"So, you two are the ones takin' up our request today. I'm Adar, the man leadin' this small fishing operation, and you?"
"I'm Keith Wilson, and this is my younger sister Melissa. We're still only F ranked adventurers even after a whole year and a half but it shouldn't be long until we get promoted."
"Well yer both youngins, so there ain't any rush. I'm sure ya got a bright future ahead of ya. Now, how 'bout I show around the ship."
Adar bring me and Melissa out towards the docks and takes us aboard a large boat that's being loaded with a variety of equipment. It feels more like a passenger ship that has been repurposed for fishing. He guides us around the ship to make sure we are familiar with the layout.
"Impressive ain't she, this ship, the Confeitia, is the finest fishin' boat in the whole Kingdom of Talos. A gift from the former Duke of Morrandi. Even before receivin' this ship, our Oslo village was the origin of almost all seafood in the Duchy. Now that yer familiar with here ship, how much did the Guild tell ya 'bout the job?"
While I try and remember exactly what the receptionist said, Melissa speaks up.
"We are to protect the fishermen from monsters and keep a log of all the collected fish."
"Yep, that sounds 'bout right. Basically, ya just have to use that inspect skill on whatever we catch and write it down, then if any dangerous monster shows up just take it down, not that the monsters around these part are particularly dangerous. Simple ain't it. I'll take a gander at why you two accepted this quest, 'cause it's an easy job at sea, right? Most adventurers who take this quest say they wanted some experience at sea. Somethin' 'bout a requirement to rank up or somethin' of the like."
Have our intentions seen through, we both turn a little red before I explain what it means to Adar.
"One of the requirements to become a D ranked adventurer is to have experience fighting sea monsters. According to what we heard from the receptionist at the Adventurers Guild in the town over, Keraca, that this quest is an easy way to fight low ranking sea monsters."
"That explains why our request gets taken so quickly whenever we put it up. Anyways, we be departin' soon, so make yourselves at home. I'll let you know when we get far enough for you youngins to get workin'."
After about half an hour, the ship stop and fishermen begin there work. Some just silently fishing in the back, others are working together to cast a net. Most of what was caught here are small fish and shellfish. After a couple of hours, noon arrives and we move further out into the ocean, going past a cliff, giving us a large open view of the ocean. Eventually, the ship stops once again to repeat the previous process. At some point, the guys fishing pulled up some Talonian Sea Snakes and Melissa and I had to fight them off. The fishermen even pulled up some reef squids, and we had to take care of them too. Both Melissa and I found fighting on a ship to be a completely different experience compared to the stable ground. As an archer, trying to get a good shot without hitting anyone else was difficult but I somehow managed to get by. Melissa, on the other hand, stopped trying to aim her magic and just walked straight up to the monsters to cast right in front of them. I wish she would pay more attention to her safety.
While the monsters around here aren't particularly powerful, I still managed to level up.
Name: Keith Wilson
Race: Human
Titles: Novice Adventurer
Class: Apprentice Archer (Tier 1)
Level: 7
EXP: 32/625
HP: 25/25 MP: 18/28 SP: 87/108
STR: 22
VIT: 15 (+8)
DEX: 28
INT: 19
WIS: 22
MND: 19 (+3)
CHA: 20
LUCK: 7
Skills: Investigate (2), Mana Infused Shot (3), Trap Creation (2), Tracking (3), Danger Sense (Passive)
Magic: Detect Traps
Weapons: Small Dagger (+6 STR, +4 DEX), Kirwood Bow (+8 STR, +10 DEX) (Weapon bonuses only apply when actively being used)
Armour: Basic Mana Infused Leather Armour (+8 VIT, +3 MND)
Details: An young man looking to make a living in the harsh world. Aspires to become an Elemental Archer. Go make your dream a reality.
Nice to see my Mana Infused Shot went up a level. I'm one step closer to being advancing to an Elemental Archer. After taking a quick look at my status, I take a take in the surroundings once more to appreciate the nice scenery, but I spot an unusual island. I call out to Adar and point over in the direction of the island.
"Hey Adar, is there supposed to be any land over there? I don't remember seeing that on the map in the captain's quarters."
"What island... oh that ain't no island, lad. That's the back of one of Zaratan's kin. It's thanks to him livin' in these parts that nothin' real dangerous is around here. Anyways, the two of ya did some good work today. The sun be settin' in a couple of hours, so we're gonna be headin' back now."
As the ship turns around and begins to head back to the village, I feel a chill down my back as my Danger Sense alerts me to something nearby. The alarms in my head are ringing louder than I've ever heard before. I look towards Melissa who also has Danger Sense and see that her face has gone pale and her body shaking, not unlike mine. We briefly make eye contact before we both run over to Adar and warn him after explaining how our Danger Sense started acting up. Quick to realise the situation after seeing how worried we are, Adar guides us to the highest point on the ship to get a good view of what's around us. Off to the distance behind us is Zaratan's kin and far in front of us is the village. I'm looking out port side while Melissa is looking starboard, until she grabs and turns me around, pointing near the cliff.
"Look, over there right by the cliff! There's some kind of shadow moving towards us in the water. I still only have Inspect but you have Investigate, can you tell what it is?"
"My investigate is only at level 2, I can't see the details for something that far."
Although it too far to use investigate on, I can still visibly see the monster poking a portion of its head out from underneath the water. Two sharp eyes, glaring at the ship. I have no doubt that this is what's causing our Danger Sense to go crazy. I turn back to Adar and ask him if the ship can move any faster.
"Already movin' as fast as we can, lad. Even I can see the monster yer talking 'bout. From what I can see it looks like a Sea Serpent."
"A Sea Serpent... isn't that a tier 4 monster, bro? Most tier 4 monster requires a large team to take down. There's no way we can fight one with just the two of us."
Melissa is pulling at my arm with tears beginning to form asking what we should do. But I really don't know what to do here. After a couple of minutes, the monster is still a bit far, but just close enough for me to use Investigate on.
Race: Elite Juvenile Sea Snake (Talonian Regional Variant)
Tier: 2
Level: 5
State: Healthy
HP: 103/103 MP: 16/16 SP: 245/245
STR: 41
VIT: 47
DEX: 24
INT: 41
MND: 13
Details: A special Elite Monster. A Sea Snake that compares in size to a Sea Serpent. Unlike normal Talonian Sea Snakes, it secretes corrosive venom from its body making it dangerous to touch. It has superior vision compared to many other living beings. If it marks you as prey you'd best be careful.
Does this count as being lucky or unlucky? It's only a tier 2 monster, but it's an Elite Monster... this is probably still bad really bad.
"What do you guys want to hear first, the good news or the bad news?"
"Lets hear the bad news first, bro. I want to at least leave on a good note."
"I agree with the lass, finishing with good new is the better idea."
"I got my Investigate off, turn's out that thing chasing us down is an Elite Monster. But it isn't a Sea Serpent like we initially thought. It's just a real big Sea Snake."
"Can we beat it then, bro?"
"It's an Elite Monster so we are still not able to contend with it as we are now. Perhaps if everyone on the ship fought we could kill the snake, but we would lose a lot of lives if we do that. I do think we can push it away with just the two of us while keeping casualties to a minimum, but I can't guarantee anything."
As the three of us step back down to the deck we find that all the men on board are looking out towards the monster as it rises up from the ocean. I feel a strange chill spreading through my body as we all see the pale blue snake stare us down with it unusually sharp eyes. At the very least, I must ensure that Melissa returns safely.