Staring at the wide open expanse of sea, this time I knew what I was looking for as the slightest interuption in the movements of the waves was thought to be an enemy.
So focusing on a particular area where the seas were particularly choppy, my bow and arrow broke apart the sea surface and spilt blood of all kinds.
Of course not all of them weren't actually threats to the incredible monster that this ship was filled to the brim of and was actually made from.
Imagine my surprise when i found out that this ship was not only made out of the flesh and bone of other ships but also made out of the infected monster plants that made their ways into the sailors hands.
The amount of monster flesh? on this ship made me appreciate how much effort went into making this ship.
The amount of it was nothing to scoff at.
There was still more in the ships hold as well.
The figurative monsters aboard also played a part in it.
But as the arrows streaked across the surface of the water once again to split it and pierce straight through a shark that peaked its head out of the water.
I watched as the subordinate of that shark boss sink back into the deep.
Or as far as it could sink before it was torn to bits by its comrades.
My arrows didn't discriminate when they paid respects to the corpse by eating it.
Was it cannibalism that the sharks were practicing?
"Slade!" Waving at me from atop the deck, a few sailors shouted towards me as they made their way up the rafters.
Climbing up the ropes I nodded towards them and jumped right off.
If someone jumps off from a height that would've definitely killed literally anyone else such as the 100 meter tall height that I was jumping off.
Anyone lesser would be pancakes by now.
That was if we were just disregarding the supernatural abilities that could just offset the fall.
Double jumping just a few meters off the ground and rolling against it, I nodded to the sailors who nodded back.
Going back to their duties, someone else came up from below deck and waved towards me with their green scalyish hand.
"Hey there Accidental! You really became stronger since I saw you huh?"
It was Guillian.
Recalling the small gecko like man that was scratching their chin through the orange veil of theirs who gave me a mutation, I looked at him once again.
Having gotten rid of the incredibly large bag filled to the brim with corpses since there was no need for it anymore.
"The guy you picked up in the water just woke up, I thought you would want to know, and actually why did you do that in the first place? I'm pretty sure that he would've died if you didn't get to him in the first place, But-"
Ignoring the ramblings of the gecko man who was half my height, I absent mindedly nodded.
It was honestly a whim of mine to just jump into the water to save someone that was being torn limb from limb by sharks.
I was honestly surprised with myself.
I wasn't the impulsive type I don't think.
But at the time I felt as if I was compelled by a higher force.
I might've actually been when taking into account the name and title of the man that the system presented to me.
Recalling the words, I couldn't help but chuckle to myself depreciatingly.
[The Old man (Skeletron)]
Besides having no name unless they told me only having a prefix, the name that appeared after it was all that I needed to know.
[Skeletron]
The giant skeleton of a god reanimated and out for a vengeance.
Moving through the large hallways of the wooden ship, following the relentlessly rambling mouth of Guillian.
Soon enough, I finally reached the part of the depths of the ship that I was looking for.
Funnily enough the ship was big enough that I needed a few days to map the entirety of it.
It was as large as a small village.
Of course that wasn't really large, but when taking into account that this was a ship that was supposed to be water proof and ship worthy while taking into account the many layers a ship was supposed to have.
It was stupidly big.
Opening the door to the main part of the medic quarters in the ship, following Guillian who finally shut up.
No offense to you.
You just speak to much.
Moving past the dreary brown surroundings, the medic of the ship glanced at me with a strange look on is face before turning his attention back to one of the many sailors on the ship.
The ship didn't really have the best hygiene albeit it was better than the conditions on the island.
Ignoring the woman whose arm was literally turning into some sort of pus monster.
I stared at the old man and gestured for Guillian to move away.
and although he seemed reluctant, no Idea how I knew that, he nevertheless nodded and moved out of the medical quarters.
And I'll just ignore the fact that he just took someone's arm with him.
Staring at the old man I opened my mouth.
That is I tried to open my mouth if not for him suddenly moving underneath the covers and grabbed my arm with surprising force.
"ThEY- HACK COUGH COUGH"
Voice breaking in the middle of their words, the old man who's name whom I didn't know burst into a gaggle of hacks and coughs.
Clearing their throat, the old man stared at me with reddened eyes before speaking again.
"The sailors told me you were the one that saved me."
Hearing that question I nodded.
"Yeah I did, I don't know why I did but I did, not sure how you're perfectly fine after being torn apart limb from limb as sharks feasted on you, how are you fine."
Hearing that poorly veiled question in the form of a statement, the ragged old man with greying hairs desperately nodded and spoke.
"That's because of my Master makes sure that his vessels don't die easily."
Clenching the fabric of the sheets on the bedframe uneasily to the point that his veins were popping out from underneath his pale skin, the dull red eyed man desperately looked at me.
"So please kill me."
"I'm sorry what?"
Staring at the man who suddenly wanted to kill himself in front of me, he stared at me desperately with wide open eyes of red.
And in those pools of red I could see something else that wasn't human staring back.
---
---
The great city of Adventurers, one of the many that existed in the world of Axia.
Called Carratura, it was located dead centre on the corrupted front.
And in this case, this was a particularly exceptional city in the fact that it was located at an incredibly valuable chokepoint where monsters that have been corrupted by the purple haze concentrated themselves.
And as CenterPoint of trade and commerce where the rare and valuable body parts of the corrupted were sold to be used in magical experiments and alchemical reagents.
It was incredibly colorful and bustled with life all day and night, providing a beautiful piece of scenery to the adventurers that wandered here underneath the allure of money.
Keywords here was that it 'was' a beautiful place.
The city of adventurers had been destroyed.
The once towering stone towers that had been crafted by masters of the craft had been reduced to rubble as the lumbering stone behemoths had been felled by their own gravity.
Resting against the ground, a statue devoid of limbs and face lingered on the premises as the golden plated statue that was made by amassing the funds of the city to honour the figure that gave their life for the city.
Not that they knew he was still alive since arising from beyond the dead was something out of myth and legend.
But strangely enough, despite the dilapidated and broken state that the city was in.
The city was devoid of monsters as if repelled by some unknown force as a shimmering gold barrier had erected itself in favor of protecting the city.
Usually when the walls of a city had been broken down, the main cause is usually due to an outside force wanting to come in, whether that be an attack from a neighbouring country/ city or in this case monsters.
Since they spent flesh and blood trying to get in it only made sense to stay in no?
But thanks to the golden curtain erected around the city it stayed protected as the monsters of the city all lingered around the golden curtain, ignoring its presence as if it wasn't there.
As if they couldn't even see it was there.
It helped that anything that touched it turned to ash, but the monsters made no movement to the barren city that was nearly devoid of life for life always finds a way.
Slowly freeing themself from the rubble, Sky, the wandering merchant hailing from the eastern shores of Minaft alongside a few others had survived.
But why did the city that was supposed to have strengthened its defences after the recent peril where they would've been overrun otherwise suddenly fall.
Well that would all be thanks to the monster of the purple depths that served as the corrupteds king and overlord.
The Eater of Worlds.
---
*Five days ago from the present time.
One month had passed since the unknown man had given his life to save the city from the clutches of the corrupted monsters.
Ever since then, the amount of people paying their respects to the man had lessened, but nevertheless respect was given where respect was due.
And since then, alongside a rebuilding and reinforcing of the cities defences in many places where flaws were found and fixed.
Investigations had been launched at the same time to find out what the hell had set off the corrupted monsters to even attack the city of adventurers in the first place.
And the results were nothing but shocking.
It was shocking enough that a horde of monsters that were usually reclusive attacked in masse.
It was even more shocking however when signs of a boss monster arose were controlling them.
It was however.
An even larger of shock to the adventurers and citizens residing in the city of Carratura however, when said boss monster appeared from the ground at the walls of the city.
Digging straight through the ground and the walls, the city of adventurers prided walls had been breached...
Again.
And just when things were falling into despair as the city was being quickly torn apart by encroaching monsters and the boss monster.
For reasons unknown to literally everyone in the mortal plane, the heroes statue suddenly exploded into a curtain of golden light and repelled all the monsters from this place.
and of course everyone was thankful for the unprecendentedd miracle, but they weren't stupid.
Knowing that this miracle would soon end, everyone took it as their sign to leave.
This left behind the wandering merchant and co within the rubble, where they would be stuck there for an entire day before they could get out.
And well they should've hoped they didn't.
---
From a distance, purple eyes glowed from the slits of a helmet as the leader of the Corrupted Eye stared at the golden curtain.
Waiting for it to fall.
Waiting for their legion to take control of the earth.
Waiting...
For their lord to come.
+++
Tree that is sorry for the incredibly late upload.
I've been feeling sick lately, Fever, Insomnia, sore throat and vomiting and whatnot.
When I went to the doctor I found out my bloods been infected, so I'm on meds now.
It doesn't really help that my exams are next week and will go on for the following month.
I'm in pain.
So much paper.
So much work
Help.
On that note I'll just finish the next two chapters and will post them soon.
Tree