The ship was at least thirty meters tall and more than double that in length. A rough-looking hull of blackish brown, visibly reinforced by some extraordinary means, encased the exterior, showing none of the usual armaments that sprang open portions of regular vessels of the same type.
The vessel had no sail, or even mast of any kind. All that could be seen above its large body, was a stream of disjointed golden lights in an umbrella shape, reaching down in an arc to cover the whole deck – hiding and shielding it at the same time.
At the front end of the ship, a figureless bowsprit stood erect, pointing yonder, looking more like a stabbing lance than a mere pole awaiting decoration. At the back end, what looked like long, brown thorns jutted out, their ends tinged with a dim orange light that hissed faintly.
When Replicus had first seen this, he had identified a heavy element from that glow, something like fire, but much greater.
The strangest thing about this vessel though, was the fact that dozens of odd, dark creatures were attached to its keel, most of them submerged in the waters of the sea.
They were too mashed together to give a definite description as to what they were, but at the very least, anyone could see the aquamarine features they had, from fins, gills and webbed limbs.
At the moment, they all stood still, but Replicus knew their purpose, and they would be moving soon.
Grim was addressing the other Faction members when Replicus finally arrived in their midst.
"Oh boss," he said when he saw the Penetrator. "Shall we get going?"
Replicus looked around.
"Where's Baddan?" he asked.
"Already on board."
The Penetrator nodded.
Yuyui by his side had grown meek since they left the Honing Fortress. Her odd behavior only grew worse when she saw Grim expressing an undaunted desire to leave already.
Replicus walked ahead, turned and addressed his Faction members.
"The fact that I am taking three of my Unlimited with me is not only a testament to my faith in our defences, but also to you, and what you are capable of. A Fortress can be rebuilt, but such a luxury doesn't apply to living, breathing individuals. You all have learnt something during your time with me. You will be tested on what exactly you learned, believe me. It will be up to you to decide how you proceed," he said.
The many combatants were evidently paying rapt attention. From those that had already been with Replicus from the start, to those that joined after, there was barely any difference.
They had all endured the same.
All of them recognised that the boss spoke to all of them only when there was something very important to tell.
This was one such instance.
"I have no real interest in seeing this place thriving as always when I get back. Rather, let me say, seeing such a thing or not doesn't move me. I'd rather return to see Deign burning, but all or some of you standing on it, renewed and polished from what is to come. Keep that in mind."
Replicus concluded and turned. He then began walking towards the ship.
His subordinates bellowed in agreement while watching his figure draw away.
Allora rushed to follow with a big smile and waved goodbye to the others. Pherdanta also followed, unnoticed.
Grim walked up to Yuyui and patted her shoulder.
"I'll be seeing you soon then, Yu," he said, his red eyes gleaming with positive light.
"...Yeah," she said meekly, hollowly.
Grim scoffed.
"Don't be like that. If you start moping around now, I don't think you'll be any different by the time we come back," he said.
Yuyui looked at him.
"I won't," she said with a frown.
Grim was pleasantly surprised.
"I hope so," he said before drawing away from her. "Make sure to eat for five."
Yuyui blushed before scooping some wet dirt and throwing it at Grim who laughed and dodged.
As the group, with Replicus in the lead approached the sea, a ring of white light was drawn on the shore. It remained luminous even when waves drowned it.
Replicus took the first steps into it, followed by the others.
A moment later, the ring of light disappeared along with them, and they appeared on the desk of the ship.
With the shower of gold light above, visibility was barely a concern on the ship. Some kind of neat blackish wood with an unreal smooth texture, was what made the deck.
Except for a small cabin that stood on the quarter deck, there was nothing else on this layer of the ship. It seemed visibility was the emphasised theme, for even the light spraying in an arc above, somehow vanished from view when either of the four made even a lax attempt at looking past it.
Replicus and the others had checked everything about the ship before this, ensuring that it was safe and learning all its functions and compartments.
All of it was easy enough to understand.
The ship could only be boarded using a spatial light rift that appeared when anyone got close to the ship.
The umbrella above it was an absolute barrier that protected the whole ship against attacks from outside, and even smoothened the experience for everyone aboard should the ride became chaotic – as it undoubtedly would.
Allora beamed and rushed to the end of the deck to look down with a smile.
"This is incredible! This ship has to be Mythical grade at least!" she cried. Unlike everyone else, she hadn't boarded the ship yet before this.
Most of her time was spent begging Replicus to take her with him, and talking to her friends, most of whom were now lower ranked than her.
"Of course it's Mythical. I doubt it could be beyond that though. There aren't any offensive functions. That's left to us, I guess..." Grim said while looking ahead.
"Let's go. I'd rather get the tension around me as soon as possible," Replicus said as he summoned a chair and sat on it.
Pherdanta nodded, and looked ahead.
To make the ship set off, only a simple vocal command was needed.
"Non-Sail," Pherdanta called.
At that moment, the ship shook lightly.
The dozens of creatures woven together on the keel suddenly came to life. Their limbs spread out at once, and the sea water fled inches from them.
Behind the ship, the thorns attached to it glowed furiously, each attaining an orange rune at its tip that cast a blazing heat outward.
The Faction members drew back just in time before a rattling boom ensued with a scorching heat!
The great ship sped forth in a straight, smooth line, unshaken by the large waves that blocked its path.
They all dissipated before it as it streaked past at an unimaginable speed towards an uncanny destination.
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