Chương 16: There be Something.

"No crew? What are you talking about?" She stood up "Hello, anyone there? Where did you guys go?" She yelled, but found not a soul aboard, on the deck or in the cabins. Blood drained from her face, Nythera looked for the coastline, only to find Myrraval had grown far smaller in the last twenty minutes.

"Fuck it, what the fucking damnable…" Nythera unleashed a string of curses.

"Pay attention, did you not notice the rings those men were wearing? I leave you alone for an hour and you go and get yourself killed. Disappointing, Child." Talvik said. Nythera went to the wheel, but found that it had been propped in place with a plank of wood.

"Do you know how to steer and crew a sail ship, Child?" Talvik asked. She could swear he was cocking an eyebrow at her.

"No idea, but I know what does" Nythera said with smug confidence, pulling on [Synchronized Thunder]. The ship lurched under her command, sails tightening, wheel spinning as it pivoted towards Myrraval. Nythera smirked at Talvik. Told you so!

"Child, even with no artillery pieces, Synchronized Thunder costs fifteen flux for every five seconds of usage, you have nowhere near enough to make it back to Grandport, if you even know where that is." Talvik said. A wave crashed over the gunwale, spilling water onto the deck. Nythera watched her Flux pool tick down, but kept a steady course for Myrraval, the waves and rain battered the ship. Her skill seemed to know how to guide it through swells and shifts in the wind. A storm was building.

I have no where near enough flux to make it back. Myrraval was still small in the distance, individual trees were still impossible to make out. The flux in the air wove in chaotically with the waves and the storm, useless for guidance. The ship cruised towards the coast, wrestling with wave after wave. Looking over the gunwale, she saw something moving in the water.

"That would be an Anchorbreaker, they are the lesser krakens present in these seas near the shore.". Talvik informed her calmly, as tentacles broke the water.

"I think it's an infant" he added. He took off from her shoulder "I will fill the sails with wind, we do not have time to waste." Wispy white flux circled around Talvik, collecting by his wings. I need to focus. She ignored the tentacles sliding by the ship and focused on reaching the island. As the ship crested over a wave, tentacles shot out from the water, wrapping around the ship.

"fuck it" She cursed and summoned her Aether Culverin. As her focus waned, Synchronized Thunder deactivated and the ship began drifting. And then the Culverin, with its newly enhanced requirements, stuttered mid-formation. Shit! I don't have the Flux Control for this yet. She tried forcing the matrix to form, which only caused it to fall apart on the spot, wasting more of her rapidly depleting flux stores. Once again she tried pulling it forth through the system. I barely got enough to pull this off.

The culverin crystallized on the deck. The kraken makes this thing impossible to steer anyways. She focused her cannon on the head of the kraken as its beak broke the surface of the water. A massive eye climbed up behind the gunwale as tentacles ripped and tore through the ship and sails.

"FIRE" a shot thundered out slamming straight into its face. ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR Tentacles lifted and crashed down on the ship, water rushed in and the sound of the keel cracking permeated the air. Splintered wood shot across the deck, several pieces gouging her, shielding her eyes, her arms were cut up with wooden shards. Talvik swooped down and gouged its face with talons.

"Child, find wood to hang onto" He shouted. Nythera ran to the stern of the ship as the middle started to give out.

"FIRE FIRE FIRE" she screamed with desperation. Her command rang with the blast of artillery. An explosion of flesh and blood caked the ship. Fleshy bits landing everywhere. Level Acquired! Level Acquired! Level Acquired! Level Acquired! Level Acquired! Multiple skills have leveled up! Giant tentacles flopped down onto the deck, several were still wrapped around the vessel. The kraken's head sank beneath the water, but the tentacles began to pull the ship down into the water.

Nythera checked for the coast, but it was still off in the distance, closer, but not enough to swim. I…. can't swim. She grabbed onto the steering wheel fixture that had been ripped from the deck. The deck flooded with water, she threw herself over the steering wheel as the floor began to slip out from under her feet. Stamina: 136/220 Shit, I am not going to last more than a few minutes out here. Blood leaked out rapidly from her wounds, washed away by the sting of saltwater waves.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. She saw a new addition to her status. Augment Token Acquired! Lovely the level 20 bonus, terribly useful right now. As she swayed violently through the water a huge wave formed behind her. Where is Talvik? Oh well, not much he could do now anyways, unless he can triple in size. The cold seeped into her bones. She dumped her new free stats immediately, 5 went to Endurance and 20 to Flux Control.

She checked her notifications: Aether Culverin (lvl 4>5) Synchronized Thunder (lvl1>3) Flux Sight (lvl 2>3) The sea around her lit up.

"Grab the line!" She heard a shout and a rope came down on top of her. She threw herself around the rope and grabbed on with what strength remained. They pulled her up over the gunwale, she fell to the deck spitting out sea water.

"Thank you, how did you find me out here?" She asked in between gasps.

"This little bird here came squawking at us, made a mighty fine breeze it did". He reached his hand down, she took it.

"Also dropped a little trinket on board.". He said with a kraken tooth in one hand.

"Name's Lawrence, Lance sent me out here to get you when he caught whiff of what they were cooking up." He said. By now her Health was mending most of the damage, pushing wood fragments out of her bruised arms. Oh. Hey. Thats the same ring Lance wore, and James, and …

"What the fuck is going on? who are you people? bastards with that ring just tried to kill me hours ago by stranding me out here now a crew full of people with the same fucking ring are here saving me. I AM SICK AND TIRED OF BEING A PAWN IN YOUR SICK GAMES." Nythera screamed at Lawrence.

"Fine fine, come with me to the cabin, this is not something for everyone to hear" He said, bringing her into the cabin and passing her a cup of water. They both sat down on opposite ends of the table.

"This is a little complicated, but in short, me, Lance, and everyone on this ship shares the same… beliefs. James and the ones who ditched you, believe in a slightly different interpretation." Lawrence hesitated.

"Interpretation of what?" Nythera demanded.

"Of the prophecy. Have you ever heard of an ancient prophet called Orterra?" Lawrence asked, a tentative look in his eyes. No I can't… wait is that what he means?

"I've heard of Orterra… but her name is Orterra the mad, she was an incredibly accurate diviner until she went insane and got infamous for it." Nythera replied. Lawrence grimaced as if her words struck him.

"We follow a different belief, that Orterra didn't go insane, and that the lords of the time said she did because her prophecy threatened their rule. Do you know what her final prophecy was?" He asked.

"No I don't, its not in any history textbooks I know of. This sounds insane, you're basically saying her entire legacy is a lie? A fabricated myth?" She said.

"Yes, it is. Orterra declared the existence of three, who would come in the future. The One would bring great change, The Mother and The Father are the destined parents of The One. The only things known about the Mother is that she will be a powerful being of Fire and Steel. The Father is likewise a powerful being of the Sea. Together they create The One, the catalyst for the Great Change." Lawrence explained.

"And what exactly is this Great Change supposed to bring about?" she asked.

"That is up to interpretation, many believe it will destroy the current order, some believe the system itself will die, others believe in a time of war and chaos, each faction within the cult have their own interpretations" Lawrence said. These cultists…. Believe I am the mother? I am going to what? Have a system-rending child with a sailor? Insanity. She took a deep breath and shelved that line of thought for another time.

"Why do they keep trying to kill me? I am sick of it, the next person I see with that fucking ring is getting an artillery shell to the face" She said.

"That faction… believes hardship and survival against insane odds to be proof of candidacy for the Mother and The Father. They end up killing pretty much every candidate they get their hands on." he said, rubbing his neck.

"But why am I even a candidate? I haven't done anything, I'm a tier 0 unevolved low-level weakling." She asked.

"You… have claimed a domain core that wasn't supposed to exist, consistently kill fluxspawn and people that far outclass your level and have survived situations you frankly, shouldn't have." Lawrence said, head resting on his hands as he stared straight through her. He stabbed the kraken tooth into the table.

"Give me that, that's mine!" She grabbed it. I worked hard to kill that thing, nearly died doing it.

"Thats my point, thats a juvenile Anchorbreaker kraken tooth. Your little cannon, which we aren't even sure how you really got, killed a strata three sea monster, something that regularly eats fishing ships manned by strata one and two fishermen. These are the reasons we stay by the coast and yet you slaughtered one on your first attempt." Lawrence explained.

"Everytime you succeed, everytime you beat the odds, that just makes them want to test you further and put you in more and more precarious situations… however, me and Lance and the others in our faction subscribe to a different methodology…" Lawrence said. So randomly firing at every member of this blasted cult probably won't help me much. I don't want to piss off the entire organization if it can be avoided.

"I really, truly, hate these people, how can I tell them apart? So I don't accidentally blast one of your guys, if I can't … well I'm past the point where collateral will bother me, after what fucking shit they have put me through." Nythera said.

"I'm afraid you've probably figured out the only way to tell who is a follower of The One, there is no faction specific clothing or markers." Lawrence admitted.

"Tell me why I shouldn't blow you all up right now." Nythera demanded, slamming her fist on the table.

"Our faction… believes in supporting the candidates and cultivating their power rather than constantly testing them. We believe leveling and consistent growth is a good enough test. Candidates who grow with resources provided and don't taper off are the ones we support." Lawrence explained.

"So where's my stuff huh? Haven't I proven myself yet? Nearly died several times, killed a kraken, a murderous cultist and several guardians, where is my free shit?" Nythera asked.

"Calm down, we know what you've done, and our sect has considered you to be worth… some investment, but you're still only tier 0, you have not yet ascended and we aren't really sure if your abilities match the "fire and steel" moniker of the Mother." Lawrence said, pulling out a box and pushing it across the table towards her. Nythera opened the box and found a glowing cube, the surface slowly shifting like a fluid. Incredibly dense flux circulated inside.

"This is…" Nythera started.

"Cinderite, pure cinderite." Lawrence finished.

"That block is worth dozens of cinders, at the least, please use it well" he said. Nythera tucked the box in her cloak. Okay, maybe they aren't all so bad. Lawrence and Nythera exited the cabin to watch their return to Grandport, the boat was swiftly docked and Nythera departed for Edwin's house. The unrelenting deluge left her soaked and constantly wiping water out of her eyes. She burst through the door minutes later, stumbling in, water flowing off her.

"I'm HOME!". She shouted.

"Oh welcome back! It's nice to see you! Your trip seems to have been… eventful." Edwin said, sipping tea at the table.

"You could say that" Nythera replied, walking straight to her room. She barely noticed Talvik on her shoulder, who had to duck to avoid getting his head run in.

"Oh, by the way, Leo stopped by with a note, apparently Lance wants to see you. Something big happened yesterday, the whole town is in an uproar, but I'm not clear on what." Edwin said.

"Oh that's lovely, thanks for the update, I'll check on it in the morning" Nythera said absentmindedly, shutting the door and collapsing into the bed. If I have to deal with the fucking council one more fucking time…