Chương 49: Chapter 48 - Trial by Water.

Great silver feathers, a three meter long wing. Talons the size of sabers that had her by the shoulders. Talvik has cousins? Unceremoniously, the talons were released, dropping her to her death.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-" She screamed, hitting something hard and tumbling until she slammed into a wall. She lay, mouth open, eyes rolled back, gaping in agony. Her mind blank, unable to comprehend anything but agony.

"This is why you raise your other stats. Constitution is important, if you had even ten more points, this chunk wouldn't have disabled you." Halt said, casually grabbing the chunk and ripping it out. She gasped.

"Come on, up on your feet. Trust your Health to handle it." Halt said. She pulled herself up, using the gunwale to stabilize herself. And shot a death glare at him.

"You left me to die!" She yelled. He snorted"If I left you to die, you would be dead. You better get to work, this ship won't guide itself back to Grandport" he said. She couldn't read anything through his stone mask, no contempt, pity, nothing. She hated that.

"Where is everyone else?" She asked.

"Huddling like cowards in the cabin. Only Rowen is making use of themselves" Halt gestured towards the prow where Rowen stood, wave-washed and fighting for command over the storms. His voice thundered over the ship in pulses, wrestling with the wild flux for control. I did not know he could do that… IS that why they are called Stormbridges?

"Well, get to work now, you already failed one task" Halt said and walked off to the mast. She pulled hard on [Synchronized Thunder]. The ship jerked to a start, wrestling with an upswelling wave. I'll be damned if I let some storm sink my ship. It was hard to tell what was sea and what was island, at several points she was certain she had just sailed over what had been island mere hours ago. A swell nearly swept her into a half-flooded forest, but a mysterious gale from a large silver bird kept them on course.

How does anything survive if storms like this happen every year? Is someone feeding the pines pure life flux 300 days a year? As she cleared the last island, the might of the sea came into full view. By Kronan, what the flux am I supposed to do about this? Waves seemed to spawn at random, rushing up to meet the downswell of another wave. Jagged fins broke the water periodically, and she could swear that her eyes had witnessed tentacles grasping up at the sky. Is this… hell?

The Sea Queen broke another wave, rushing down the valley towards the next mountain. Wave by wave, they proceeded into the depths. There was no shelter to hide, no place to run. Talvik's cousin… or brother, or father, sat on top of the mast, wings stretched wide. Wind flux collected under the wings and he, she, it periodically released a burst of energy into the sails to push them up each towering wave. Seriously, where is Talvik? Did that thing eat him? Is it his mom?

She yanked hard again on her skill, the strain pulling on her flux pool faster just to keep them going straight. As they left Mistvale behind them, Halt called out ot her.

"And now we start your training".

"What do you mean? I am already busy sailing us back, if you got your lazy ass up and actually helped maybe we'd get there" She shouted back to him over the crack of lightning. She had tied herself to the railing on the poop deck after she had almost been dragged off the ship three times by stray waves. Thoroughly drenched, her vision half-obscured she screamed curses back at him "You fucking moron why don't you do something useful instead!" Lightning arced down once again.

She covered her eyes, always a second too late. The crack of electricity on rock shook the ship once again, but there Halt stood. Completely undamaged. Yeah Rowen is redirecting storm, Big Talvik is propelling the ship, I am steering the ship… and Halt? Halt is standing there, getting hit by lightning. So fair.

"You have done well, it is not my job to teach you etiquette." Halt admitted. Finally!

"So now we shall begin your training" Halt said. Suddenly he stood before her, a plank ripped up from the ship in his hands.

"Try not to die" he said. Hey that's MY ship- And it was already becoming smaller and smaller beneath her. Huh? And then she was falling. Straight into the churning seas beneath her. She screamed. No no no, I saw a tentacle there! I am no not goin- She landed with a plop, breath knocked out of her lungs. How strange, it's almost… The waters were peaceful, the flux calm, the blue abyss before her was oddly inviting. I can't breathe!

She swam up with all her strength, breaking the surface of the water on the back of a wave. Halt stood before her, on the surface of the water. He tossed it on top of her.

"Survive, or die" and he was gone.

"What the hell do you mean!?" She shouted into the empty seas, clutching the wooded plank, no longer than she was. Wave after wave washed over her as she rode the plank up swells and down their back. Coughing out salt water she tried to take measure of her surroundings. That bastard left me out here to die! I am going to kill him. Her plank raced down the back of a swell, she took stock of the endless chaos before her. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Something jagged ran straight into her plank, sending her spinning across the wave. What little blood was left drained from her face. Was that a Ripfin? Then she saw it, crawling its way across the surface, a massive anchorbreaker chasing its prey. Tentacles launched forward and seemed to grip the surface of the water, pulling it forward. It's bigger than the Sea Queen! She tried to make herself as small as possible against the plank. As it passed by, she held her breath. Could you send me a bit of help Veymur?

Gave me a blessing, didn't you? But her call went un-answered. She drifted through the seas, soaked, freezing and watching her Stamina and Health slowly deplete. How long had passed, she had no idea. Health: 1, 133/1, 530 Stamina: 313/525 I am a log, a plank, a piece of driftwood. She chanted in her head, honing her sense of becoming one with nature. And God answered. Something grabbed her leg and tugged, ever so slightly. She looked down at the plank. No no no no no. A tentacle had wrapped around part of her leg.

She was staring into the maw of one of the smallest anchorbreakers she had ever seen. That did not change the fact that it was trying to eat her. The opened beak of it barely fit around her boot. Another tentacle snaked up the plank, searching for more leverage. No you don't! She kicked back at the beak, her boots doing little to dissuade it. She kicked again and again. Grabbing a tentacle to rip it off the plank, her only lifeline.

"Go find some dead fishy bits to eat, I am not part of your natural diet!" She shouted at the starving infant. Two more tentacles coiled around the plank. She took a dagger out of her cloak and stabbed at the tentacle wrapping around her. Stamina: 230/525 This thing is going to use up all my Stamina! It recoiled in pain, letting out a cry.

"Thats right, go find someone else to pick on" she said. Another pained cry and suddenly the plank she had been clinging to was jerked out from under her grip. Nonononono! She lunged for it, but her wet clothing weighed her down; built for cold weather, it worked to strangle her in the sea. The kraken was already drifting meters away. She swam straight for it.

"Oh no you don't!" It dove. Shit shit shit. Just as she reached the spot where it had been moments ago, all traces of the thief were gone. Down into the depths where she could not follow. She thrashed in the water, searching for something, anything to cling to. Her cloak was heavy, so heavy, but she couldn't unclip it, it had everything, Boxy, her Siege rod, unclipping it would mean losing. Stamina: 51/525 That's not good. Her arms were oddly heavy and her legs were getting tired.

Her head was hit with another swell and she was plunged underwater. She reached for anything, trying to pull herself up. Water passed through her fingers. Her vision dimmed. Shit am I out of Stamina? Title Achieved: Sea-scoured Survive the Seas of the Flux-Nexus during God's Wrath for one hour as a Strata one. +5 to Endurance, +1 to all stats. Huh? Something grasped her shoulders and tugged hard. She didn't care. Her mind slipped. … OW! She awoke to a thud, still soaking wet and shivering. She opened her eyes.

Halt stood before her.

"You lived an hour on the seas of God's Wrath. You passed, barely" he said.

"By Kronan, I will skin you alive" she mumbled.

"Be happy, you got your first Aurendorian Title" He replied and turned to face the prow.

"Now steer us back to Grandport, if you don't everyone on this ship will die." He looked towards Talvik, who perched on the railings facing out toward sea, then back towards Nythera. He sighed.

"You have ten minutes, no more, get in the cabin, get something to eat then come right back out here or I will drag you out" Halt said. Nythera pulled herself straight up, and pulled open the door sluggishly. Inside Shelly, Edgar, and two sailors sat in various states of disarray. Shelly looked up "Nythera! You're alive! What happened!" she rushed to her side.

"Halt is trying to kill me!" Nythera said, collapsing onto the floor.

"I've got to sail us back to Grandport or the Sea Queen will go under" she grumbled.

"Do you think we'll make it back?" she asked, a pleading note in her voice. Sitting in the cabin, watching wave after wave crashed over us…

"It'll be ok, I've got a secret skill, it can get us right back to port, don't worry" Nythera said with confidence. She fiddled with Boxy beneath her cloak, selecting the [Regeneration Boost Potion]. Shelly pursed her lips in doubt. The longer I stay here the more they'll worry. She pushed herself to her feet, yanking the cork off the vial of amber liquid, she downed the whole glass in a single gulp.

"Don't worry, I'll have us back home in no time" She said, sighing. Energy surged through her as the potion hit her stomach, while it did little to remove the cold, it worked wonders for her mind. She pulled open the cabin door. Wind rushed in and flung the door against the wall. And stepped into the storm.

"Good, I didn't need to come drag you out" Halt said, not taking his eyes off the storm before them. Talvik swooped down and grabbed Rowen off the prow.

"You get a break, you won't be much good to your ruler if you collapse and fall into the sea below" Halt said. Talvik flew up into the air with Rowen-in-talon. And then dove. Rowen's screams pierced the air.

"Step out of the way" Halt said. Nythera stepped to the side, the door was still flung open from the wind, rattling on its hinges. A giant silver shape rocketed through the air, heading straight for the cabin. It rushed right past her, Rowen's screams passing by her as he was thrown into the cabin. Talvik… giant Talvik pulled the door shut with his dagger sized talons. Got it, when Halt says do, I should just do it.

Nythera once again took command of the ship with her skills, the sails snapping to a specific angle and the steering wheel wrestling free of the control of the waves. I have no idea where I am going.

"Halt, in what direction is Grandport? I need a heading" She shouted over the waves. He turned to face her.

"I have no idea" and shrugged. This guy is fucking useless, guess I'll have to do it myself. She climbed the ropeways leading up the central mast, using [Synchronized Thunder] to try and keep the ship steady. It wasn't working. The wind nearly blasted her off on three occasions and she swore she saw a kraken watching her. Near the upper part of the mast, she could finally see out past the swells when the ship climbed a wave, she could see past them all.

The flux was so wild that practically everywhere it was creating its own formations and coalescing at random. She watched with an incredulous look as lightning flux accumulated at random points in the sky and rocketed down towards the sea. Wind flux would glide through the others, coalescing into massive battering rams of force that could slip waves. Through it all, in the distance off the portside, she could see flux, denser than on the sea.

That must be the direction, the islands seem to attract flux, probably because of the dungeon. Still, I can't even see the island… oh well. She slid down the slick ropes and landed on the deck with a thump. Redirecting the ship, the Sea Queen turned 30 degrees to the north, pivoting on the backside of a giant wave.

"Halt, it would be great if you helped out" Nythera shouted over the sea.

"I cannot assist you, your voyage is your own." Halt said, not even bothering to face her. Talvik let loose another gale into the sails, rocketing the ship forward. Up and down, up and down, they coasted across the seas, battling for every foot of progress. What felt like days later but was likely no more than a few hours was all it took for the dark shadow Myrraval to come into sight.

"Land Ahoy!" Halt called out. Finally. I can go home. Something slimy sounded from her right. SMACK