Accompanied by the morning breeze, the first lights of the day started spreading all over the city. Still, the city of the Inflamed Chalice had already awakened from its slumber because it was time to greet the valiant soldiers heading for the fearsome waters of the East.
Riches and fortunes beckoned the rescuers, but in their hearts, a deep-seated fear gnawed. They were well aware of the lurking perils in that accursed place, a place where even the bravest could be swallowed whole.
In part, it was precisely that glittering gold that bewitched the hearts of those fools, but there was also a shred of madness and a desire for adventure.
As soon as he came out, Atlas did not immediately head to the square where everyone was gathering but wandered through the city streets with a precise destination.
He wanted to collect more information for his journey, so he decided to visit the Mercenary Guild's branch to gather them.
Unfortunately, just as he entered one of the many alleys, a black hole devoured him, leaving nothing behind if not empty air.
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In the eastern part of the continent, there were waters so fearful and obscure that, for hundreds of years, they had been avoided by many.
Only the most foolish risked their lives in search of riches in that place, and unfortunately, a was directed right there.
The morning had just begun when a strange portal suddenly opened a few meters from the old battered wooden planks of an old marina.
"Oh... Shit!"
The voice of an angry young man resounded from the center of the portal, and shortly after, a figure emerged from it, hitting with force the wood worn by years of brackish water and fights with sea creatures.
The marina could still last for years if that unfortunate man had not crashed on it with so much violence.
The wooden planks split in half, causing the boy to lose his balance. He was really unlucky. Indeed, he was caught off guard and found himself on the ground with his head smashed on the rotten wood and remnants of what seemed like vomit and fish waste.
His head had suffered a hard blow, but it was better because the family jewels had almost smashed against the main beam that supported that hellish thing.
"Oh... The first time it was a pile of shit, and now this... what the hell have I done wrong to deserve all this..."
The young man lamented as loud as he could, venting some of the anger he had accumulated so far, but the marina was not deserted, and his blasphemies disturbed the sleep of an old drunkard: "Little boy... you should be glad. At least your little thing is spared from anguish and torment."
Atlas raised his head to observe the interlocutor and sighed bitterly: 'Heck... I was missing only the filthy version of the groom, Jack. Shit... I'll be beaten by a damned fishing rod this time??'
Given what had happened last time, it was proper for the young man to ask himself that question.
But contrary to what he had imagined, the old drunkard ignored Atlas and swallowed a good amount of wine from the bottle firmly held in his hands.
A thunderous burp concluded his boorish act, and as if nothing had happened, the old man closed his eyes, ignoring the young man.
Atlas was shocked by the character's quirky attitude, but he avoided waking him up again and walked away without making any unnecessary noise.
Unfortunately, the condition of the small bridge was so bad that every step was like a powerful drum beat.
'Damn... even if that old man hasn't broken down that much since my sudden appearance, it's better to leave quickly and avoid unpleasant inconveniences.'
Atlas walked away as fast as he could and reached the shore after a few seconds.
"From the strong fish stink, maybe I'm on a fishing port. "
It was impossible to see a palm away because everything around him was shrouded in dense fog.
In fact, only the silhouettes of the surrounding objects were partially visible.
The young man followed the small sandy path illuminated by torches until the fog revealed a barricade at least 3 meters high, mainly made of pointed poles.
"Hmm... is that a village?"
Atlas passed by quickly, and after a few deep ditches, he reached the end of the path, coming across a massive wooden door with iron spurs all over the surface.
"Finally..."
The young man knocked on the small window placed at bust height on the door, and a slightly hoarse voice answered shortly after: "Old drunkard... Have you already returned from your morning nap? Don't tell me you've already finished all the wine..."
The window opened, and the bearded face of a middle-aged man appeared from the opening.
Initially, there was a strange smile on his face, but when the man noticed Atlas on the other side, the window suddenly closed, and a thunderous howl shook the area.
"For all brackish waters... Those damned things had returned sooner than expected. We are under attack!!"
DING! DING! DING!
A loud bell rang incessantly, shaking the quiet of the village, and an unknown number of people began to approach the gate rapidly.
"What is going on?"
Atlas was stunned by the man's exaggerated reaction and looked around for traces of the living dead, but of course, he was the only one on that side of the barricade.
"Hey... can you open it? I'm looking for information..."
Atlas knocked again, but his words only further instigated the villain on the other side.
DING! DING! DING!
"Hurry up... is one of the talking ones. Prepare yourself!"
By this time, many people had gathered on the other side, and Atlas could partially hear their speeches.
"It shouldn't ... period..."
"That old man... asleep..."
"Other than... that bastard..."
What little he had been able to hear, he said, 'Oh... shit... where the hell did I end up?'
"Hey... I do not know what is happening, but I assure you that ... I am the only living being on this side..."
Once again, his words caused too much havoc.
"Oh... Those ominous things... they killed that old drunkard... call the village chief... NOW!"
"No... you have misunderstood! If you are talking about that old drunkard on the bridge, he is sleeping like a corpse."
"We must bring down that devil... prepare the crossbows!"
Hearing those words, Atlas stared at the door for a few seconds but then began running as far as possible.
"Fast... that bastard is running away... aim for the head."
Atlas was far from the door, but the voices still managed to reach him and began to curse them: "Lunatics ... don't shoot those arrows! I'm not a monster... I'M A HUMAN!"
Atlas escaped as quickly as he could until he reached the colossal barricade, but it was too late because a strange noise mowed down the air like lightning.
A few meters from him, the barricade crumbled instantly due to a small arrow with the tip wrapped in a celestial glow.
"Damn... if it hits me..."
...
"Chief... I missed it..."
"Idiot... we can't waste the blessed arrows... let me do it..."
...
Another arrow was shot, which was so precise to quickly bring despair to his target.
In a futile gesture, Atlas placed his hands in front to somehow stop it. After all, he didn't want to die in such an absurd manner.
"Ahh..."
Soon, the arrow had reached its target and was ready to strike him down, but just as the tip was about to pierce his skin, the scarlet stigma burned like the flames of the underworld, and on the back of the hand, a black shield appeared.
Initially, its form was relatively tiny but enlarged until his massive figure covered all his forearm in a few instants.
The impact was so terrible that Atlas immediately lost consciousness while his body was hurled towards the sea like a meteor...