"What'll it be, lads? A cold bath or some coin?"
The Adventurers all glanced at each other. A few invisible messages were exchanged while some peeped at the dark sea just a few steps away. Hunting mutant beasts were not in their expectations when they took this quest.
Athelei too was drawn to look towards the deceptively calm waters.
Splash!
Sudden movement erupted as if replying to his gaze. Water droplets were flung a few metres into the night sky as a huge fish came flying out of the waters. It whistled through the air faster than a galloping horse, heading straight for Athelei.
A tailwhip struck Athelei's chest which might've forced the air out of his lungs if he were made of flesh and blood. It only struck a half-solid fog instead. It could not damage him in the slightest. He had to act the part, though. So he staggered back, sending a flash of olive-gold light at whatever struck him.
Fwhip!
Faster than his Tangible Will though was a faintly glowing harpoon. It skewered the fish and pinned it onto the fishing boat's hull in the blink of an eye.
"Ah, I forgot to mention that part," Apple chuckled callously, "We should be in beast-filled waters by now."
"Sly bastard," The bear-like Adventurer smiled wryly upon seeing the huge northern pike. Those were carnivorous fish that were larger than the average Illyasian. Bleeding to death in the depths of the sea was not on anyone's bucket list.
Athelei stood up and patted the water droplets off his cloak. He took one glance at the still-writhing northern pike before directing his gaze back at Apple.
"What kinds of mutant beasts are we talking about?"
Apple grinned when he heard this, "Just one type, actually."
He then produced a gleaming white pearl the size of his head from within his coat.
"Do you lot know what this is?" Apple asked, scanning the small Adventurer crowd.
"Starwhale pearls?" Jo gasped in surprise, "No... A mutant starwhale pearl? That sells for at least a large silver!"
"Good eye!" Apple gave Jo a thumbs-up, "We'll be killing starwhales if we see em. Mutant or not. That's what most of the fishermen are getting all riled up for in fact, so we need to act fast. The more we kill, the richer we'll be!"
There was greed glinting in Apple's eye when he spoke these words. It was an infectious greed that even the hesitant E-ranks were drawn in. Starwhales were very tempting prey that used to be rare targets.
Now, however, it seemed that the predicted beast tide might be luring them in somehow. What's more, there was a chance for mutants as well.
"So, lads. Let me ask one last time," Apple hid the white pearl inside his coat, "Do we hunt?"
"We hunt!" The Adventurers thundered in reply.
"Then get to work!" Apple grinned widely. He boomed, "Raise the sails! Move into deeper waters! Pray to Libra for a grand haul!"
.
.
.
The boat had been bustling after Apple's loud commands. The Adventurers had been scuttling around, doing the tasks required of them with vigour and excitement. The prospects of starwhale pearls were madly tempting.
Athelei was suppressing his urges to open the Information Network. He could not expose the fact that he could access more than one colour of the Cosmic Interface. Thus, he barely had an idea of what starwhales could be.
All he knew was the simple equation: starwhales equals silver coins.
And he needed the money, no different from his fellow Adventurers. So, he had worked with the same excitement flowing through him.
But all that busy business happened half an hour ago.
Now, their fishing boat was floating silently above the surface of the waves. Greedy eyes stared at the waters where orbs of mystic light hovered above them.
They were waiting for their prey.
S p l a s h !
A beast with a head half the size of their boat began rising out of the waters.
"A starwhale!" One of the Adventurers yelled.
Indeed, a whale-like beast appeared to port. Its skin was a deep dark grey, with white spots that spread like constellations. From its blowhole came a fountain of water that rained onto their boat.
"Attack while it's preoccupied!" Apple commanded.
A volley of harpoons flew like bullets towards the starwhale. Each individual harpoon hummed with different powers imbued into them. Their glows were now much greater in the hands of a wielder. Whether it was an Artist, Dictator, or Evolver, they could supply the barbed spears with power from their practices.
The starwhale's body was now illuminated well by the mystic light orb, and its huge size made for the perfect target.
Apple's special harpoons perforated the starwhale, sticking into its muscle after bypassing its blubber.
On our Earth, perhaps whaling wouldn't have been done in this way. There wouldn't be any chase here, the whale won't be tired out before its death, nor would the whaleboats have to be discharged.
It was bloodier here, where Athelei was born.
"Tear her apart!" Apple roared, his muscles bulging and oozing power. He was now half-naked, with only his underpants on.
But his body exuded a heat that Athelei could feel from a few feet away.
The rest of the Adventurers heeded the command as bursts of Tangible Will or muscle strength made the air hum.
Artists like Athelei drew strengthening marks on the harpooners. The Hunter pattern was the most used, while a few drew a pattern called Anchor onto the ship itself.
A spray of blood suddenly erupted metres into the night sky.
One of the Adventurers stumbled backwards, his harpoon flying back into his hands. Attached to the harpoon was a huge chunk of flesh, messily torn from the starwhale. The flesh was bubbling as if corroded by chemicals, and a foul burned smell spread from it.
More blood was then drawn and sprayed, as the starwhale was brutally torn apart.
It was a disgusting sight, as the beast thrashed and writhed on the surface of the sea. It wished to dive down and swim away, but the harpoons that tore it apart was inhibiting it. Blood flowed like a river from the dying beast.
More harpoons were pulled back by the Adventurers until a flash of white light sparkled like a star from within the bloodied starwhale body.
"There!" Apple yelled, "Dictators! Retrieve the pearl!"
Different colours of Tangible Will shot out from the fishing boat, collectively wrapping around the white pearl.
"Heave!"
"Ho!"
The starwhale's pearl was wrenched out from its dying body as another fountain of blood spurted out.
Thud!
The pearl landed on the deck of the boat as many of the Adventurers stumbled. They wiped the sweat that dripped from their brows and ogled the fist-sized white pearl that sat beautifully on the deck.
"Ha-ha!" Apple gave a few of the Adventurers heavy pats on the back, "Well done, lads. Now rest yourselves. The night is still young."
Smiles of accomplishment littered the faces of the Adventurers. If they could hunt another starwhale in the next half an hour, and continue on that pace until morning, then their pockets would be heavy before breakfast.
"Let's move! We can't let anyone steal our prey!" Apple's commands rang out in Athelei's ears once more.
An artificial gust of wind blew against the raised sails, and the fishing boat moved out of the bloodied waters of its own creation.
The starwhale was left behind to bleed and perish.
"Wasteful," Athelei heard a voice mutter near him. He looked over and found Jo, who was also watching the dying starwhale's shadow.
Jo sighed before turning around to resume his task.
'Curious,' Athelei thought as he kept to himself, 'A conflict of ideals, is it?'
Athelei then glanced into the distance where more lights littered the wide sea. He let his imagination run and imagined what kinds of conflicts the different fishermen might have.
Prodded by an atmosphere of greed and a need for coin, how wildly would they fight?
Athelei licked his lips in expectation, while his previous experience of thievery influenced his human emotions. It brought him back to the questions posed not by him, but by his fellow Adventurers.
'C-rank Adventurer Cammille... Why exactly is she here? And how much of a connection do the Nightwalkers have with this impending beast tide?' Athelei wondered as he scrubbed the blood off the deck.
He felt the moment when the starwhale died, and he reeled in the residues of its consciousness. Athelei devoured it with the fog of himself that he had sneakily left behind.
It made him scrunch his brows in intrigue when he did so, '...Is there something foreign in the starwhale's consciousness?'
There was a subtle chilly feeling that had sprouted from within its consciousness. It was eerily reminiscent of the Nefarious Icon's plague-like abilities, although much, much more docile and less threatening.
Instead of an instant push into insanity, it was like a subconscious suggestion instead.
'Curious indeed...' Athelei could see a few answers to his questions already.