"Well... life is yours... and if you are so sure of your choice, I will not try to stop you. But... remember, you shouldn't rely too much on my help in those waters because even the mind will be corrupted by that evil place."
Oddly enough, the old man did not linger any longer and instead stood up in a hurry.
With a simple gesture, the dense fog in front of them cleared, and a small boat only 5 meters long appeared out of nowhere.
"What should we do with this?" Atlas was not surprised by the boat's sudden appearance but more by its mediocre size.
"Boy... did you think you were sailing in those seas with a huge vessel? Hahaha..."
"Heck... there are neither sails nor oars... how do you plan to sail?"
"Sailing?? ... If you want to die, then using a sail is the ideal choice. Unfortunately, the wind, if you want to call it that, is a treacherous bastard. Especially in those winding waters... "
The old man did not add anything else and blew into the small whistle hanging from his neck.
Breet!
The two waited in silence for a bit until a deep roar shook their ears...
ROAR!!
Suddenly, a gigantic creature came from the sea's depths. It was slightly longer than the boat, and a blue hide covered its body entirely.
The old man affectionately stroked the creature's head, but his words were far from pleasant: "Deepy... You've gotten fat like a whale... Damn, can you still move well?"
Surprised by the creature, Atlas quickly retreated, but when he discovered his actual form, he felt relieved and partly surprised: "A fat seal?? What the hell..."
Initially, Atlas thought the surprises were over, but suddenly, a female voice turned his mind upside down.
"It will be your mother, a fat seal... Bastard!"
Upset by the plain insult, Atlas looked around, but at one point, he remembered that he had an extraordinary ability at his disposal.
"Damn seal..." Atlas pointed his index finger at the creature and cursed like a madman: "... wash that sewer in your mouth before insulting others!"
This time, Deepy was surprised. She even ignored her master's irresistible caresses on her belly.
"Bastard... can you understand me?"
"Unfortunately... yes!"
The old man could not hear the seal's voice, but the young man's words were perfectly clear, so he looked at Atlas with a bizarre expression: "Hey... who are you talking to?"
The young man found himself in an embarrassing situation, and to avoid further misunderstandings, he ignored the seal as if nothing had happened: "Mhm... I thought I heard some rumors a while ago ... I probably have yet to fully recover from the accident."
The old man found his attitude definitely strange, but he did not investigate further and began to prepare the harness for the creature.
Unfortunately, the seal didn't follow his master's wish and disregarded him. In fact, when the young man began to ignore her, she was so furious with him that she started causing a ruckus: "Hey... bastard, stop ignoring me and talk to me..."
"HEY..."
"... little bastard..."
The seal was unstoppable, and its constant wriggling left and right was putting the old man in trouble.
"Deepy... Stop. What the hell are you doing??"
Although with difficulty, the harness finally went to its place. Unfortunately, the seal was too stubborn and planted her massive ass on the ground, clearly stating her intention.
"Boy... it seems that you have made an impression. Maybe she smelled something good on you... you're not hiding some fish, right?"
'Annoying creature... I have to find a way to calm her down.'
"Along the way, I passed through the square. Probably, I still have the scent of those carcasses on me."
The lie was somewhat weak, but what else could he say?
In fact, the old man was very doubtful, but he avoided wasting any more time with his new companion: "Mhm... wait here. I'm going to get some fresh food in the village."
Finally, Atlas and Deepy were left alone, and since he no longer had to hide his secret, he silenced the creature that had almost led him to exasperation: "Enough! What do you want? Why do you keep making all this mess?"
"Damn... Why do you ignore me? "
"Why? Doesn't that sound logical to you? What would happen if your master learned I can communicate with you?"
"Why are you so worried? One of my friends knows a human who can communicate with us, chaos creatures. You don't realize how many benefits you can gain by revealing this power of yours. So don't be an asshole..."
In fact, the seal wasn't all wrong, but Atlas was still too weak and wanted to avoid overexposing himself, especially to strangers.
"The world of humans is full of greedy bastards. They will swallow you if you give them the opportunity and make your life a miserable life... Anyway... who is this Drunkum you were talking about?"
Atlas's words had not been very cordial, but the seal did not want to miss this excellent opportunity, so she tried to convince him again: "Drunkum is my companion. The one you call an old drunkard. He's a very kind person. You can trust him, I swear!"
It didn't take long to get to and from the village, especially for that old monster, so Atlas tried to make the creature reason: "If you promise to calm down and listen to his orders, then I will help you communicate with him... That was what you wanted, wasn't it?"
"That's right... we have known each other for so many years, and I have many things to tell him. Please..."
"Okay... All right. But first of all, I must find a person who got dispersed in those waters. Only then will I grant your wish."
This time, the boy's words worked.
In fact, the seal leaped directly into the sea but still warned him: "Fine... I will believe you for now. But don't you dare to lie to me, or the consequences would be unimaginable..."
The two waited patiently for the arrival of Drunkum, who arrived shortly after with a basket full of fresh food.
"Deepy... look what I have found! It's your favorite meal..."
Drunkum pulled a handful of small bright fish out of the bag, and when the seal saw them, she was elated.
"Ahhh... Luminescent Codfish... A delicacy!"
Deepy opened its mouth wide, and Drunkum did not make her wait.
Three or maybe four fish, at least half a meter long, ended up in her draft, and then, without further gestures or words, Deepy placed her fins ready to sail.
"What luck... usually, it takes at least a dozen to calm it down."
Drunkum jumped into the boat and sat comfortably in the back seat.
Unlike the old man, for Atlas, it was the first time he set foot in a boat in the open sea, and thinking about his destination, he finally felt that fate was ruthless.
'What the hell am I doing...'
Noticing the young man's hesitation, Drunkum laughed and urged him to overcome his fears in a very peculiar way: "Boy... this is nothing compared to what awaits us. We are about to enter the ocean of death, what everyone calls... Obscurium, the Ocean of Fallen Legends. So, stop being a chicken and jump inside!!"