Note: Changed the term Dagon worshippers to Acolytes
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Bathed in the cold moonlight, Lake Vizima at night resembled a tranquil mirror. A thin layer of mist veiled the lake's surface, obscuring the direction for ordinary observers.
The Fisher King skillfully navigated the wooden boat, slicing through the flat lake and leaving behind a trail of ripples. Wayne, seated on the boat, played with a black pearl that was size of an egg that he had obtained from Lala. The pearl possessed a smooth and lustrous surface, emanating a captivating charm. Fitz, Lala's brother, had stolen this pearl, and while it triggered a response from the medallion on his body, Wayne found no record of it in his acquired knowledge.
The Fisher King, stationed at the forefront, maintained a stoic silence, practicing a form of closed-mouth meditation. Apart from the initial announcement of their departure, he uttered no further words. Nevertheless, his adept control and the boat's steady speed indicated that, despite his elderly appearance, he possessed considerable physical strength.
As the wooden boat sailed for approximately half an hour, an island covered in trees and vegetation gradually emerged on the horizon. Black Tern Island boasted a substantial area, almost rivaling the entire new city of Vizima. Within the island's greenery and rocky areas lay remnants of ancient structures. It remained unclear whether these ruins belonged to elves from thousands of years ago or even more ancient civilizations.
Regardless, the island's former inhabitants were long gone, and the abandoned structures were now occupied by a variety of wild animals, plants, and acolytes.
Upon reaching the island in the center of the lake, the Fisher King, adorned in shabby linen clothes, grabbed a hatchet from the bow, seated himself on a stone, and, with clouded eyes, addressed Lala: "I'll wait for you here." Having spoken these words, he lapsed into silence once again.
Observing the Fisher King, Wayne assumed that this enigmatic figure possessed the capability to defend himself. He turned to Lala and inquired: "Lala, do you have a way to determine your brother's location? If not, both you and the Fisher King can stay here and wait for me."
His question was exploratory, but to his surprise, Lala had some tricks up her sleeve. Proudly lifting the colorful conch around her neck, she declared: "Wayne, I can find my brother. There is also a conch similar to this on my brother. As long as I blow this, I can sense where my brother is."
Wayne, eyebrows raised, acknowledged that the Goddess of the Lake had indeed blessed Lala's family with remarkable gifts. After a brief contemplation, he suggested: "In that case, Lala, you can use the invisibility spell to follow me. Be careful and avoid getting close to any monsters."
The little one nodded obediently, grasped the colorful conch on her chest, and blew it into her hand. Without making a sound, an invisible wave emanated, and she blinked before pointing to the south of Black Tern Island. "I feel it; my brother is over there, Wayne."
After speaking, the Lala blew the colorful conch again, swiftly turning herself invisible, and cautiously followed Wayne. A dense forest occupied the island's center, and the quickest route to the southern location indicated by Lala was through this forest.
However, entering into unfamiliar woods at night was undeniably a risky endeavor. After contemplating for a few seconds, Wayne opted for a more cautious approach and silently circled the perimeter of the forest. In any case, knowing Fitz's location made it feasible to locate him with a bit more time.
The stealthy journey proceeded smoothly; encountering a few wild wolves and brown bears along the way posed no threat, as Wayne's Axii sign drove them away without initiating a battle. After another half-hour, Wayne and the invisible Lala successfully skirted the forest, traversed a wilderness adorned with flowers and plants, and reached a damp cave near the lake.
Surveying the surroundings, Wayne noticed several fish-headed monsters brandishing wooden sticks and bone spears, standing vigilantly around the cave while engaged in hushed conversations, evidently barring entry to other beings. Observing their ability to navigate in the dark without torches, Wayne furrowed his brow, surmising that these creatures possessed night vision.
Considering the unique conditions of life at the bottom of a lake or seabed, where sunlight couldn't reach, Wayne understood the necessity for such creatures to move adeptly in darkness.
Whispering to the invisible Lala following closely behind, Wayne conveyed, "Your brother should be in that cave, but there may be some danger. Wait for me here; don't enter. I will handle it alone."
The petite entity, displaying commendable obedience, immediately nodded and replied, "Okay, Wayne, but be careful, and may the goddess bless you."
Having briefed Lala, Wayne retreated a few steps, sought refuge behind a massive rock, assumed a cross-legged posture, and retrieved swallow potion, wolf potion, and Maribor forest potion from the magic storage bag.
These three potions would enhance Wayne's body recovery speed, attack speed, and sign speed respectively.
Considering the acolyte's relatively weak defense, Wayne opted not to use Thunderbolt to boost his strength. Instead, he chose to capitalize on his advantage of fast attack speed, aiming to inflict lethal damage in a short duration.
After consuming the three potions, Wayne sensed a resilience in his body, as if it could endure more toxicity. Contemplating for a moment, he gritted his teeth, retrieved a bottle of cat potion from his storage bag, and downed it in a single gulp.
Soon, his eyes turned bloodshot, his surroundings became clearer, and an itching, painful sensation coursed through his blood vessels and muscles. It signaled that the toxicity had reached its limit and couldn't be heightened further.
Releasing a deep breath, Wayne endured the discomfort, extracting an invisibility potion and a healing potion from Azeroth within his storage bag. He stowed them in his pocket alongside seven or eight alchemy bombs. The unknown number of acolytes in the cave made these bombs and potions crucial for his survival.
With preparations complete, Wayne concealed the steel sword behind the stone, took a deep breath, unsheathed the master silver sword, kicked off the ground, lowered his body, and, under the cover of weeds, rapidly charged toward the acolytes guarding the cave entrance.
The creatures, standing between 1.2 to 1.4 meters in height, were caught off guard by the unexpected assault.
Before they could react, the three acolytes nearest to Wayne succumbed to his piercing sword strikes. Their heads were severed by the sharp silver blade.
Simultaneously, Wayne observed that these acolytes were significantly weaker than normal human males. Despite having limbs, the structure of their joints rendered them less flexible than humans. Yet, their bodies were covered in a dense layer of fish-like scales, providing some resistance to the silver sword's cuts, akin to wearing a layer of leather armor.
After swiftly beheading three consecutive acolytes, the remaining creatures snapped out of their daze. The fastest among them, a slightly overweight acolyte with only one eye, grabbed a spear and raised it, emitting a strange scream as it thrust toward Wayne's lower abdomen.
However, the acolyte's speed was noticeably slower than Wayne's. Before the makeshift spear, crafted from fishbone, could reach its target, Wayne's silver sword pierced through the creature's sole remaining fish eye with lightning speed, obliterating its underdeveloped brain.
Following the kill, Wayne promptly withdrew his silver sword, twisted his waist, kicked aside the acolyte corpse in front of him, and executed a swift oblique slash at the next acolyte in proximity.
The targeted acolyte, exhibiting some fighting experience, raised a rusty iron axe in an attempt to block the attack with the axe's face. Yet, Wayne's speed surpassed the reaction capabilities of these creatures weaker than drowners.
Before the acolyte could raise its arm, the sharp sword had already severed half of its body. Foul-smelling blood sprayed, and the fish-like body was cleaved in two. Wayne, without dodging or hesitating, capitalized on the cover of blood to execute another horizontal cut, cleanly removing the head of the last acolyte at the cave entrance.
From the initiation of the attack to the conclusion of the battle, in less than half a minute, five acolytes had fallen to Wayne's sword.
To be straightforward, with the level 5 swordsmanship blessing, combined with the agility of the cat potion, the natural agility of the half-elf, and the augmentation from the wolf potion, Wayne's attack speed unequivocally placed him in the top echelons of the entire Northern Kingdom.
Dealing with these feeble acolytes, armed with bone spears and wooden sticks and lacking decent armor, was as effortless as cutting through melons and vegetables.