Free Web NovelChapter 101: Chaos at Sea
The wooden ship Victor was on, christened the "Traveling Mermaid", was cutting through the rough waters of the sea towards Naeross Island.
The sails were full of wind, the deck looked like a hive of activity as the sailors moved about adjusting the sails and keeping on course.
Victor stood at the bow, watching the horizon intently as the cold winter breeze caressed his face. The sky was overcast, heralding the possibility of more snow on the way.
The captain, masterfully steering the ship, was at the helm. His experienced eyes scanned the sea for signs of danger. He was a grumpy man, but his presence was imposing and commanded respect among the crew, so the sailors quickly followed his orders and instructions.
The snow soon began to fall slowly, covering the deck with a thin white layer. The cold became more intense, penetrating the crew’s bones even under their heavy wool coats.
The sailors, accustomed to the hardships of the sea, stood firm at their posts even in the snow, moving with agility despite the challenging conditions. The sea was a little rough, so there was no time to stand still.
Victor didn’t feel cold in these clothes and stared intently at the sea, waiting and waiting.
Soon, they were so far from the coast of the mainland that Klento City looked like an ant on the horizon.
At that moment, the captain of the "Traveling Mermaid", with his sharp eye and vast experience in the dangerous waters of the sea, noticed something strange. The snow was falling softly on the deck, the wind was silent and the sea was suddenly calm. The ripples didn’t follow the usual pattern of sea currents in this region and he could feel it with his keen hearing. A shiver ran down his spine, alerting him to the imminent danger.
"Get ready, sailors!" ordered the captain with authority, and his voice cut through the cold air like a sharp blade.
With the sea calmer, the sailors thought they’d get a break, but they wouldn’t be getting it any time soon.
"What is it, Captain?"
"Something’s wrong in the waters. Raise the sails as high as you can! Quickly!" The ship’s captain shouted as he quickly turned the rudder to the left.
The sailors, used to obeying the captain’s orders without hesitation, acted with speed. The ship’s sails were fully raised and flapped in the wind, snapping like giant wings, propelling the ship even faster than before through the waters.
The spinning rudder caused the "Traveling Mermaid" to change direction in one agile movement, responding to the captain’s urgent command. However, this sudden change of direction threw almost everyone off balance, except Victor, who calmly walked to the helm.
"What’s going on?" asked Victor, approaching where the captain was steering the ship.
"There’s something in the waters, hunter. Probably one of the many terrible sea monsters. At sea, we mustn’t falter, because if we keep our guard down, this little ship could be swallowed up in one gulp by a Sea Nightmare."
Victor frowned and looked out to sea, trying to see beyond the waves churned up by the ship’s sudden movement. However, nothing but the raging sea met his eyes. "What exactly did you see?"
"Argh! I didn’t see it, I had a feeling. A dark energy, a strange presence. My instincts don’t usually fail me, we have to get out of here fast."
Victor swallowed and observed the area that had been marked by the invisible danger. "I don’t see anything, Captain, but it also seems to be behind us. What could it be?"
"I’m not sure," replied the man, his voice a little calmer. "But I rely on the experience the sea has given me... Anyway, sorry, hunter, it looks like we’ll have a bit of a delay getting to Naeross. If there are monsters here, I’ll have to take the quickest route. At least I think we’re safe now..." commented the captain, relieved to see that the immediate danger seemed to have been left behind.
"I hope so," said Victor.
The sea around the "Traveling Mermaid" seemed to calm down for a moment after their conversation, as if the invisible threat had passed. However, without warning, a boom echoed through the air around them, and the sea exploded around the ship. Suddenly, several giant green tentacles emerged from the depths, dangling menacingly in the freezing air, and so much seawater flew into the sky that it literally began to rain around the ship.
The previous calm was replaced by pure chaos as the tentacles grabbed the ship and lifted it like a child’s toy.
The sailors’ cries of alarm echoed across the deck as the crew tried to make sense of the sudden attack.
"Lower the sails! Quickly! Before they’re torn!"
"It’s the Devourer of Ships!" freёwebnovel.com
"AAHH! WE’RE GOING TO DIE!"
Despite the commands that some sailors tried to give to their colleagues, hardly anyone listened because some of the many tentacles that came out of the sea began to crawl towards them.
Suddenly, a huge tentacle appeared behind the helm area, shading the old captain’s entire face. This tentacle quickly grabbed the captain and enveloped him with its suction cups, crushing him with terrifying force.
"ARGH, WRETCHED MONSTER!"
Victor, keeping his calm even in the chaos, acted quickly. He had a secret weapon in his coat and then pulled out Elban’s black sword, which he had kept secretly in a bottomless magic bag. Victor leaned forward slightly and with one swift swing shattered the tentacle that had grabbed the captain into several micro pieces.
The captain fell to the ground and, impressed by Victor’s skill, shouted:
"Go on, please, hunter, save my crew!" He pointed to the deck below, where several tentacles were trying to grab the crew.
"You didn’t even have to ask."
The sword Victor was using wasn’t his, so it wasn’t very intimate, and the first impression he got was that this sword was much lighter than his. Fighting with such a light sword after so many years was so drastically different that he was able to strike with much more speed, and this caused him to lose a bit of destructive power with the cuts. Luckily, Elban’s sword was excellent and able to cut through the thick skin of the tentacle with ease, so it didn’t make much difference.
With each tentacle sliced by Victor, a sailor was saved, but the Devourer of Ships was no ordinary Moon Squid. Each time its tentacles were cut, they regenerated quickly.
