Waking up, Nox yawned and looked over at the girl. Hearing rhythmic breathing as well as a snore, it would seem that she was still asleep.
'Digesting the monsters, maybe.'
He did a few stretches to loosen up his body, and then promptly summoned a relic.
+
[Relic Name: Gift of the Sea]
[Rank: Ordinary]
[Description: Noxus was once home to many different tribes, all excelling at their specific profession. One such was the people of Oceania. Possessing relics and water-based divinities, they domesticated the ocean and turned it into a bustling empire. Kept safe in a bottle from centuries of wear, this relic can summon a sturdy boat capable of leading the user to the nearest landform.]
+
Sealed with a wooden cork, the relic was a miniature wooden boat encased in a tiny glass bottle. Opening it, he examined the boat. The craftsmanship was exquisite, the creator no doubt being an expert in his field. Carved into the wood were complex lines and symbols.
'Runes.'
Only the most talented Enhancers were able to peer into the runes of relics. However, Nox felt a strange connection to the carvings in the boat.
He pressed his fingers on the boat, slowly tracing the symbols. His eyes turned a purple hue as he dived into his concentration. Before long, a familiar sight greeted him.
Golden threads surrounded the relic, numbering in the hundreds. Nox was unable to examine so many at once. But… who said he had to?
Nox pulled one of the threads away. It was light as air, almost weightless.
'Feels like silk.'
He chuckled, reminded of the memory of running from a bunch of nobles after stealing a silk scarf.
Twirling the thread around his fingers, he examined it. He felt an imperceptible nudge of information touch his brain.
For the next few hours, Nox examined each thread one by one. The information started to accumulate in his brain. At some point, the little girl had woken up and looked over at him with curiosity.
Raising an eyebrow as if he was crazy, she walked away after just a few seconds.
'As expected, only I can see the threads.'
Finally, after hours of concentrating, he had done it. He had analyzed every single thread on the miniature boat.
Once more, he concentrated on the runes.
+
Sturdy*
Seeker of Land*
+
'Interesting…'
Enhancers were able to magnify the existing enchantments of relics. But it seemed that his skill was different. He was able to dive deeper, into the foundation of the relic.
Tossing the miniature boat into the water, it rapidly expanded. After a minute, it became a full-sized sailboat.
Nox grinned. It was time to leave this god-forsaken island. He climbed onto the boat and was about to sail off before belatedly realizing that he had forgotten something. Well, someone.
"Get over here!"
The child pouted but reluctantly strolled over and jumped on the sailboat.
"So... do you know how to pilot this thing?"
The girl pondered for a moment, then walked over to the center of the boat. Using her tiny hands, she felt around the planks.
Nox was about to interrupt when one of the planks came loose, revealing a hidden compartment.
Reaching over, he tried to give her a head pat. Kids liked those, right?
"Good gir-
She slapped away his hand, looking almost offended.
He coughed, trying to avoid eye contact.
"My bad."
Pulling the revealed lever, the boat started moving across the ocean. Giving one last glance at the island where everything had begun, the peculiar duo made their way into the waters.
Before long, the island could no longer be seen.
****
*Nox's Amazing Diary*
Day 1: Hello! Welcome to the beginning of this amazing diary. I don't know who I'll end up showing this to, if ever. But, who cares?
It's been a few hours and I still can't seem to figure out what the girl is up to. She keeps walking around the sailboat, looking for something. Perhaps I should try and talk to her?
—
Nevermind. Turns out she's really strong for her age. Maybe tomorrow, then.
Day 2: It's the second day on the ocean. Still no land in sight, or anything really. I'm getting a little hungry. There doesn't seem to be any food on the ship. The previous owner must've been some lousy guy…
On another note, I managed to completely analyze my torch relic. Turns out it only has one enchantment, being 'Fire'. Still pretty useful though.
The child still hasn't talked to me. I probably should stop calling her a child. Opal of Orphia is too long of a name… how about Opal, for short?
—
She seems to like the name. Well, she didn't slap me and break my bones over it. So that's a win?
I'm starting to miss the real world. There isn't anything to do to pass the time here, like gambling.
Day 3: We encountered a dead body today. I was minding my own business as usual when Opal poked me on the back. She pointed a finger at a floating object in the distance. At first, I thought it was supplies but it turned out to be a bloated corpse.
—
On the second examination, it isn't a corrupted monster. It's an actual person, a challenger like me. A black-haired man wearing a leather tunic and leggings. He looked normal, aside from a huge gaping hole in the center of his chest. What a powerful divinity…
We threw him back into the ocean.
Day 4: We encountered more corpses today. 4 of them, this time. 3 women and a man. All were decapitated with tens of slashes scattered throughout their body. I don't feel comfortable anymore… what is this challenge?
Opal seemed frightened as she hugged me, covering her face in my arms.
Day 5: 14 bodies. Gender unknown. All as dry as a cornstalk. Their life force has been drained from them, probably from a divinity related to necromancy.
All these corpses had me thinking… will I be able to kill them? I mean sure, I've killed a couple of corrupted beasts but, people are different. The thought of cutting down someone who's just trying to survive is a little unnerving.
The different types of bodies must mean that there are many powerful otherworlders in this challenge.
Anyways, I-
'Why's she poking me all of a sudden?'
"You brat, can't you see I'm working on becoming an author in the future?"
She pointed in a direction.
'More bodies?' Nox frowned. He had long grown tired of finding bloated corpses.
'Wait.. that's not a body. That's-'
"Land! At last!"
Floating in the distance, was a humongous island.
'No doubt about it. All the corpses drifted from here.'
Their peaceful journey was about to come to an end.