After a couple hours, Charon could hear muttered comments about being hungry from most of those humans and vampires onboard. Since a lich only needs to absorb life force very occasionally they are fine with only a couple hours, with most of them lasting multiple years before they drain life force. Whereas other undead species only need mana to exist, of course the trade off for most of them can be quite intense at times.
Charon got up, making sure that Hypnos and Nyx were still on his shoulders. Using the telekinesis of Soul Magic he began to condense the air to allow him to walk on it. By doing this he created his own personal pathway to walk above the crowd.
As he walked above them all, all the people below looked before some other soul mages realized they had panicked and forgot they could do this themselves. Many others created platforms for themselves and their family so as to spread out and to lighten the amount of people in the crowds.
Four people however saw him, and realizing they could be back at his side they jumped up onto the platform. Hades, Aeacus, Rhada, and Minos appeared rapidly one after another jumping onto the platform. They opted to simply follow Charon wherever he was going without questions for now.
Charon gave them a nod before continuing on with his task. He eventually reached the stairs leading to the lower deck as he slowly lowered himself down onto the significantly less crowded ship to make his way downstairs.
He was still deep in thought about what he should do when they arrive wherever their destination is. He was snapped out of his thoughts however when he found himself in front of a door which had parts of it looking like they had fused to the wood.
Feeling a connection with part of the wood, he called upon that connection. As he did so, the wisp of energy slowly turned back into energy before returning to his body.
He gathered up Astral Energy in his throat, this time leaving out the calming effect due to his distaste for it.
"Listen, and listen well! We have food and blood here but we are as of now unsure of how long it shall last the humans and vampires. As such we will be rationing out the food until we arrive, at which point we will hopefully be able to gather food on our own." Charon looked out, while his subordinates warily looked around to keep an eye out for him.
Several people began trying to rush forward thinking themselves entitled to food and all of them quite used to lavish lifestyles. At which point, Aeacus and Minos went into the crowds to forcefully calm them down. Since there seemed to only be one or two veterans on this ship excluding Charon's entourage they could easily take control of the resisting crowd.
Thankfully, at this point several members of the crowd stepped up to help keep the peace for now as well. Charon watched on for a moment before turning to Hades.
"Hades, I need you to get the rations ready for them. Due to your experience as a freelancer I think you will know better than me how to ration." Hades gave Charon a bow in response before entering the room.
And so this was how the rationing began, with Charon's subordinates also receiving help from many Undead races that didn't need food or blood. Many of those helping keep an eye out for greedy people who may steal from others.
After making sure that everyone was fed, having found Elizabeth in the process, Charon's group kept watch on the door to make sure no one would try to sneak in.
While sitting, Charon decided to kill two birds with one stone. As far as his sister and children were concerned, he was just spending time with them and talking. But his subordinates knew better due to being able to see Astral Energy.
While Charon was talking, he was directing his senses towards a miniature version of himself. His mini-self was made entirely out of Astral Energy and had many weapons made out of Astral Energy that he picked up and tried out.
From swords to halberds, The mini-Charon was trying out various weapons that Charon had witnessed in the past. With his full control over his soul now, he decided to try using his mini-him to see if he could treat it as if it was his own body.
Charon thought about this little experiment when he realized his current state of being a combination of soul and body. As for why he was trying out various weapons?
He realized that in some situations he wouldn't be able to use Magic or his Astral Energy easily and it may be easier to simply use a weapon in those situations. Even though he has already mastered the tigerclaw, he would rather have something he could use his ring for as well.
Especially since his inherent ability, which had not lied to him yet, was telling him that his ring was more than what it seemed. So he ended up deciding to experiment in this way while keeping his family and subordinates company.
And like the waves of the ocean, with their endless ebb and flow, time moved on. They spent each day simply rationing out food and keeping each other company. With Charon occasionally sending out his subordinates to make sure that the rising tension due to the cramped quarters would calm down.
Before they all knew it, A month had passed. After that month however, they could now see what they thought to be their destination, An area covered in forest with a decline towards the ocean leading to a beach big enough for the ship they had been stuck on this whole time.
As they reached closer and closer over the course of the last week of what felt like an eternal month, many began to feel their tension release. They could all feel their freedom from this cramped ship was imminent.
Yes, the excitement was so palpable that you could almost reach out and touch it. As today seemed to be the day they would finally pull into shore, Charon had decided to return to the bow of the ship in front of everyone.
"I believe this is part of the Brindwal continent, more specifically one of the many untamed lands we have heard of. As such there may be monsters or a tribe nearby which will require us to be wary when we first dock." Charon had already gathered Astral Energy to make his voice loud enough for the whole ship to hear.
Murmurs leaked out of those gathered as realization set in of the possible dangers. Of course, even this could not damper the excitement of those gathered, they did however become more wary of the innocent looking beach.
"As such, I shall be taking two of my subordinates and anyone who wishes to come with me to that beach ahead of time to scout things out. The only requirement is for you to either be an adept or veteran. I will also accept any healers or supporters to come with as well." Charon looked out for anyone who looked interested.
At this point two veterans dressed in noble clothes with swords strapped to their chests stepped out of the crowd and jumped toward Charon at the bow. They nodded to Charon and each other in respect of a shared strength before watching for anyone else to take Charon up on his offer.
Rhada, who had been standing with Minos watching over Elizabeth and his children, had to hold Minos back from jumping in. She reminded him of their task with a swift smack to his thick head before motioning towards their master's only known living family.
Charon waited for a moment as a couple of others joined them, some dressed in the robes traditional for a talented mage, before deciding that no one else would join.
As such he looked out over the crowd gathered one last time, "We will be setting out now. I will make sure the coast is clear before coming back. If you arrive and receive no notice of safety… I would suggest you stay on the boat." Charon gave one last glance to his home for the last month before waving his hand.
A giant purple bridge appeared as he waved his hand. He had condensed the air using telekinesis and Soul Mana so as to make a bridge large enough for everyone who was coming to get close enough to the beach to jump.
Letting out a sigh of anxiety at what he will find, Charon took his first step onto the bridge. Taking his time as Hades and Aeacus walked slightly behind him and at his sides. Both of their attention was focused to find any potential dangers to Charon.
"Let us see what our new home has in store to greet us!"