing he could do. Hope that he would have enough power to deal with anything until they reach an Organ of the World.
“Focus lad, you’ve faced a stronger enemy before.”
“Doesn’t mean that they aren’t scary.”
“Don’t let it rule you then. You need to convince the Grand Admiral that the Blinder can lead this fleet throughout this darkness. I know that you think that this might attract the Hunter of the Interstice, but I say this again,” Lady Rosalve explained. “We cannot let fear rule us in acting. You’ve revealed your power in that atoll, and that banner of light in Old Carthan showed that you have a pull on your power now. They will be cautious, and even the Hunter wouldn’t dare to face a Legion of the Elven-kin surrounded by their Protectors and men with guns. So fight.”
“I got it,” Terin nodded. He calmed his beating heart as the boat swayed. “It’s not like I don’t have you guys to back me up when it gets hard. I hope I can fulfill your expectations. And that having the Elven-Kin's Warriors makes me feel better doing this.”
Felecia eyed her as the final third-layer of the spiral crests marked her.
Terin focused his eyes on sea, muddy, sticky, sickly. It was a sea that made it easy for the Corpse-stalker to hunt them. From the sounds that bouncing on each bone and carcasses. To the sway of the sea as it moves the boat. The light covering his eyes became his weapon, and he used it to detect any movements below and around them. Seeing no reaction from the side and below them. Terin stiffly looked above and saw not one, but a pack of the Corpse Stalkers looking at them with their six eyes. Each one was the size of a wagon with the Alpha of the pack twice their size. They have four limbs, strange scale and fur appearance with log-sized fangs. Each claw of the pack was thick and long enough to penetrate through halls. Seeing this, Terin understood those ships would not stand a chance. They would have to have the same hulls as the Grand-Galleons unless they want to survive against those claws.
Terin breathed in. He turned towards his companion and bellowed with his fingers pointed above.
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“Six of them from above!”
“I-g-n-e-m v-o-l-a-n-t-e-s!”
Arrows made of fire flew through the dark fog, seeking the pack.
The plan was to set them on fire. It would be foolish of them not to use the advantage of the fleet.
However, the Corpse Crawlers did not let them easily do what they want. The pack leapt off the bones they were clambering into another one.
Felecia's spell took one crest from her arms. The enemy was running on the bones of the carcasses, eyeing for a deadly pounce. Caldor did not let them. He raised that crest-marked sword and produced a searing light that flashed the six-eyed beasts.
"Now!"
"A-v-e S-p-i-n-a-m!"
A crest mark was consumed and the spirit turned into spikes that was meant to stab the beast's belly.
The belly however was tough enough to resist and instead of letting the chance get away. Felecia chanted the next spell.
“I-g-n-e-m v-o-l-a-n-t-e-s!”
Bolts of fire blasted from her palms as they hit the fur and scale. That wasn't enough to set them on fire so with a lobbed of a glass vial. Caldor Ando bathed one of the beasts with oil that would at least hurt the beast.
"V-e-n-t-u-s a-d-m-o-v-e-r-i!"
Wind blasted like a cannonball on the pack. The Alpha of the Pack tumbled backward and landed on its four hinds as its six eyes focused with a glare towards them. However the beast probably didn't expect that the moment one of them was set on fire.
A spear was chucked by one of the Protectors that accompanied them. This spear made of roots coiled, tip sharpened, penetrated the side of one of the beast. What followed was an explosion from the opposite side where cannon fire, though not precise, annihilated the general location of where the pack was. The beast however simply evaded the cannon fire and choose to go after the Protector who chucked the spear.
The Protector didn't hesitate to lash out a root and swing away from the root. Though the Protector's back was unprotected from a pounce. They didn't worry with someone pointing a rifle meant for protectors pointed at the beast. The log-sized rifle carried by this Protector was aimed and with a pull of a trigger. Got the monster's brain torn apart.
After firing the shot the Protector retreated backwards with the spear-chucker protecting it.
The Alpha of the pack saw how its kin fell. It's head turning into that of rage as it roared mightily against them and the fleet. During that time the beast was confused and angered.
The professionalism of the seasoned gunners of the fleet tore through scale and fur of the smaller ones once again.
"A-t-t-r-a-h-u-n-t!"
The Alpha of the Pack froze as its head was forcibly turned by this spell. What followed was a sword made of light being summoned in Terin's hands. He dashed in with light burning his eyes. His body became powered with strength and through the pull of light he swatted the Alpha to the side where ribcage of a giant beast was.
The beast was feeling insulted as if it's pride was shamed. Terin was calmed this time He didn't have the temper that almost made him break that atoll in half. It scared him that he could do what he do and yet he found none of that fear.
There are two systems that the humans who have the blood and the Elven-Artes that requires the song of the spell-user. Blood-gifted humans could produce a crest after conversing with the spirit-element that they based on the spell. There are about ten layers with the sixth layer being the highest attainment. Only the Grandmaster of Accad and the Chancellor had reached such feats of strength, both were masters who dabbed on the eight-layer of power.
Elven-Artes however reached the ninth-layer. The same spell that they used to create wonders and make a puppet out of the Shelled Beast. The same power that moved this entire fleet through the use of singing a language that the Blood-gifted could only imitate by combining syllables and 'dah' sounds that could produce a reaction.
Though this was supposed to be the place that they show their true colors were. Terin could only lament that he couldn't become that giant of light. However, he could imitate that golden light that slew an Interstice beast in that atoll and create a banner of light that protected the fleet from that cosmic anomaly.
He had to make sure that the fleet would see what he could do.
So he lamented and spoke his words that could not be heard. Through those words that are unable to be heard by the group. He gathered his sword of light and pointed it at the Alpha who was roaring to eat him.
Then the light became a ball of fire in this dreary fog. The heat seems to melt the fogs and on the path where that light was pointed was the broken chest and shoulders of the Alpha of the beast. It also helped that the volley of cannon fire broke the beasts.
But the beasts were not so little.
Within the sickly fog was eyes that looked at Terin with hunger.
"P-i-n-n-a-r-u-m e-t c-a-d-i-t-e!"
Terin fell down like a feather against the wind, He landed and turned his attention to where the rest of the beasts were.
"Looks like we got the packs' attention now."
"Are you able to do it?"
"I can. But it might rattle the sea if I do."
"Remember, if you cannot contain the power, then don't release it."
"I'll try my best, but I think that I will have to exhaust my light after this."
With that declaration he held both hands up high and gathered all the light he could muster.
The clouds broke and searing sunlight seems to enter Terin as he conjures a big ball of fire. It was an orb where the bigger it becomes. The hotter the surrounding was. If it wasn't for the protection cast into the boat. Terin was sure that the boat would been set aflame by this miniature sun. He felt his insides burn as he threw the sun and in the direction where he directed it.
The ball of fire released a tidal wave of fire that boiled the sea.
Like a puppet without strings. He fell sideward with a bit of his consciousness left.
Seeing the sun he saw figures of the Elven-kin appearing on the bones and corpses.
Terin wasn't sure if he had shown his worth by doing this. But he at least know that this would help the fleet find a path that would secure their exit. The stench of this rotting sea was sickening and Terin was glad to drained his powers for this in hopes they could leave this place.
He was tired of this rotten place.