Bam! New chapter.
Chapter 20.
From below.
âA..A..Atsju! Healthy air, my assâ¦. This place is making me catch a cold.â âYou should have taken that armour off, Dareth. Weâre practically safe here anyway.â Said Jadira. âAnd then? Get even colder?â âNo, you could have moved a little closer to me without the danger of giving me bruises with that armour.â Karima was laughing while preparing breakfast. âIf you want more of me, just say soâ¦â Said Dareth with a blink. âHaha, so what if I do hm?â Jadira moved closer to Dareth and brought her face near hisâ and just as easy stood up and walked off. âBah, you teaseâ¦. Where are you going anyway?â âThe ladies room!â
After Jadira returned they started breakfast. There were some leftovers from the crab. They ate it with some bread and drank from the waterpouches they had been refilling the past few weeks. When they were done, Dareth dug a hole and threw the remains in it. âYou said there was a small town to the north right?â Algaran nodded. âAye, a small fishing town. Itâs been 113 years exactly since I last visited it.â Karimaâs jaw dropped. âWhat?! 113 years! It might just as well be gone by nowâ¦.â âQuiet. I wouldnât be a mage if I was unprepared. Iâve sent aâ¦.scout ahead. The town is still there.â âLook! Over there!â Jadira was pointing to the North. Smoke was rising in far distance. âFire! The town! Hurry!â Everyone quickly mounted their horse and went to the area where the smoke came from. After a long sprint they saw the scenario and realized what happened. The town was razed.
Dareth pushed a wooden beam aside and walked through the debris. âWhat the **** happened here? And where is the thing responsible for this mess?â The others followed Dareth. Algaran recognized an inn. âThey really served the finest ale here. What a shameâ¦â âIâm afraid thereâs more to it then just the ale, Algaran.â Said Jadira. He nodded. âI know, but I just had one of those flashbacks. This used to be such a lovely place. So many friendly people, always busy earning their life. When I spent the nights in the inn here, I would wake up just before sunrise, to see the seagulls fly in the rising light of the sun, following the fishermen who sailed to the horizon. I actually planned to stay a few days here.â âSounds like this was a very nice place⦠However, our first priority is finding survivors and a boat.â They sought the place for hours, but there was no luck in finding survivors. Everyone was dead. Burned, stabbed, severed, crushed. âWhy are there scales all over the place?â Asked Karima âScales?â Said Jadira âFish scales. Just look, theyâre everywhere.â âWell this a fishing town.â âThese are not normal fish.â Karima picked up one of the scales. âLook, itâs too thick for a fish.â The scale was about an inch thick. âSo, what could it be then?â Asked Dareth. âIâm afraid weâll find out soon enough. Whatever attacked this place, we will encounter it sooner or later. Letâs try to find a boat now.â
âWhat about this one, it needs a new sail though.â Karima was standing on the deck on a from what it looked like intact ship. The sails were ruined but everything else still looked pretty good. Jadira nodded. âThis one will do, letâs find a sail.â âNo need. Check down below. Most fishing ships always have spare ones.â Algaran was right, there was a spare sail below deck. They followed Algaranâs instructions and applied the sail to the mast. The sail was plain white. The ship was not a fishing ship. It looked a lot more like a wealthy tradesmanâs ship. It had a lot of fancy woodcarvings on it and the wood was in a very good condition. The sleeping cabins were very comfortable. A fishing ship would have hammocks but this ship had actual beds. Jadira checked out one of the rooms, she laid down on the bed and found it very much to her liking. âMmmm, not even the inn in Alnon had such nice beds. I could sleep forever in this.â For a brief moment she closed her eyes and already imagined how it feel like to sleep in it. Dareth stood in the door opening and couldnât help but to smile. âDonât get to comfortable yet, thereâs probably still a lot to do.â Jadira opened her eyes and smiled back. âPerhaps. Though I really wouldnât mind getting comfortable here with you, right now.â âI see we share the same feelings about that bed.â They both laughed. Algaran overheard the conversation. âHey you two, get up here and make yourself useful instead of heating that room up!â âWatch your words, pervert!â Jadira yelled. Algaran wisely didnât say anything else. Dareth and Jadira came back right away though. After they checked on everything, Algaran approved they were ready to leave.
âWhat about the horses?â Said Karima. âNow that you mention it, I was hoping we could leave them here in the town, as I used to do when I cam here, but in itâs current condition that will not be an option. Taking the horses with us is impossible, there just isnât enough room. Sending them back is our only choice.â Karima realized that would be for the best. âI suppose they can make it back. Itâs Spring now, so there should be plenty of food for them.â Algaran nodded. âAye, they should be alright.â After a short farewell everyone boarded the ship.
âHold it right there!â They were about to depart from the dock when a voice came from behind them. Karima turned around. âRowe! Ungar!â âDonât you dare to leave without us!â Dareth took a rope and jumped of the ship on the dock. He quickly attached the rope. âI see youâve changed your mind. How come?â âTo be honest. I would regret it if all of you were to die in a place while I might have prevented it.â âIf thatâs the case, then weâll have you gladly, my friend.â Dareth shook Roweâs hand and quickly stroked Ungarâs head. They climbed aboard and departed from the dock soon thereafter. Karima was wrestling with Ungar all over the deck. Once again Ungar tried to lick her face all over and she resisted with everything she could. Karima was laughing and Ungar barked playfully. The sight of it was rather amusing. After a while both Karima and Ungar were exhausted and took a break. Algaran was steering. Dareth, Jadira and Rowe were controlling the sails. The direction of the wind was pretty constant and barely changed. The razed town and itâs coasts faded from their sight.
âI donât feel so good.â âMe neitherâ¦.â Dareth and Karima were both hanging with their heads over the shipâs edge. âIf I did not know any better, Iâd say those two really are brother and sister, they both get seasickâ¦..â Rowe laughed. âWoman, why donât you help us instead of standing there and make a mockery out of us!â âHelp with what? Throwing up? I can do that. Try to imagine eating a slice of bread with fungus on it after someone vomited all over the thing.â That did it for both of them. After vomiting their meals into the ocean both of they felt a little better.
âI think I saw some bits of crab coming outâ¦.â Said Karima. âStop that, or I will have to throw up again!â âNo more crab for us..â Both Dareth and Karima ate some bread and drank some water to wash away the awful taste, and fill their emptied stomachs. After they were done they went back to their duties on the ship. âSo how long do you expect this will take.â Rowe was having a conversation with Algaran. âIâm not really sure, but the ocean between Evertides and Midland is not really wide. It used to take me about twelve days. But this ship is a lot faster then the one I used back then. If the wind is constant, Iâd say about eight days or so.â âEight days, not bad. By the way. Is there anything we should know about? Iâve heard strange rumours about these waters.â âSpecifically?â âDisappearances of entire ships.â âI see, so the stories have reached far. Yes, even though I never believed it myself, they say a giant sea creature lives in these waters that can swallow an entire ship like this one.â âYou donât believe it?â âWell as a mage Iâm open to that sort of thing, but in my opinion it might very well be pirates or old wives tale.â âEach rumour holds a part of truth.â âThough the bigger part of the rumour is a lie.â Rowe chuckled. âVery true. Still Iâd like you to use your insight just in case. There might the a chance..â âYouâre right. Iâll keep an eye out for anything suspicious, but I wouldnât count on anything suspicious to happen.â
For about four days they had sailed. On the fifth day the wind slowed down drastically. The sun appeared at the horizon. âThis isnât getting us anywhereâ¦â Karima was sitting on the stair to the place where Algaran was handling the steer. âHey pervert, why donât use your powers and create some wind!â âYou better watch your words, you never know how true they might be.â âWhat! Youâve been spying on me!?â âOfcourse not, silly girl, you attempted to upset me, so I returned the favorâ¦â âHmpf.â Karima turned her head away. Dareth went to Algaran. âOi. Can you?â Algaran shook his head. âNo, unfortunately Iâm not schooled in the element of wind.â âGuess weâll have to wait then.â Dareth went back his cabin to wake Jadira. He opened the door. âHey, wake up.â She turned on her side with her back to Dareth. âGo away.. Iâm still sleepingâ¦â âThatâs why Iâm waking you upâ¦. Though thereâs really no reason to. The wind stopped all of the sudden. Weâre not exactly making progress anymore.â She turned around and grinned at Dareth. âWeâll, you might as well join me then.â Dareth chuckled. âI wonât say no to that.â
âUngar? Whatâs wrong boy?â Ungar was laying in a corner with his tail between his legs. He howled. âThat wolf has good senses. He feels something is coming, just as I do right now.â âSomethingâs coming?â âYesâ¦, Karima!â âWhat is it?â âGo get Dareth and Jadira right away!â âAlright.â Karima went through the door down a short stair. She opened the door and saw something she was not supposed to see. Her face turned all red. âKarima!â Said Dareth and Jadira. They quickly covered themselves with the blanket. Karima turned her head the other way. âI wonât ask what you two were just doing, but youâll have to come to the deck right now. Somethingâs wrong.â âWhatâs wrong then?â âI donât know, but Algaran asked me to tell you, that should come up right awayâ âAlright, weâll be right there.â Karima still blushed as she left the room. Dareth and Jadira got dressed and all geared up and went up the stairs.
âWhat is it!?â Said Dareth. âI donât know, but it seems the rumors about this part of the ocean were true after all. Somethingâs coming. Something very big.â Suddenly the waves became higher, but there was no wind. âBrace yourselves!â Everyone held on to something. Suddenly a large shadow appeared on the surface of the water. An enormous tail came from the water and wrapped around the ship. It nearly hit Rowe. âWhat the hell is that!?â Said Jadira. Dareth leaped at it. âI donât know, but Iâm not waiting to find out, we have to kill it before it rips the ship apart!â While jumping he held his sword up and readied himself to slash it. With great strength he hit the large scaly tail, but nothing happened. âWhat the **** is this!? It stopped my blade?â Before everyone realized what happened a large monstrous head emerged from the water. âA sea dragon!â The head raised itself many times the shipâs height above the group. âHow do we defeat that!?â said Dareth. âNo one can⦠All we can do is hope it swallow us whole.â They did not have to wait to find out. The head came down with itâs mouth wide open, and swallowed the entire ship.
âEveryone alright!?â It was complete chaos. Everyone held on to something to prevent themselves from falling off the ship. Finally the ship stopped moving. Everyone got back on their feet. From the looks of it everyone was still on the ship. âIt looks like weâre going down, otherwise we would have been digested by now.â Said Algaran. It was dark, and the stench of digestion was very present. âGot any plans, mage?â Said Jadira. âApart from cutting our way out, no⦠I donât know how tough the inside is, but Darethâs sword could not even scratch itâs tail.â Dareth held his sword up. âGuess weâll just have to find out.â There were no hard scales on the inside and Dareth sliced through the flesh quite easily. However the creature did not appreciate this and it shook his entire body. Everyone had to hold on tight again. âShould I try again?â Algaran shook his head. âPlease no.. Rowe, try that bow of yours.â Rowe nodded and he pulled the bowstring. A bright glowing arrow appeared. He released the string and the arrow pierced the flesh with great impact. He did not hesitate and fired three more. âYou did it!â Allthough they made a hole in the creatureâs flank. Water was pouring in very rapidly and the dragon was in complete agony. Algaran spoke. âWhen the water is high enough we will have to make an attempt to swim out.â
The dragon was lifeless and slowly sank down. The water had reached its lungs and filled them with cold sea water causing the dragon to die. âThis is not good. Weâre sinking. Let me thinkâ¦. Alright, the moment we swim out, we have to look around for air sockets. When weâve done that weâll figure out the next step. The water slowed down with pouring in. âOn the count of three we make a break for it.â Everyone nodded. âWhat about Ungar, Rowe?â Said Karima. âHeâll be fine.â âAlright, one, twoâ¦three.â Everyone swam down to the hole, the water near was red from all the blood and water was very turbid. Algaran created a guiding light on his staff so everyone could follow him. They all swam through the hole and first thing they noticed was the waterpressure. It was unbearable. Dareth quickly swam to Karima and pulled her with him as she was unable to swim. She felt like her head was about to be squeezed by two boulders. With his insight ability Algaran located an airhole and he swam directly to it with the others following him. Algaran reached the hole, his head came out of the water and inhaled the fresh air. Soon the other arrived as well. The pressure was gone. Algaran held his staff up and then they saw it was not just an airsocket. It was a cave, they swam to the rocky bank pulled themselves out of the water.
âThis odd, what is it..?â Algaran was sensing the area and felt strange presences all around them, near and distant. Suddenly Kyros spoke. The runes were glowing brightly red on the surface of the dark blade. âBe very cautious. You have entered a world long forgotten and one that was assumed to be impossible to reach for a long time.â âWhat is this place?â Asked Algaran. âThis is Glyphoth. A world that exists underneath the surface of the Earth. It stretches all across this entire planet. There used to be another entrance, but it was sealed long ago, by the most powerfull witch that ever existed.â âSilke!â âYou know of her, mage?â âOfcourse, she is the leader of my order!. Why was it sealed?â âLong ago after the last eclipse, she travelled with the one who saved the world from the hawk of darkness. When they left Glyphoth they sealed to make sure nothing would every escape from it again. However even though nothing has escaped ever since, something else has moved in. The warriors from the depths, the naga. They will not take kindly to your presence here, be on your guard.â The runes stopped glowing and the sword was back to normal again.
âNaga? What are they?â Asked Dareth. âIâm not sure, but she called them warriors of the depths. Maybe the scales in the town we saw before have something to do with it.â Said Algaran. Karima chuckled. âYou mean like, fishpeople ?â Everyone could not help but to laugh. Algaran recomposed himself. âAlthough it might sound funny, youâre probably not very far from the truth. And if we were to face them, I donât think we will be laughing at all.â Dareth nodded. âHeâs right. If Kyros tells us we should cautious then we should not take this lightly. From what I know she knows a lot about all kinds of lore. If she tells us to be cautious, then we better e cautious. Besides, there are other things here next to those naga. Look around.â Everyone was looking around and the cave seemed to be infested with all kinds of strange creatures and life forms. All the eyes were focussed on the group. Sometimes something sneaked past by them very quickly. âThis place is giving me the creeps.â Said Karima. âThen I propose we should get going.â Everyone agreed. Algaran took the lead with a bright light on top of his staff. The creatures were not used to it and they ran off when they light reached their eyes. âStay close, they canât stand the light.â