Although the islands were small, they made it up for quantity. The vegetation was lush, too. All sorts of colorful birds flew in and out of the islands, while some land animals peeked from the outskirts of the forest. The shores were abundant with mollusk-covered rocks and schools of fishes swimming in the shallows.
No wonder why I heard nothing about starvation so far. Food was everywhere.
It was surprising why only one island – the biggest one – was settled on and not the others along the chain. If they wanted spices so bad, they could’ve at least found ways to grow it themselves and build plantations. But that just gave me an idea. I didn’t want to depend on Atala for spices. Maybe I should buy one of these islands and build a plantation myself?
Rulof rowed from one island to another, staying as close as he could to the shorelines. Strong gusts of wind blew, but the waters remained still. I could never get used to that. The only explanation for it was, well, this was a fantasy world.
Rulof and I changed turns rowing, sometimes letting the wind take us eastward to rest our arms. Eventually we got tired and it was time for lunch. I brought some food, but Rulof said we could just eat fresh ones. So he grabbed a harpoon and was preparing to dive.
“Hey lemme tag along,” I said, grabbing a harpoon of my own.
“You can fish?”
“Of course,” I said.
Well, it was thanks to that elf back in the cult.
I dove into the ocean after him. And, boy, my vision was clear. I swam faster and more efficient than I expected. So this was the racial trait of a Ceocadin elf, huh?
Not too far deep and the seafloor was already teeming with life. Colorful corals decorated the seafloor with all sorts of marine creatures swimming around. It wasn’t too different from Earth. Hell I could convince myself that I was just in Bali for vacation.
I stabbed some big fishes with ease. And skillfully so, too. I got back up with three huge fishes that reminded me of halibut and sea bass still flapping.
Rulof emerged with a couple of sea bass-like fishes.
“I didn’t know Suhkadis can spearfish very well, sire!”
“I’m unique.”
“Would you be eating them all?”
“No, unfortunately.”
“Then it’s best we return them to the ocean. They can still give birth to more fishes.”
I did what he said. Although stabbed, the fishes still flapped energetically. I guess it was thanks to their size. The halibut was too big for me to eat so I tossed it and a sea bass back into the waters.
We sat back on the boat drenched, letting the afternoon sun dry us. When Rulof said eating “fresh,” he meant it. He stabbed the fish’s brain to kill it. Then, he poured a clear, brownish liquid from a bamboo canteen into the fish, sliced a piece, then popped it into his mouth.
“I thought we’re gonna cook it.”
“Better eat it fresh, sire. Want some?”
He passed me the container. I sniffed it. It was a very strong alcoholic vinegar.
“What’s this made of?”
“Fermented coconut juice with some herbs and salt. I made it myself.”
I tasted it. It was salty and sour with a bit of zest and earthy kick to it.
I sliced a bit strip of meat, poured some vinegar on it and popped it in my mouth. It was such a refreshing taste. I was never into raw food like tartare and ceviche, but that was very narrow-minded of me. I just hope I didn’t get any salmonella from this, but I wouldn’t mind eating it from time to time.
It was a very filling meal to eat alongside the cassava bread and stir-fried fish and veggies I brought. I wanted another fish, but too much and I might get too drowsy from overeating. So, we continued our journey.
“I think we’re close,” Rulof said.
Although the sun was still a couple of hours away from setting, it got unusually dark. The air got colder and more humid. Then I realized it was a mist thickening as we rowed further. The idea of a misty island in broad daylight in the middle of the sea was somehow unsettling.
“It’s always been weird how the mermaids gathered here instead of around Agaphonet’s remains.”
“Agaphonet’s remains?”
He told me about an island made of the titan serpent’s, Agaphonet, bones. It was located north-east from here and ships typically pass by it. Although there hadn’t been any mermaid sightings there for several decades, people steer clear away from it.
“How they chose to guard the blacksteel instead of Agaphonet’s remains baffles me,” he added.
“Maybe they don’t want more people gaining the weapon that could kill them.”
“That’s what everyone believes, too.”
The mist thickened enough that the sun became a blurry glowing blot in the horizon. The calm waters dropped into freezing temperature. Even the wind was freezing. Rulof hastily moored the boat to the shore where an abandoned small lighthouse sat alone.
“I can’t take you any further, sire.”
“Right,” I said, “so where’s that mermaid island supposed to be?”
“Just follow the shores eastward and it’ll take you to a marooned carrack. Sail further and it should bring you to the island.”
The mist was too thick to see anything from here. So I had no other choice but to sail through it. Although I had an initial burst of confidence, I felt it fade away from the uncertainty this place had.
I should’ve fucked Atala as much as I could so I gained all of her powers.
“I can do this,” I whispered to myself. “Rulof, you sure the mermaid won’t come here?”
“No,” he said, swallowing, “maybe, but I have the items to ward them off. I just have to fortify myself in the lighthouse until you arrive.”
I smiled at him. He was braver than I thought, unlike that elf-ogling elf. “Good luck, Rulof.”
“Rum tides, sire.”
I was gonna ask what it meant but I shrugged the thought and left.
And so I began rowing. The lighthouse quickly vanished into the mist as I rowed away. It was freezing. The waters were still. Blocks of ice started appearing as visibility neared zero. I couldn’t see anything past the boat.
And it was dark, too, but not very. I set a fireball on my palm and pointed it eastward while I rowed just enough to keep the boat moving. I wasn’t even sure where east was anymore.
I had no clue how many hours had passed, but it was almost pitch dark. I had to keep a bigger fire ablaze to illuminate my surroundings, but I was careful not to burn the sail.
“This is getting scary as fuck,” I said.
I was beginning to regret this. Did that island even exist? It might just be a mermaid’s tale to lure victims deeper into wherever their lair was. But I hadn’t sighted any mermaids yet. At least not up close. I kept [Eyes of the Hunter(Master)] constantly on but had never seen anything so far.
Just as I was losing hope, I heard a faint sound of waves slapping against the beach. I felt my energy return as I rowed energetically towards the sound. I never missed land this much.
After a few minutes of rowing, the boat finally hit soil. I hopped off the ground, relieved. But it was still dark. Pitch dark. I had no idea what kinds of creatures awaited me in this island. Hell, this might be the island I was looking for. So I grabbed my dagger and conjured a fireball for light.
The sand crunched beneath my feet. Other than the slapping waves of the sea and the eerie whistles of the cold wind, it was quiet. No insects chirping or leaves rustling. I’d never felt so on-guard even compared to my journey in Xitlachtan.
I arrived at the fort… or at least what it used to be. The island lacked any greens, leaving only the ruins of what might be a massive wall. A huge section tumbled inward, leaving obstacles I had to jump over. It took me ten minutes to reach the still-standing keep. I ascended the stairs and went inside.
The main hall wasn’t too spacious. Probably because of the rubble everywhere. Pieces of ruined furniture littered the floor, so I used them to light fire.
“Oh, boy.”
There were skeletons. Lots of it. They still wore the corroded metal armors with their decayed weapons sitting not too far. Just a few steps from the fire and I already encountered a dozen.
“What the hell happened here?”
Maybe the tale of King Iowans was real, after all. But why would he abandon a lot of soldiers behind?
I detected zero heat signatures so far. But I had a growing suspicion someone was watching me. If my skill couldn’t detect it, then they might as well be made of ice.
I explored further. It was mostly ruined furniture, skeletons, and corroded equipment everywhere. Even the armories barely had anything useful left other than scraps of metal.
I entered the last room on the third floor. It was most likely the king’s room. How did I know? I found a corroded metal box with jewelries just sitting on the ground.
“Lucky!” I said as I shoved a fistful of gold and gemstones into my pockets.
Then I went on to exploring the other buildings around. Most were rundown. But one of them still stood. It was the smithy built right next to the castle. Nothing survived inside apart from thick metal chains, the anvil, and a huge ruined forge.
I searched anywhere for blacksteel but found nothing. Almost everything was gone. Was blacksteel susceptible to corrosion too?
“Maybe they’re buried in the forge,” I said.
So I dug it up. I had to do it carefully because these blacksteel might be as tiny as prills. I had to crush the bricks in case they meshed with it during the melting process.
It was a slow process, but I was eager to find that metal. Then I grabbed something very light despite its size. Surprisingly, it was tough. Nay, it was indestructible.
I inspected the hard chunk under the light and it was pitch black. However, it gave off a very glittery sheen.
“No way…”
Could this be the blacksteel I was looking for? I tried breaking it but ended up sliding my hand against a slightly sharper edge. It cut so deep my thumb bled profusely.
“Yup, this is it. I fucking found the metal of legends.”
I just couldn’t believe it was true. Well, the fort ended up being true. After wrapping my finger I searched for more blacksteel. I found about fifteen chunks ranging from the size of a baseball to a basketball. I couldn’t get my smile off my face as I stared at the pile.
“Shit, it is real.”
With this, I should be able to deliver on my promise to Atala. But I would still need blacksmiths to melt and forge these into spearheads and arrowheads. Not to mention I had to somehow find my way back. Happiness didn’t seem to last that long.
A shadow moved swiftly from the window. Instinctively, I shot a fireball towards it, but it was gone. I grabbed my dagger, set a large fireball on my palm and went out.
“Come out, you fucking stalker!” I yelled.
That thing moved too fast on land to be a mermaid.
I heard sands crunching from behind and swiftly turned around. It was gone quick, but it left a track. Not footsteps, but something long and unbroken. It reminded me of Suruina’s serpentine trails. It could be mermaids, after all.
I knew it was a trap and it wanted me to follow. So I ignored it and went back to my boat, carrying all the blacksteel with telekinesis. I kept my guards up on my way to the boat. I couldn’t stay longer here.
“Of course it’s gone.”
The boat was nowhere to be seen. I left it next to the boulder so I didn’t lose it. The whole thing was just gone, not even a piece remained.
If the mermaids wanted me dead, they would’ve attacked me anytime. Unless they wanted me alive to eat me or torture me.
Not like I could fashion anything to float on the sea. The surviving furniture wood were as brittle as styrofoam.
“Fuck.”
After spending hours searching the island for pieces of wood, I found nothing.
“There goes my last hope.”
I had no other choice but to follow the trail. So, I hid the blacksteel chunks back in the smith and followed the trail. I knew I was walking into a trap, but fuck it. I hoped and prayed those mermaids could be reasoned with.
The trail led to a damp cave. I went inside and it was just as cold. Water drops echoed across the hallway and sometimes, flapping and splashing sounds followed. The water raised as I went deeper. Eventually, the hallway opened up into a bright, blue cavern.
A glowing blue pool sat in the middle surrounded by stalagmites. In it was a blue-haired woman washing her hair, her back facing mine. She was humming a gentle tune, and it creeped me out. I looked behind to make sure I wasn’t being ambushed.
“I know you have something to do with my boat. I want it back.”
She just kept humming. I stood my ground. I tried not to appear hostile in case these mermaids were people and not monsters, but I just couldn’t drop my guard.
“Are you Agaphonet?” I asked.
Then she stopped brushing her hair.
“Uh, you probably are. Look, I need my boat back.”
In the blink of an eye, a shard of ice shot at me. I dodged in that instant, watching the ice shatter against the wall.
“You are not friendly—”
WHACK!