Volume 8 Chapter 1 Part 2 (1/2)
The sea travel proceeded smoothly; except a brief stop at a port town, nothing worth mentioning happened.
The only thing notable was that they met the young girl and her attendant a few more times. As it was inconvenient to not know each other's names, they briefly introduced each other.
The young girl with the unique speech style was Kujou Kanade, a level 159 Archer.
The samurai-like woman's name was Saegusa Karin, a level 221 Samurai and Kanade's escort.
Even without fighting, s.h.i.+n felt that those two had strength surpa.s.sing their ages. They could even be Chosen Ones.
”The weather's pretty bad today.”
”Indeed, you can feel a storm brewing.”
Whispered s.h.i.+n, while looking at the cloudy sky. Kanade nodded in reply, Karin was standing next to her too.
It was almost dusk, but the setting sun was hidden by thick clouds.
”You two are headed to Hinomoto, was it?”
”Indeed we are.”
”I too would like to visit it if I have the chance, what kind of country is it?”
s.h.i.+n thought it was a good chance to ask about Hinomoto. Both the country name and the two women's names reminded him of j.a.pan.
”It is said that Hinomoto came to be when, at the time of the natural disasters, islands detached from the continent were conquered by several groups of people. At present the two representative families of Kujou and Yaejima rule over its eastern and western regions.”
The guilds that Gaien -the Dragnil s.h.i.+n met during the escort mission to Beirun- talked about apparently only ruled over parts of the country.
”I seeoh? Lady Kanade, you are a Kujou too, aren't you?”
”I am indeed. I might look like just a little girl, but I am one of the Kujou, the rulers of east Hinomoto.”
”Milady, you are aware that we should not mention such things in public.”
Kanade's words were met with a reprimand by Karin.
”I know that full well, but we do not need to fret if it's them.”
For some reason, Kanade seemed to place some trust in s.h.i.+n's party after a few conversations. He didn't feel Karin's piercing look anymore either.
Incidentally, s.h.i.+n had to address Kanade politely because not doing so would have attracted intimidating looks from Karin.
”It's a country overflowing with nature.”
”It reminds me of my homeland. But is it alright for a lady of such a household to leave the country? Having just Karin as an escort seems odd too, to be honest”
”In truth, I left the country in secret. The situation israther complex.”
”For a member of the Kujou house to become an adventurer is unheard of, after all.”
”Don't be like that. You know well there was no other choice, Karin, that's why you accompanied me. Am I wrong?”
”No, that is correct, but”
Judging from Karin's grim expression, one could a.s.sume that the ”complex situation” Kanade mentioned could not be solved without leaving Hinomoto.
”That's enough. We obtained what we were seeking after all. We just need to return now.”
s.h.i.+ps for Hinomoto leave from the port s.h.i.+n's party will disembark at.
”It started raining.”
They expected it to rain, considering the amount of clouds in the sky. What they didn't expect was the force with which the rain battered the s.h.i.+p, and the sudden increase of the wind.
Just seconds after the first raindrops, an incredible deluge started pouring down, followed by powerful gusts of wind that stirred the sea.
Around the same time, a group of monsters entered s.h.i.+n's perception field. They were closing in on the s.h.i.+p at an alarming speed.
”Monsters. They're coming straight towards this s.h.i.+p.”
”Is that true? Karin, can you feel it?”
”No, nothing at all.”
s.h.i.+n's perception field was quite large, thanks to the combined use of skills. s.h.i.+n didn't know the range of Karin's field, but it would likely take a little more time until she could detect the monsters.
”I don't know if you will believe me or not, but I detect 10 units, and quite large ones at that.”
While explaining to Kanade and Karin, s.h.i.+n contacted Schnee via Mind Chat.
Schnee and the others had also detected the monsters' arrival; she replied that Filma had gone to talk with the captain.
s.h.i.+baid, Wilhelm, and Tiera were also headed to s.h.i.+n's position.
”My companions will come soon. Lady Kanade, what will you two do?”
”If they are headed towards the s.h.i.+p, barricading ourselves in our cabin will do little good. Fortunately, I have some skill with the bow. I shall lend you my aid.”
”I too offer what little strength I have.”
Kanade pulled out a card from her drenched kimono and materialized it.
The next instant, the middle Legend-grade bow Fiery Diamondappeared in her hand.
It was a large weapon, close to a longbow size, which came accompanied with the quiver. Its long range was its major characteristic.
Karin materialized her battle gear as well; her left hand was holding a katana with a red sheath.
It was the middle Legend-grade Vermilion Orchid, a fire elemental katana.
”Did we make it?”
”Just in the nick of time.”
”T-too fast”
s.h.i.+n had just drawn hisKakura when s.h.i.+baid, Wilhelm, and Tiera arrived on deck.
At Tiera's feet were both Kagerou and Yuzuha. They were all members capable of defense and long distance attacks.
”What about the others?”
”Lady Hermie is in her room. For added safety, I had Milt and Konig stay with her. Filma went to speak with the captain, and Schnee will come after bolstering Lady Hermie's defenses.”
Milt, a water spirit user, was a powerful ally on the seas.
”Have you noticed anything?”
”The monsters appeared roughly at the same time as when the weather turned rough. From that, I suppose that they are either serpent or mollusk types.”
s.h.i.+n quickly answered Wilhelm's questions with his hypothesis.
There are monsters that influence the weather when they appear. The types of monsters mentioned by s.h.i.+n often cause storms with their coming.
”Esteemed pa.s.sengers! We shall deal with the situation, please return to your cabins!”
Maybe they heard from Filma, or detected the presence themselves, but the crew members came to advise s.h.i.+n and the others to take shelter.
The crew probably also acted as a monster protection team; they were carrying bows, rods, harpoons, and other weapons.
”We shall help too.”
”But sir.!? I understand. Thank you for your a.s.sistance!”
The crew members were reluctant at first, but changed their mind after seeing s.h.i.+n's party's postures and equipment.
The s.h.i.+p, battered by the waves, made it difficult to stand straight. While it also depended on the opponents, the more numbers they had the better their chances would be.
”They're coming!”
Moments after s.h.i.+n's warning, the seawater swelled greatly. Then, from the raging sea emerged the silhouettes of several monsters.
”Gale Serpents!”
The monsters appeared from the sea and glared at the s.h.i.+p were Gale Serpents, also called ”Dragon of the Seas”. Part of the dragon category, this monster favored attacks such as water breath, roar, and tackles.
Its level usually ranged from 500 to 600, but facing it in an unstable battlefield such as the sea made it more powerful than the level indicated.
”What numbers!”
”And just when we needed to return to Hinomoto!”
Kanade and Karin reacted with frustration at the sight of the Gale Serpents, emerging one after the other. No matter how st.u.r.dy the s.h.i.+p was, under the attacks of 10 Gale Serpents it was inevitable for it to sink, or so they probably thought.
In fact, the crew members that came on deck also stood still, pale after seeing the monsters.
”Wilhelm, Tiera! Don't let them get any closer! s.h.i.+baid, block their long-range attacks!!”
While shouting these orders, s.h.i.+n let hisKakuraflash.
The Mallet and Wind combination skill b.e.s.t.i.a.l Drive created a fierce gust of wind which blew away the rain and wind with a single hit, while also crus.h.i.+ng the head of one of the Gale Serpents surrounding the s.h.i.+p.
Even among the battering wind and rain, the sound of the skill's impact boomed clearly through the deck and the ears of everyone present.
In the span of a few seconds, the Gale Serpent with the smashed cranium gradually sank below the waves.
”Let's finish this quickly!”
”I won't lose either!”
After s.h.i.+n's attack, Wilhelm threw his h.e.l.l Spear Vakiraand Tiera started shooting arrows.
The Gale Serpents, stopped in their tracks by the sudden fall of their comrade, tried to avoid the attacks' trajectory with agility ill fitting their huge bodies.
Their response, however, had been too slow; the Gale Serpent closest to the s.h.i.+p was. .h.i.t by an arrow on one eye and by Vakiraon its body.
”!?!”
The monster did not die on the spot, but unleashed a scream like grinding metal and collapsed among the waves.
”You are far from the average traveler, I see.”
Not just the monsters were surprised by s.h.i.+n's movements. While aiming an arrow at a Gale Serpent poking its face from below the water, Kanade talked to s.h.i.+n.
s.h.i.+n replied that he was just a common traveler and focused again on his perception field. The Gale Serpents were swimming around the s.h.i.+p, alternatively getting closer and farther.
”Is it just me, or is the s.h.i.+p shaking more and more?”
”It's probably caused by the monsters.”
Karin also felt something was off, and agreed with s.h.i.+n's observation.
”Tch, the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds went underwater and won't show up anymore!”
”Hey, s.h.i.+n!! The s.h.i.+p isn't going to turn over, is it!?”
Even if she had come closer, Tiera's voice was almost drowned out by the ever stronger storm's howling winds. Her concern was well placed, as even the crew members could barely stand without support, that's how violently the s.h.i.+p was shaking. They all grabbed handrails or sail masts, sticking their weapons on the floor to keep standing.
Only s.h.i.+n and s.h.i.+baid still managed to stand straight.
”s.h.i.+n! Looks like they're going to attack!”
s.h.i.+baid's words made s.h.i.+n look all around himself, only to find 9 Gale Serpents emerging from the waves, open their jaws wide and point them at the s.h.i.+p.
”A breath attack, huh. s.h.i.+baid, take care of the ones in front. I'll handle the rear.”
While sprinting through the shortest path on the s.h.i.+p, s.h.i.+n pulled out the same s.h.i.+eld s.h.i.+baid had equipped, theGreat Sh.e.l.l s.h.i.+eld of Collision. Then, he activated a fully-powered anti-air barrier.
A barrier composed of interlocked hexagons appeared in midair and repelled the Gale Serpents' water breath.
”s.h.i.+t, the rain and wind make it hard to aim”
s.h.i.+n unleashed several magic attacks while holding up the barrier, but because of the storm rocking the s.h.i.+p and the distance between him and the targets, none reached their intended destination.
Even bow users such as Tiera and Kanade could not reach the monsters with their attacks.
Seeing this, Yuzuha made a proposition.
”Should I support?”
”Please.”
s.h.i.+n earnestly asked for help.
”I should have lowered the numbers more with the first attack.”
Fighting on a s.h.i.+p during stormy weather was even harder than s.h.i.+n had expected.
The clouds kept the sunlight from filtering through, making the surroundings constantly dark. The rocking s.h.i.+p made it hard to stand, but they had to fight off the monsters and protect the s.h.i.+p at the same time.
s.h.i.+n's party would survive even if the s.h.i.+p sank, but they couldn't save all the crew members and pa.s.sengers. If things continued like this, their situation would get worse little by little.
s.h.i.+n regretted choosing the wrong skill for the first attack.
”Kuu.”
Yuzuha cried and activated a skill, which caused the rain and wind to temporarily weaken.
”There's no time to hesitate anymore. Yuzuha, cover me!”
”Yes sir!”
Taking advantage of the instant the breath attacks stopped, s.h.i.+n leapt from the s.h.i.+p.
”Sir s.h.i.+n!?”
He turned back to see Kanade and Karin, hanging onto the s.h.i.+p handrails, looking at him. They had left the front to the reinforcements and rushed to his aid.
”Don't go falling into the sea!”
Thinking that he didn't need any help, s.h.i.+n gave a short warning and kicked the sea.
”What in the!?”
Accompanied by Karin's exclamation of surprise, s.h.i.+n rushed towards the Gale Serpents while causing bursts of water.
As long as the Movement-type Martial skill Water Pa.s.sagewas active, one could fight using water surfaces as footholds.
The first monster s.h.i.+n targeted was the one hit in the eye by Tiera's arrow. s.h.i.+n swung Kakurafrom the monster's blind spot and chopped off its neck.
”One down!!”
At the same time, s.h.i.+n spun and kicked the Gale Serpent's fallen head sending it cras.h.i.+ng into the next Gale Serpent.
”!?!”
As the Gale Serpent lost its balance, s.h.i.+n activated the Light-type magic skillAvraid Ray. Thanks to the weakened storm, the light ray pierced two serpent heads.
”Two down!!”
There were 7 remaining Gale Serpents.
As s.h.i.+n was searching for the next monster, an explosion echoed from the front of the s.h.i.+p.
In the dim darkness, a silver flash reverberated.
Looking at the map, s.h.i.+n could verify that, among the 5 serpents in front of the s.h.i.+p, 3 had already disappeared. As s.h.i.+n expected, the reinforcements had arrived.
”Let's finish this once and.hm?”
As he was about to say ”for all”, s.h.i.+n detected that something else was coming closer.
2 new signals were closing in on the s.h.i.+p, much faster than the other Gale Serpents.
”(Schnee! s.h.i.+baid! Two more coming!)”
While taking down another serpent, s.h.i.+n informed Schnee and s.h.i.+baid via Mind Chat about the two incoming monsters.
”(We have sensed them as well. Who would have expected such an a.s.sault though.)”
”(Indeed, were we not on board, the s.h.i.+p would have sunk by now.)”
s.h.i.+n received a somewhat jaded response via Mind Chat. The location made it difficult to fight, but they did not feel particularly cornered.
With Schnee and s.h.i.+baid on deck, the s.h.i.+p would be sufficiently protected.
”They split, huh.”
The new monsters' signals separated along the way; they were now heading one towards the front and one towards the back of the s.h.i.+p.
The sea swelled even higher than before, sending water spraying all around and revealing the silhouette of a Gale Serpent almost twice the size of the previous ones.
”I see, the Queen and King showed up.”
Even before usinga.n.a.lyzeon the new monster, clearly different from the 10 Gale Serpents which appeared before, s.h.i.+n had seen through its ident.i.ty.
”Gale Serpent Queen Level 702”
The monster's details appeared at the same time as s.h.i.+n's words.
As expected, the monster name included the word ”Queen”. The King was likely headed to the front.
Many monsters had ”King” or ”Queen” in their names, and most of them were escorted by monsters of the same species.
”I guess they built a nest around here.”
It was confirmed that monsters too, had the notion of territory. Considering their ”King” and ”Queen” names, these monsters were probably a couple. If so, the serpents that attacked the s.h.i.+p first could have been their children.
”Why did they come and attack the s.h.i.+p I wonder. There should be plenty of other prey.”