Immanuel spent the evening on deck, gazing out at the sea and occasionally glancing at the suns, their presence still astonishing to him.
As night approached, he noted that someone had cleaned up the remains of the fish and rearranged the furniture on deck, so he stored them away. Entering the bridge, he saw Syl at the helm, while Zach, in his Lycan form, was asleep on his couch, using the robe Immanuel had given him earlier to cover his face.
"We need to plan for the night. I assume we'll keep moving?" Immanuel suggested.
Syl considered for a moment. "There haven't been any rock formations at this depth, so it should be safe to continue."
"I'll take the first watch. Show me how to operate this," Immanuel offered, moving to stand behind her.
Syl playfully tugged his arm and bit down lightly, sipping a bit of blood before explaining the ship's controls. The instructions were straightforward, especially as their current task only required maintaining a straight course.
As Syl left the bridge, Immanuel tossed her the ornamental robes. She caught them, giving him a lingering look before exiting. Settling into the captain's chair, Immanuel took out his pipe again and prepared himself for the first shift of the night.
---
As darkness fell, Immanuel stepped onto the deck above the bridge to watch the sunset. The view was breathtaking, with the suns casting a splendid array of colors across the horizon. He stood there, pipe in hand, lost in thought.
His mind wandered to Syl and her sudden relief from constant nausea. He remembered his own childhood, begging God for relief from being sick, offering all kinds of deals. How long had Syl endured that ebb and flow of sickness, never fully free of it?
Her decision to leave everything and everyone behind struck him as harsh. Wasn’t there a single person she would have liked to help?
He pondered the idea of crossing the sea, lake, or ocean—whatever this vast body of water was.
When the suns finally set, Immanuel returned to the bridge. The glass of the bridge seemed to adapt to the darkness, maintaining visibility in a way that intrigued him. Zach remained asleep.
Settling into the captain’s chair, he kept the coastline just in view at the far right corner of the window, making occasional minor adjustments to their course. The sense of being a wealthy man on his grand ship brought a smile to his face, and he relaxed into the chair, enjoying the quiet and the sense of control at the helm of the vessel.
---
Halfway through the night, Syl returned to the bridge. "Can you place my books in the study?" she asked, referring to the books they had stolen together. Feeling the weight of tiredness, Immanuel stood up. "Sure," he replied.
As she took over the controls, she adjusted their course to the left. "Did I get too close to the shore?" Immanuel inquired, noticing the change in direction.
"We're definitely closer now," Syl confirmed.
"My bad."
He left the bridge and went to the study room. Methodically, he unloaded all the books, herbs, and equipment they had taken, arranging them in the study. After completing the task, he walked to the master bedroom. Once there, he undressed and collapsed into the bed, falling asleep almost instantly.
---
Waking to the morning light filtering through his window, Immanuel donned his robes and headed to the deck, his thoughts on finding food. However, his plans were abruptly interrupted by the sight of a small speedboat rapidly approaching from the shore. Reacting instinctively, he ducked and sprinted towards the bridge.
Syl was still at the helm. "Zach! Zach! Wake up!" Immanuel called. The small Lycan form of Zach quickly sprang to action, "there's a speedboat coming at us, fast!"
"Damn it," Syl cursed under her breath. She swiftly turned the wheel, altering their course slightly away from the coast before locking the wheel in place.
"Rule three: a sneak attack is the best kind of attack. Let's see where they try to board, then surprise them," Immanuel strategized.
Zach growled, his demeanor turning menacing as the three of them moved out of the bridge, crouching low. They pressed themselves against the railing, preparing for the confrontation. Immanuel drew his sword, while Syl and Zach armed themselves with crossbows.
The engine of the approaching speedboat was eerily quiet, with only the sound of water breaking against its hull. They maneuvered towards the back of the ship where the speedboat stopped.
Using hand signals, Immanuel directed Zach to target the leftmost assailant and Syl the rightmost. There were four sect members in total. They could now hear their voices but couldn't discern the words. Immanuel counted down with his fingers: five, four, three, two, one.
As Immanuel launched himself over the railing he heard two crossbow bolts being fired. His core surging, he saw one of the assailants tying a robe to a hook. The man on the left reacted almost instantly and started transforming into a Lycan, his body grotesquely expanding and contorting.
Immanuel flashed behind his target, wielding his now glowing sword. With a swift and powerful strike, he cleaved through the woman from shoulder to back.
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Landing heavily on the speedboat, Immanuel's impact made it rock violently, throwing the remaining attackers off balance. Zach and Syl descended upon them. Syl’s claws extended but the witch reacted fast, also reaching for the falling Syl even with a crossbow bolt through her neck.
Zach, in a frenzied state resembling a cremling on cocaine, savagely attacked the now fully transformed Lycan on the left, aiming for its eyes with ferocious bites and slashes.
Immanuel targeted the remaining assailant with his sword. Simultaneously, Zach, energized like a hyperactive jackrabbit that had ingested an absurd amount of sugar, leaped from his current target to join Immanuel. The final attacker tumbled backward into the water under the ferocious assault.
As the man hit the water, Zach agilely bounded back onto the boat, his movement causing the body to submerge and drift away. The sudden and intense skirmish had ended as quickly as it had begun.
They stood there for a moment looking at the bodies and each other before Immanuel spoke, his voice carrying a mix of relief and caution. "Good work, everyone. We should keep our distance from the shore. And we need a watch schedule; we were lucky I spotted that boat when I did." He glanced towards the shoreline, sensing their vulnerability. The dense treeline could easily conceal any number of hidden sect members.
He picked up the rope with a hook lying in the boat and tossed it over the railing of their ship, signaling Syl to climb up. Zach, now cleaning his snout in the water and taking occasional sips, seemed to regain some composure. Syl hoisted herself up, and Zach soon followed.
Once everyone was safely back on the ship, Immanuel ensured the speedboat was securely attached. He waited for his core energy to stabilize before storing the bodies of their attackers. Then, grabbing a bucket of water, he began washing away the bloodstains. "Now that it's my boat, I want to keep it clean," he declared.
---
As Immanuel entered the bridge moments later, Syl immediately began to analyze their situation. "That was likely just a scouting party. They weren't expecting resistance. Next time, they'll be more prepared."
"Can't we just head into deeper waters? Does anyone know what's on the other side of the sea?" Immanuel queried.
"The maker’s book mentions this ship is built for crossing great seas, but it also warns of terrifying leviathans." Syl answered.
Zach, now in his boy form, added quietly, "There were others watching us from the shore."
This information prompted a look of concern between Syl and Immanuel.
"We don’t have any food and while we can fish, the lack of fruits could be an issue." Immanuel thought aloud.
"Fruits," Zach echoed with a frown, his voice barely audible.
Immanuel then suggested a strategy. "I have some fruits in storage. Maybe we should make a wide turn into the open sea and slowly circle back farther down the coast."
Syl began to turn the wheel, seemingly in agreement with Immanuel's plan. Immanuel stepped outside, followed by Zach, who was still naked. They scanned the horizon for any additional pursuers. The coast was clear for now, but the speed and agility of those boats were a reminder of the constant threat they faced on these unpredictable waters.
---
Immanuel leaned against the railing at the front of the ship, absorbed in the expansive view as the coastline gradually shrank behind them. The suns cast a spectacular array of colors across the sky, and he contemplated lighting his pipe but decided against it, considering the need to ration his supplies.
Syl approached him quietly from behind. "Isn't it beautiful?" he remarked, not turning to face her.
"The sea?" Syl inquired.
"The suns, the immensity of everything," Immanuel replied, turning to look at her. He noticed how much healthier she appeared now, the constant sickness replaced by a healthier glow. The suns bathed her porcelain skin in warm light.
She joined him by the railing. "Do you think we can cross the sea?" he asked.
"How much water can there be?" she asked, looking at the bow cutting through the waves.
Immanuel chuckled at her comment. "Where I'm from, there's an ocean so vast it could take up to sixty or ninety days to cross."
Her expression showed her surprise. "Where do you come from?" she asked curiously.
"I'll share that story another time. But let's just say I was abducted and ended up near the city, and then found myself being trained to fight against the sects," he explained.
Syl looked at him, her eyes filled with trust, then turned back to gaze at the sea. "Sixty days is a long time, but we can manage it," she said confidently. "I'm going to attempt reaching stage 4. I have what I need, but the process might require more blood than usual. Every ascension is risky for us, but healing the damage improves my chances."
"Never hesitate to ask for what you need," Immanuel reassured her, extending his arm. She smiled, gently pushed back his robe, gave his skin a small lick, and then bit down.
---
A gentle breeze on another warm day created a serene atmosphere on the ship.
On the bridge, Zach was in his usual state, casually unclothed and at ease in the captain's chair.
"Zach, can you give me a hand with fishing?" Immanuel asked, taking two crossbows they stored on the bridge.
Zach, wordlessly obliging, joined Immanuel on deck, each armed with a crossbow. They positioned themselves beside the dismembered Lycan limbs that Immanuel had prepared as bait. He tied one of the legs to a rope and threw it overboard, creating a makeshift lure.
"Can you tie yourself with this rope? We'll shoot whatever comes, and then you can dive in to retrieve it. I'll pull you back up," Immanuel instructed.
Zach complied, securing the rope around his waist.
As they waited for a response to their bait, Immanuel enjoyed the breeze and kept an eye out for any approaching boats, ensuring their safety when Zach asked in a soft voice, “could you train me to use a sword?” He kept his eyes on the bait.
"Yeah sure, happy to." Immanuel said.
As they continued to wait for a catch, Immanuel's mind was already planning the training regimen. He thought about the basic sword techniques that would be most effective for Zach, considering his size and super strength in human form.
There were no fish. There was nothing but the endless blue. “Maybe we should lower the sails tomorrow when we are further away from land and try again.” Said Immanuel
Zach untied himself wordlessly, Immanuel reeled in the unused bait and stored the Lycan limb, along with their other supplies. He then turned his attention to begin Zach's sword training.
Handing Zach a short sword, Immanuel said, "This is for you. I'm not sure about its quality since I stole it.."
Zach, still adhering strictly to a ‘clothes-free’ personal dress code, accepted the sword.
"Let's start with the basic forms and stances," Immanuel proposed, ready to guide Zach through the fundamentals of sword fighting.