Chapter 90: An attack from the depth
The boat slowly drifted with the help of the wind toward the island, and those on board were peacefully asleep, knowing that there were people protecting them.
Everything was going well, and one of the men on the side of the boat slowly began to see the outline of the island. When he was looking in the distance he suddenly noticed something...
He began to hear a low, rumbling growl emanating from the depths. At first, he dismissed the sound as a distant thunderstorm, but the ominous vibrations grew stronger, shaking the very foundations of the boat.
"Huh!" he exclaimed in shock.
The moment the boat shook a bit, he couldn’t dismiss the feeling anymore and carefully looked down into the water. In the darkness of the night, he couldn’t see clearly but for his luck, the sun had slowly begun to climb the horizon. With the help of that little sunlight, he managed to see a silhouette of a fish.
The more he looked at the fish the more he felt horrified. The fish was anything but normal, it had two limbs in the front and two on the back, like it was trying to mutate in a way that it could walk on the land as well. Its mouth was filled with sharp teeth, his limbs weren’t devoid of claws either.
The guard moved his head to get a better view, hoping it was just a single one, but when he saw the full picture, his hair stood on end. He realized that the boat was getting surrounded by these fish monsters.
Not daring to waste any more time, he quickly channeled all his might and shouted.
"Captain, we are getting surrounded by monsters,"
His shout echoed through the boat as the guards, who had been relaxing in various parts of the boat just a moment ago, sprang into action.
They rushed to the sides of the boat, peering into the murky waters. What they saw sent a cold shiver down their spines as well. Monstrous, grotesque fish were circling the boat, their eyes glinting with a malevolent hunger.
Some of them quickly ran toward the place where the rest of the tribe members were asleep and began to wake up the ones who were capable of fighting.
"Amara, Soma, Iliad,... quickly wake up.." one of the guards shouted.
Hearing the loud sound one of the women wakes up in a daze and asks,
"W-what i-is happening," Amara asked while rubbing his eyes.
"Moster is attacking, go quickly tell elders and priestess, while the rest of you come with me" he repeated.
They quickly shook themselves to fully wake up, and one of them ran in the direction where the priestess was asleep, while the rest of them headed for the edge.
While they were running, the boat shuddered once again, but they didn’t lose their footing and continued on their way. When they reached the edge, they noticed that all the monsters had begun attacking and were now firing water bullets.
The warriors didn’t fear the attack and swiftly launched a barrage of arrows of their own. Even before the evolution, the tribe’s warriors were skilled in hunting to provide food for their families. With their experience combined after the evolution, their aim proved to be accurate and deadly.
With each passing moment, the blood and flesh of the fallen monsters floated on the water’s surface. The tribe still held the upper hand in the battle, but nobody knew how long this advantage would last.
The monsters retaliated with a ferocity of their own. With a deafening roar, A monster of tier 3 lunged out of the water, its immense maw snapping at the boat. The warriors, quick on their feet, managed to dodge the attack, but the boat quivered under the force of the monster’s impact.
This new monster was slightly different from the rest and appeared to have mutated specifically to live underwater or, more accurately, to launch attacks from the water. Without its mutation energy wasted in another organ, it was a colossal sea serpent, its scales glistening like obsidian, and the truly horrifying part was that it wasn’t the single one.
The serpent began to condense water in its mouth, ready to unleash a spell, but before it could do so, a long wooden spear traveled at tremendous speed and punctured a hole in its neck. The monster lost control for a second, and this brief moment had cost it its life.
"Well done, Thala," one of the members praised the one who had just single-handedly killed the serpent.
The warriors fought valiantly, their spells and arrows slashing through the air as they defended the boat. Arrows rained down on the sea serpents, finding their marks in vulnerable spots. But more monsters emerged from the depths.
The sea serpents, determined to drag the boat and its occupants into the abyss, struck again and again. They tried to coil around the vessel, their massive bodies squeezing tighter with each attempt.
The warriors fought with unwavering resolve, hacking at the serpents’ thick scales, and finally, with a collective effort, they began to make a dent in their number.
When the monsters found themselves in the losing position they began to retreat into the depths of the sea once again. Noticing the retreat of the monster, the tribe collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
Thala looked at his armor, which now had many holes in it, and blood was seeping out from the gaps. He knew these injuries weren’t severe enough to cause any problems, so he remained standing on the edge.
His gaze was fixed on the corpse of the serpent, understanding that its scales would make perfect armor. However, he refrained from diving into the sea to retrieve his prize, cautious that there might still be some monsters lurking in the water.
He was right; just a moment later, all the corpses began to be dragged into the depths of the sea, never to be seen on the surface again.
Thala sighed and started moving toward the center, intending to heal the wounds he had sustained.
When he reached the center he found out that multiple of his tribe members were getting healed as well, so he stood in the line, patiently waiting for his turn to come.
While the warriors were getting healed, Navi, the captain of the ship, began to examine the boat for damage. After making a few rounds of the boat, he returned to the center with a gloomy expression.
When he noticed that everyone had healed enough, with a heavy heart, he made a grim announcement.
"Due to the constant attacks of the monsters, there’s a significant hole in the boat, and seawater is pouring through it nonstop. The good news is that our destination isn’t far. We’ll need to patch the hole for an hour or two. The problem is, how are we going to do it?" Navi explained with concern.
Upon hearing the announcement, Thala stepped forward and said, "Navi, I can create a wooden shield long enough to cover the hole so we can reach the island."
Hearing the suggestion, a smile briefly appeared on the captain’s face, but he quickly dismissed it and said, "But would you have enough mana to maintain the spell constantly for an hour?"
"Yes, if we can have enough mana potions," Thala replied with a smile.
