"So, what did you want to show us?"
Aileen carefully glanced around and closed the door tightly. Making sure no one was following us, she pulled out a fairly large chest from under the bed.
"This item is incredibly complex to craft, making it quite unique," the engineer placed the chest on the table and smoothly opened it.
Inside was an octagonal crystal about thirty centimeters high, exuding magical energy.
"Hmm, a magic crystal... and what spell is recorded on it?" There were inscriptions in ancient language around the crystal's edge, but I couldn't read them all. "I think I've seen the same spell before... on the little orb in your helmet."
"You're right. The principle is the same, but this one is on a larger scale. It's a connecting crystal, linked to a similar one in the Empire. With this crystal, I can communicate with the Emperor. However, creating something like this was incredibly difficult. It took two of the largest magical crystals in the Empire, not to mention the time difference... I hope the Emperor won't be upset if I disturb him in the middle of the night."
The girl placed her hands on the crystal, and it started emitting a soft bluish glow.
"Ooooh... Can you predict the future with it?" I decided to tease my comrade while nothing was happening.
"THIS is a serious techno-magical device, not a crystal ball used by market charlatans!" Aileen retorted angrily.
"Mmm, and here I was hoping you could tell me about my future – love, family, children," Katrina took my jest more seriously.
"This crystal was created only for communication!! Do you realize how much effort and materials it took just to connect two locations on different continents!! The money spent on its construction could have built an entire fleet!" Aileen proudly raised her nose, convincing us that she was entrusted with something genuinely important.
"Hmm... And all this just so two people can talk from a long distance?" I asked.
"Yes, it's not a simple matter, you know."
"And how many people can speak through it?"
"Well, only those standing in front of the crystal..." Aileen's confidence gradually waned.
"Right... So basically only two people, or maybe someone close to them."
"Hmm," Katrina frowned in disappointment, "for that kind of money, it could do something more significant."
"Yeah, for example, materialize food, or shoot death rays."
"Or imagine if it could change appearances or clothing colors – that would be great!"
"Yeah, or imagine if it could control the minds of primitive monsters."
"Oh, yes, or make soldiers see illusions. It would be priceless!"
"He can't do any of that!!" Aileen jumped up abruptly, tired of our assumptions. "It's just a means of communication!"
"Oops... You let go of it," I pointed out.
"Ah... I see," Aileen hurried back to the crystal, but the glimmer had already ceased. "I'll have to call again."
"There's no need; I already answered a while ago, but you were engrossed in your lively conversation, and I didn't want to interrupt," a calm voice came from the crystal, and the image of a man with long chestnut hair appeared on its surface.
"Wow, it actually shows," I tapped the image with my finger, but it remained still. "Hmm, interesting."
"Hey!" Aileen pushed me away, covering the crystal with her body. "This is not a toy but a very important and expensive device."
"And how do you communicate through it?"
"I place my hands on the crystal, and the second crystal begins to flicker. Then the Emperor opens the communication channel."
"Hmm, and is it possible in the opposite direction?"
"Well, in principle, yes," the Emperor scratched his chin thoughtfully, "but you need to read the spell written on the crystal and have at least some magical abilities. So, I doubt Aileen could respond to me."
"Whoa... And how do you disconnect?"
"I read the reverse spell, and the crystals are deactivated."
"So, Aileen can't turn them off, and even if she closes the chest, you'll still hear everything?"
"I don't trouble her with such problems; I always sever the connection immediately. Besides, it consumes a considerable amount of energy, and the crystals can accumulate only so much. In a day, there's enough energy for about ten minutes."
"Hmm, for example, if you finished your conversation, and then you got distracted, walked away from the crystal, forgetting to sever the connection. Aileen thought it was all over and decided to take a bath, undressed, and suddenly you approach the crystal..."
"WHAT ARE YOU IMPLYING?!" Aileen blushed furiously.
"I would never cause such inconvenience to my subordinate; I always break the connection right away," the dragon turned his gaze away.
"Well, well... except for that barely noticeable twinkle in your eyes," I grinned cunningly.
"THAT'S IT! I didn't invite you here for this!" Aileen calmed down a bit and turned back to the crystal. "Sir, I contacted you regarding an important matter."
"Is it because our patrol fleet in the western seas was decimated by an unknown adversary?"
"Does that mean they have reached you already?"
"Yes, two days ago, something attacked our patrol. With the first strike, three ships were destroyed, and the rest tried to defend themselves, but they had little success. The monster sank ten out of twelve ships and then simply swam away. Most likely, it was just testing our strength, which means it will return. The soldiers can't even provide a clear description of it. It never emerged from the water.
"Well, we are on the island of Meilir now. A couple of months ago, this creature appeared here, proclaiming itself as the god of the seas, and forced all the inhabitants to submit."
"Hm, a sea god... Any powerful sea monster can declare itself as such, but does it have enough intelligence for that?"
"And it terrorized the local people with the help of an army of fish people who obeyed it."
"Fish people obeying someone? Hm-hm-hm," the emperor mused, stepping away from the crystal for a moment. "Ah, I found it. Meilir is the islet to the east of the Academy, right? There should be a cave in the northern cliffs."
"Yes, and Ignis said it was the tomb of Sephris, although there were no skeletons or tombstones there."
"Mmm, and you know that too... Then I have a guess about the creature wreaking havoc in these seas. If it shows up again on our shores, I'll have to deal with it personally. But I think it will first gather a worthy army of followers. Although I know very little about it myself, I'll have to turn to the blue dragons... By the way, you don't know anyone among them with your connections, do you?"
"Mmm, no. I've never even seen them."
"Strange, strange. They live not far from the island. About forty kilometers to the northeast and two kilometers down."
"Down? Underwater??"
"Well, yes. Their city is hidden on the seafloor. They are the only ones of our kind that have gills, so living in the sea is perfectly normal for them."
"Well, as soon as I grow gills, the first thing I'll do is pay them a visit. But for now, we probably won't be able to ask them for help."
"Hmmm, then at least read what is written in the tomb. You can do that, right?"
"I think I can."
"Then search for information about it there. The fish people are unlikely to swim near the cave; they are very afraid of it. Unfortunately, I can't help any further. I won't send troops to you, but if you succeed, I will quell the unrest on this side."
"Well, thank you, that's it then."
"Aileen, is that all you wanted?"
"Yes, Emperor. We need to prepare for the battle. But I will contact you when it's all over. Goodbye."
The crystal flickered with white light and went dark.
"So, now we know that some sea god indeed exists, but we still don't know what it is."
"We need to inspect the tomb," Katrina thoughtfully scratched her cheek. "But we also have to keep an eye on the cliff. If the 'god' returns and learns that his servants were harmed here, he will unleash his wrath on the city's inhabitants."
"We might not know how to deal with him yet, but we can at least divert his attack onto us. Aileen, can you come up with something for the cave? It will still be underwater for two more weeks."
"Well, I have an idea, but I haven't had a chance to execute it yet. A small dome with air supply, enough for three or four people. I started assembling it before, but I never had a reason to finish it."
"Try to complete it as soon as possible. If it returns here after attacking the Empire, it should be arriving soon."
We shared the report from the Empire with our comrades and organized our further plan of action. By evening, Kurone, Grain, and Seleria set off to the cliff, while I, along with Aileen and Katrina, headed to the northern cape, where Sephris's tomb was located.
"Why are we here?" I asked.
"I'll take some measurements," Aileen took out the necessary tools from her bag, "Yes, the cliff is too steep; we won't be able to lower the bell from here. Hold the rope."
Aileen handed me one end of the rope, tying the other end to a small stone. She picked up a pebble, walked towards the edge, and shot it into the ground.
"Hold it tight," the engineer grinned and jumped off the cliff.
"Damn, it's like a thirty-meter drop," I clung to the rope, expecting her weight to pull me off the cliff, but it never happened.
"Don't worry, you wouldn't be able to hold me anyway," I heard Aileen's voice from below, and I leaned over the edge. She was hanging on the cliff, clutching onto something with her right hand. I noticed a harpoon she had shot before jumping, and a thin line was attached to its end.
"What's that?" I tugged the line, and disgruntled cries came from below.
"Easy there! I've got it. Now slowly lower the rope."
After a couple of minutes, the girl untied the stone from the rope and returned to the top.
"Alright," she took out the rope from the water and spread it on the ground, "fifteen meters... It's too deep for a coastal area."
"Is that bad?"
"No, on the contrary, it's exactly what we need. Such depth can only be artificially carved. I saw the entrance to the cave; it's filled up to two-thirds of its height, but the cave itself goes deeper, which means it's fully submerged."
"And?"
"We can approach the shore closely on a ship and descend into the cave. But we must beware of any monsters."
"Let's hope that the emperor wasn't mistaken, and the fish people won't attack us. We'll be defenseless underwater."
"Are you done soon?" I asked Aileen.
"I'll try to finish by tomorrow evening, but I also want to see the cave, so I'll take one spot."
"Guys, something's happening here!" Kurone's voice resounded in our minds.
"What's going on?"
"The sea is boiling in front of the bay, and the preacher is ascending the cliff. What should we do?"
"We are on our way; don't take any action yet."
At the cliff's edge, a man in black robes sat on his knees.
"What shall we do?" his eyes from the bushes stared intently at the peculiar man.
"Krito said to wait for their arrival."
"I heard my people were attacked two days ago."
"Yes, my lord. It seems another group of mercenaries decided to try their luck."
"Hehe, let them try. The stronger my victims, the stronger my slaves will become."
"Master, shall I rally the locals for revenge against them?"
"Do you doubt my power?!"
"No, of course not, my lord. I just didn't want to bother you with such a trifle."
"Kurone, do you see who he's talking to?"
"No, something is hiding underwater."
"I'm so tired of waiting. How much longer will they be there?"
"Master, how are your conquests in the East?"
"Over the centuries, they've built quite an army. I think even I will have a hard time dealing with them alone. I need more slaves, and the stronger, the better."
"Master, what are your orders?"
"I will handle these mercenaries myself. If they turn out to be weaklings, I will offer them as food to my servants."
"Yes, my lord."
"Kurone, how soon will they arrive?"
"They are close now; just hold on a bit longer."
"We don't have time for this; he'll hide soon!"
The red princess' patience snapped, and she rushed to the edge of the cliff.
"How dare you interrupt my prayer!?" the preacher tried to stop the girl, but a blow to his stomach sent him aside.
"I don't care if you're a god or just a big fish, let's see how you handle this!"
The girl raised her hands to the sky, and a massive fireball began to form above the cliff. When it reached three meters in size, she hurled it into the water in front of the cliff. The flames quickly boiled the water, and thick steam filled the shore.
"How do you like that? Heh-heh," the girl clapped her hands with satisfaction.
"What's happening now?" Katrina and I ran towards the cliff when we saw the fireball above it.
"Looks like someone lost their nerves. Kat, get ready to help her with magic," I said.
"I'm already starting," tiny sparks crackled at the princess' fingertips. "I hope he's not as strong as we think."
We climbed the elevation where the fiery sorceress wandered in the mist.
"Oh, did you see how I blasted him with a single strike? He won't feel so good if he dares to come back."
But before the girl could greet us, the ground beneath our feet shook, and something enormous rose above the shore.
"Oh no, not this," the fog still obscured the sea, and all we could see was a massive silhouette, rising more than a hundred meters from the water. The creature's torso resembled a humanoid being, with massive, scale-covered arms and a fin on its head. Terrible burn marks were visible on its shoulders, healing at an unimaginable speed.
"You won't just kill him easily," Katrina brought her fingertips together and released a lightning bolt at the monster. The lightning struck the center of its chest and scattered into small sparks. "If this doesn't get him, I don't know what will."
The girl intensified her spell, doubling the size of the lightning bolt, but it still didn't seem to cause any pain to the monster.
"This is even ticklish. People really think they can compete in strength with gods."
"We'll see about that! Grain!" Seleria called her companion who was still hiding in the bushes. "Help me out here."
The mage ripped several stones from the shore and hurled them at the monster. The girl ignited them in midair, and the flaming boulders came crashing down on the enemy.
"I'm getting tired of this," the monster raised its hand, and a wave crashed against the cliff. We were pushed back by the water's force, but in the flashes of fire, I noticed the monster's sharp, spiny skin on its chest. "You're not so bad compared to the other pitiful humans on this island. I need strong servants, precisely like you."
"If you think we'll submit to you, you're sorely mistaken!" Katrina attempted to gather another lightning bolt, but I stopped her just in time.
"If you strike now, it'll only be bad for us," I nodded towards our soaked clothes and the pools of water covering the cliff.
"Heh, I'll be back in a week, and you'll either willingly become my servants or I'll make you my slaves. Don't even think about escaping, or I'll reap a bloody harvest from this small village."
The monster stepped back from the shore and began to submerge into the water.
"Ha-ha, fools dared to resist Lord Dagon. He will suck your souls dry and make you his obedient puppets. Then, I'll have a good laugh," with a malicious chuckle, the preacher quickly disappeared.