Never in my life was I expecting an underwater trip to be so traumatising. And I have to make this trip every FIVE years if I actually become the Viking Lord? That's just insane.
We made it to the City of Underwater Marrydia after a heart thumping journey. So glad to be on solid dry land, or in this case seabed. The journey was definitely exhilarating and I respect the elves for being able to sail all the way down here in the first place. I am starving after burning so much calories from all that shouting, screaming and sweating. I'm surprised that Lily acted so much calmer than me. I mean, I know she had travelled down here before but to think she had gotten used to it. And she was the coward of our group of three when we first met.
Time for us to search for a tavern. I ain't gonna meet or fight the Underwater Dragon King with an empty stomach. If I were to die today, I would make it so that I have a feast before that. Good thing the food here taste so good. I'm amazed that they are able to serve such fresh food all the way down here. Perhaps they imported ingredients from the port to here.
Lily was at my side. She was assigned to serve the previous Viking Lord as his shieldmaiden. When she heard that I was voted to be the next Viking Lord, she did not hesitate to volunteer herself to be my shieldmaiden during my guildmaster initiation. I asked her why she would even volunteer herself when she had almost died trying to protect the previous Viking Lord. She said that it's because she's my friend that she need to make sure that I remain alive. To think there will come a day where Lily would be serving under me. Would Zen be jealous? Heh heh.
She felt responsible that she couldn't save the previous Viking Lord from certain death. It was her duty to keep him safe in the event that the Underwater Dragon King went berserk or something; yet she failed to do so. The Underwater Dragon King proved to be too powerful to hold back even though she was not the only Blitz Knight there. But this time, things will be different. She specifically requested from the Elementalist to bring along some veteran Blitz Knights to help with this round of Viking Lord's initiation.
If the Underwater Dragon King wants a war, then she'll give it to him. Surprisingly, the Elementalist actually agreed on the matter and said that it was a matter of pride for the Elemental guild. If it's not the Elemental guild who holds back the tide of the Underwater Dragon King wrath, then who else?
Lily clenched her fist. She must be extremely frustrated in not fulfilling her duties. But I know in my heart, I will make it my utmost priority to ensure she survives today as well. I will not allow her to die when my best friend had not met her in 5 years. Come to think of it—
"Lily, when are you actually going to meet up with Zen? It's been five years now. C'mon, aren't you friends with him at the very least?" I asked her with concern.
"Yes we most certainly are. I— just didn't have the time to meet up with him after I started serving the previous Viking Lord. Perhaps I should had met up with him since I might not be able to see another day. I do miss his cute looking face," she chuckled.
Did she just assumed that Zen had a stunted growth?
Lily is certainly a beautiful elf right now. She had gotten more matured and not to mention her growth spurt was beyond amazing. She certainly had an hourglass figure and she tends to wear clothing that exposes her belly button area which is certain to gain all the gaze from men. I am certain Zen will not be able to keep his hands off her once they actually meet. Hell, she even gave me a crush when I met her again after such a long time. Glad I kept that in check now. Yes sir, I most certainly did.
"You'll be fine. I will make sure that you'll be able to meet with your potential lover. He is definitely more handsome now, I can tell you that. Perhaps you might fall for him once again. Heh heh," I laughed.
"He is not my potential lover, John. I got over him a long time ago. It was just some heroic crush that I experienced last time when he saved me. I am certain that I have no feelings for him anymore," she said with a hmph at the end.
"Really now? Are you certain? Are you telling me that there was no member of the opposite gender that approached you to ask you out?" I interrogated her.
"W— well.. there was some. Just a little bit," she poked her index finger together.
"And you turned them down, right?" I asked.
"O— of course! I don't even know them well and they are not my type. What I am looking for in my potential partner is—" she paused for a while which made me interjected in.
"Zen, or perhaps— no.. it can't be… is it, me?" I asked with sarcasm.
"In your dreams, John. Perhaps if you were to slim down a whole lot more," she laughed at the end with a fu fu.
Oh well, worth a shot. But she didn't deny about Zen though.
I noticed the mood in the tavern was a bit sour as we ate. Even the Viking guild members were gloomy. They were all expecting the worst to come which is certainly not the mood that I wanted before we head to the sacred ceremonial site. I refilled my tankard and stood up. Time to brighten up the mood.
"Everyone— gather round," I paused and waited for everyone to look at me.
"I can see it in your eyes. All of you. Fear engulfs the lot of you. Fear of your lives taken from you. Fear, that the Underwater Dragon King had instilled on you. But not today. Today, we will prove him wrong! We will prove that he is nothing!! For today, we will face him in battle and give cancer upon his ass!! So have a hearty meal my brothers and sisters, for tonight, we dine, with Hades!!!" I shouted to everyone.
"Don't you mean Hel?!" shouted a member.
"That's right!!" I shouted with a chuckle.
Everyone cheered and laughed with me. The mood of the tavern turned a 180 and had brighten up now. Glad that I was able to bring up the mood for everyone. Hopefully they will be more motivated to fight now. Is there even any hope that we might survive for another day? Perhaps not. But better to go down fighting with your head up rather than cowering in fear. Perhaps this was what the Underwater Dragon King was looking for. For Valhalla, I thought to myself.
I sat back on my chair and Lily praised me with a "Not bad". That certainly made me chuckle.
***
After we were done eating, we proceeded towards the northern entrance. I turned behind to get a good look at the group behind me to see everyone's faces before we headed to the sacred ceremonial site. There was still fear in their eyes but at least there was determination as well. Good, at least we won't die as cowards today. The best case I am hoping for is that only for me to perish today. I pray to Odin that he will look over us. We had already purchased our bubble helmets from a few of the closest merchants nearby. To anyone wanting to purchase one, I'm sorry that you have to head further in order to get one.
We headed into the enclosed area and water started to fill up after the door behind us was closed. It was here that I made Lily promise me that she will do her best to keep everyone else safe should things goes south. She gave me a firm no and said that it is her duty to keep me safe. I told her that this is a direct order from the future Viking Lord which she must fulfil. We argued for some time as we walked to our destination. Surprisingly, we can still hear each other properly underwater even with our bubble helmet on. I told her the life of one does not equal to the lives of many. She countered by saying the lives of others is not as important as the leader himself which she said softly loudly to me. I stopped arguing with her when she shouted "You're my friend! I care about you and that's that!". Did I just experienced the married life? Are the male gender fated to lose in arguments against females?
It took about fifteen minutes before we reached the sacred ceremonial site. Everyone was quiet as we approached closer. We scouted around and confirmed that the Underwater Dragon King was not in sight. I guess we have to start our ceremonial traditional before he actually show himself. As we headed closer, there were clear evidence of destruction caused by the Underwater Dragon King on his previous rampage. Let's hope that things will not go south this round.
I've interrogated a couple of the guild members along with Lily on what triggered the aggression of the Underwater Dragon King before. Neither of them knew what was the trigger. He was complaining about the Viking guild being too lax and not preparing themselves for war which caused the previous Lord to be confused. All the Viking Lord did was asked what war was he referring to and it triggered the Underwater Dragon King's aggression. Everyone was caught off guard as the Underwater Dragon King never behaved this way before throughout all the previous traditions. There must be something that triggered him to act that way. And it's up to me to figure it out before he starts to attack this time.
We brought along a sacrifice to place in the middle of the altar. It had always been purkette or boofette that was given as the sacrifice but this round, I decided to use something else for my initiation. I decided to bring along a daarette instead. One of the largest that I can find from the City Of Lilies Dahlee. I heard from Zen that these creatures were tough to fight and he was right. Speed had always been my weakness and attacking the creature took proper timing when I hunted alone. I can't tell you the amount of times I almost had my foot pierced by their horn spell. Hopefully, this daarette will be able to appease his mood better than the usual meat.
The viking members started our nordic chants as it was part of the ceremony. I was never a singer myself but the high and low pitch of the songs always got me in the mood for battle. The elemental guild prepared themselves for battle. I noticed a couple of them were holding bows instead of melee weapons. Lily, on the other hand, was not even holding a weapon. What is she planning to do when the need for battle arise? I stood close to the ceremony and kept a lookout.
I had a moment to recall about my conversation with my parents and how they reacted when I was previously promoted to the rank of Great Viking. They were so happy that their child was as talented as them. Both of them were part of the Viking guild but has retired now. They told me that the Gladiolus family were always part of the Viking guild due to their immense strength. I never knew my family had such special bloodline in the first place when everyone around me was always strong.
Sadly, I couldn't bring myself to tell them that I was voted to be the next Viking Lord. I just could not bring myself to tell them the news when it felt like a death sentence more than anything.
It was when I met Lily and Zen that I noticed that I was stronger than both of them. They were weaker than me yet stronger in other ways. Strength was never their primary stats but they had other ways that made them stronger than me. Zen had his speed while Lily had her skill. Zen went further ahead and learned alchemy on top of that.
I never thought I would be able to win a fight against him in the first place, yet he seems to be progressing much further despite being stuck as a Shadow Knight. My first duty as a Viking Lord would be to march to the Queen and force her to knight Zen to become a Dark Knight. That is, if I were to survive today.
Sigh, why did I have to think of him? I am so sorry, Zen. I thought of calling upon your help many times to join me on this initiation but I just couldn't bear to bring myself to do it. You saved my life before and I am indebted to you. I just wished I could have repaid that debt somehow before my life ends. I am sure Lily would be thinking the same right about now. The both of us were expecting death by the hands of the thugs that day until you saved us. Now I can only repay you by not asking you to come along. But I promise you that I will do whatever it takes to ensure that Lily survives today. That is my promise to you.
***
A loud roar could be heard approaching closer as we waited for him. It must be the Underwater Dragon King. We need to get ready for his arrival. Everyone kneeled towards the throne as I stood at the front. This is to show that everyone else fears the Underwater Dragon King except me. I could never understand the reasoning behind this but I am not about to defy and suffer the wrath of the Underwater Dragon King.
Now, where is he? There you are. He looked completely different from the other dragon brethren counterpart on the surface. He does not have wings nor does he have any long legs for that matter. He looked more like a sea serpent than a dragon. Perhaps that is why he can swim so nimbly underwater. But I will not be fooled. That face of is definitely a dragon.
The dragon peered and stared directly at me. I am probably half the height of his face before he tilted his head.
"Aren't you a little too young to be the next Viking Lord?" asked the Underwater Dragon King. His low pitch voice rumbled the entire ocean ground. I have to force myself to stop shaking in his terrifying presence.
"I— was nominated by all the other Viking members. I hope you would approve of their decision," I said to him.
"Sigh, this is why I was not happy with the current state of the Viking guild. All the old members are getting too comfortable sitting around doing nothing but getting fat while they are oblivious to the incoming danger approaching us. This is why I needed a Viking Lord that is capable of rallying the humans and prepare them for war. It affects all of us. Though I have to commend you, young one. You stand before me knowing that I had killed the previous Viking Lord. You are certainly brave," he said.
"Thank you, Underwater Dragon King. Courage and strength was the reason as to why I was nominated. My name is John Gladiolus and I hope you may grace me with your approval in becoming the next Viking Lord!" I bowed to him lightly.
"Courage and strength alone is not what I'm looking for. But a Gladiolus, huh. There was a couple of previous Viking Lords that were from the Gladiolus family. All died honourable in battle. Perhaps there is some hope. Crab! Inspect him," said the Underwater Dragon King.
C— crab? What?
A red crab swam up to me and started inspecting me as he complained to the Underwater Dragon King.
"I told you not to call me that. I have a bloody name, damn it. You do well to remember that or I will quit my job!" said the crab.
Uhh— a crab is scolding a dragon. THE Underwater Dragon King at that! I thought I had seen everything.
"Hmm— this little critter certainly got the muscles but he ain't got the skills. Doesn't seemed like he have leadership in him yet either, but there is some potential in him. As of now, it doesn't seems like he is fit to be the Viking Lord. The kid is still a snowflake compared to the previous one. I told chu not to kill that bugger! I was getting fond of him!" shouted the crab.
Holy crab— does this crab have higher status than the Underwater Dragon King himself?
"I had no choice. The previous Viking Lord was too soft and naive for the incoming battle. I needed a better one to champion the war," answered the Underwater Dragon King.
"War, war, war— that is all you talk about. Don't you have any other things to do than thinking about war? Perhaps you should start thinking about your wife and family instead. Think about the previous Viking Lord and his family after you killed him. Hmm?!" emphasised the crab.
All of us were dead silent staring at this crab getting all bossy against the Dragon King.
"T— this is what I promised to the first Viking Lord. To help out with the surface dwellers in any way possible. A Dragon King does not go back on his promise. This is what I had promised him on his wedding day with my daughter," answered the Underwater Dragon King.
"Why should you even care?! Life underwater is better than anything they got up there. You should just sit around and enjoy yourself rather than worrying about whatever happens on the surface," complained the crab.
"This war will affect the entire world. I will not sit by and let the world get destroyed. Not that I can help it!" shouted the Underwater Dragon King.
Oh boy, he is getting angrier now. We are definitely going to feel the wrath of the Underwater Dragon King. And it's not even my fault!
"So what now? Are you going to attack these humans again like you did the last time? Don't forget who had to clean up your mess after you went on a rampage! I've had it with you. If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself," grumbled the crab.
"Crab! Stop agitating the Underwater Dragon King," I shouted to it as it was hanging on my shoulder.
"Even you are starting to call me Crab now?! I have a name— Ma name, is Seabas..." I stopped the crab from saying anything further with a "Not now, Crab!"
"Pft, teenagers, they think they know everything. Next thing you know they'll be swimming all over me," sulked the crab.
"Worry not, Viking Lord candidate! I will instil the best traits in you! Prepare for the worst training of your life!!" roared the Underwater Dragon King as the water around us started to darken.
THIS FUCKIN CRAB!!
The Underwater Dragon King started to use a spell. Water currents were forming around us. He is trying to box us in!
"Everyone! Escape from the currents! He is trying to imprison all of us in here!!" I shouted to everyone.
"None of you shall escape until I deem the candidate worthy! Some of you might have to die for me to teach him!" roared the Underwater Dragon King as he continue casting his spells.
Damn it! He boxed us in so quickly. There is nowhere left for us to run, but there are still places that we can take cover. Where the hell is Lily? I've been searching around but I don't see her. Wait, the Elemental guild members are all charging towards the Underwater Dragon King. What are they thinking?!
"Viking members, to me!!" I shouted.
I can hear roars of response behind me as I rushed towards the Elemental guild to help them. They had already begin fighting against the Underwater Dragon King. Their lightning element is supposed to be effective against underwater creatures but they still have to get close enough to inflict damage on him. Some of the elemental members were using bow and arrows with lightning element infused but none of the arrows were capable of piercing him at all. They were just bouncing off his scales.
I swung my axe towards the Underwater Dragon King's body but it was as though I was hitting a steel bar. Even with all my strength I couldn't inflict any damage on him with my giant greataxe, not even a dent. The Underwater Dragon King laughed and started swimming around nimbly as he knocked the guild members around. It was not even taking us seriously in the first place.
I saw Lily leaping up and punched the Underwater Dragon King in the face. Who could expect that timid elf to be using her fist in battle. Some electricity could be seen sparkling where she struck the Underwater Dragon King. I guess she had fortified her gauntlets with her lightning spell. She continued striking on the dragon's body while floating downwards.
"Ah— the elven lady that tried to protect the previous Viking Lord. I remember you. I can sense your ferocity and anger in not being able to protect him. Perhaps I shall turn things around this time," said the Underwater Dragon King.
Shit! What's it planning to do now?!
The Underwater Dragon King swiped his tail and hit Lily dead-on. She flew somewhat far away into some ruins but it would appear that she's still conscious. I strained my eyes to see her condition. She was on the ground trying to pull herself out. There was some rubble that fell on top of her but she couldn't get rid of it to free herself. Damn it, I need to save her!
I rushed towards her as fast as my legs could keep up. I can hear the Underwater Dragon King trying to mutter something to me as I rushed to save her.
"It seems like that elf girl is precious enough to gain your attention over me! This is what would happen in a battle. When you don't have enough leadership to work together, people dies!" roared the Underwater Dragon King.
I turned my head behind to see what he's planning to do and I can see that he is accumulating some sort of vortex in his mouth. He must be planning to use another spell. Shit shit! I am not going to make it in time to save Lily! I am still so far away from her!
The Underwater Dragon King released his breath which released a shockwave from his mouth. It looked like some high speed water pressure and it is going towards Lily! I reached out my hand towards her as she did the same. She could not remove the rubble on her own as it was on her back. I am sorry Zen— I couldn't keep my promise. I couldn't even protect my friend.
BOOM!!!!!
The high speed water pressure smashed across my vision where Lily was. I couldn't see anything in front as dirt particles were floating all around blocking my vision. Not to mention this helmet is limiting my vision to a certain extend. Damn it!! There is no way Lily could have survived something that can slice apart even the seabed itself.
I dropped to my knees. Why am I even doing this? I lost one of my closest friend just because I was pushed to be the next Viking Lord. Why did I not forbid Lily from volunteering to be my shieldmaiden in the first place? Why did I not fight harder against the older members that I am not fit to be the next Viking Lord while they are sit on their asses cowering in fear inside the guild? Why must I be the one who suffer all these while they are not even here to help right now? Screw this tradition! I will put an end to this useless tradition!!
Anger took over me as I roared in anger. I am starting to lose conscious but I smacked my head and roared. I didn't even realised that I smacked myself too hard until I saw something reddish floating around me. I thought I saw steams coming out of my mouth but I must had imagined it. I roared and charged towards the Underwater Dragon King, leaping at him with my axe.
The other guild members steered clear when I charged in. Are they afraid of me or something? I started attacking the Underwater Dragon King with all my might but he was still unfazed. I felt like I was in a frenzy but it was probably due to my uncontrolled anger. However, no matter how hard I hit the scales, it just won't budge. Neither any of us are doing any damage to him whatsoever.
BOOOOMMMM!!!
What the?! What was that? Did a lightning bolt struck underwater behind me? How is that even possible? Or, is it perhaps— Thor coming to help us?