As soon as they start moving, Cain heads below decks to copy his newly acquired books at the inscription desk, finding that only the Mana Flood totem is a challenge; the others are low ranked and quick to copy.
He's all finished and has sent the originals to Char so she can have them duplicated and the originals placed in the Guild Library by the time they're out of the bay, and Nila orders the ship to cruising speed, while the First Mates set out their Mana Totems under the effect of Cain's new passive duration increasing Aura.
Cain waits until they don't see any other ships on the horizon and calls out a complete set of Giant Armored Octopus to escort them again, with orders to keep out of sight under the water. If they do see anyone, Cain doesn't want to cause a panic before they know if there will be a fight or not.
The planned route takes them further south along this volcanic Ridgeline, then straight west towards the capital of Landis. They've skipped almost all their planned stops along the way due to the danger of being attacked by the groups fighting in the desert, but at least they'll get a chance at the most important one.
With the summons safeguarding them and the excess of mana regeneration thanks to his new mana totem, which lasts a full hour with the Aura buff, they're making incredible time across the open ocean.
They can't quite hold full speed, but well over half without drawing down their Mana. Full speed could be held indefinitely if they switched out repeatedly, though that is a surprise Cain intends to save for the moment they need to flee.
Cain also let everyone drop their mergers, increasing the number of people on board, now all in their traditional forms. It's also the first time since they left Pampa that everyone looks like themselves. It's almost strange seeing everyone back in their usual forms and not Merged with their clones, a stark reminder just how large his party of traveling Companions has gotten.
With everyone awake one on deck, Cain tried out his new [Refreshing Wind] Spell, removing all fatigue from the crew and making the already lively Nemu and Laura a little bit hyper. Even though he wasn't feeling tired before, now that the spell has been cast, Cain feels fantastic. That Spell was definitely worth learning, even just to compensate for early mornings.
For five days, they travel peacefully, just enjoying their time onboard, free from responsibilities and interruptions. Mythryll and Nila are spending a lot of time together, the two Elves increasingly in sync with each other. They don't seem to realize they're beginning to finish each other's sentences yet, but both Cain and Nemu have, and Felian is doing her best to hide her interest in their interactions while still watching them like a soap opera.
On the sixth day, Cain gets a sense from the Giant Armored Octopus that they've found something dangerous, but their methods of communication are confusing at best. A group of dangerous monsters on top of the water? They must mean ships.
"The Octopus has found something in the distance, likely ships, but I'm not sure if they're enemies or not yet. We're getting close to Landis waters, and we should be careful not to attack and sink any of their vessels. We don't want to be lumped in with the desert raiders."
They keep up their speed until sails are already visible on the horizon. Not the blue and silver of Landis, but dark blue and black, dyed so they won't stand out against the evening skies and water.
"Pirates on the horizon. Are we running or fighting?" Nila calls from the crow's nest.
"They're right in our path and spread out as far as the eye can see. If they're even moderately good at their job, it will be tough to evade. Octopus, you're up; destroy those vessels directly in front of us. Full speed ahead, and go for the gap opened when the sea monsters attack. We're going to run their blockade."
Nila laughs at his reckless plan but follows instructions, the wind whistling over the deck as the Queen Rose picks up speed. All four casters are at work now, smoothing out the ride and maximizing speed at the cost of their Mana slowly depleting.
They're only a kilometer and a bit away from the blockade line when the Octopus attack, grabbing startled sailors off the deck and throwing them into the water, attacking the rigging and biting at the hulls of the two nearest ships. Single level 180 monster attacks are dangerous but easily survivable for most crews. When two dozen of them attack simultaneously, it's a whole different story.
Every time one gets heavily injured, it dives below and waits for its natural regeneration to heal it while the others attack the ship. The spells on their hulls are fluctuating up and down, only bring refreshed at the last moment to save on mana, as the wind mages pull their surviving crew back on board before they drown.
That's an Octopus special; wrap the sailor up and drown him; no need to fight. Their tentacles are strong enough to keep most targets from escaping on their own.
The two ships are fully engaged, and the two beside them are starting to take attacks when Nila brings the Queen Rose close at her maximum Embargo running velocity. The Pirates are swearing and calling her a madwoman, but the Wave Rider is just laughing at them.
"Thanks for keeping them occupied. Sorry, we couldn't stay to help." She shouts as they pass between ships.
Their Spell casters throw a few annoyed attacks at the Queen Rose but soon have to turn back to defending against the Giant Octopus, who have caused large amounts of damage to their vessels already, rendering them nearly immobile.
As they pass by, one octopus climbs up on the deck of the Queen Rose, stretching out in order for Cain to rub its head. To the other ships, they look like they're under attack as well but still fleeing. After all, the others can't see the creature's eyes roll back as Cain finds the sweet spot beside its beak.
It drops off to help the others once they're a few Kilometers away, giving the appearance that the Darklight Host won their battle and knocked it overboard. The first two vessels attacked weren't so lucky. They're disabled, taking on water, and most of their crew members are dead or floating in the ocean.
The ships that came to rescue them are doing better, but not by much, and one has already lost both of its masts. The Giant Armored Octopus have only lost four teammates so far, thanks to their hide and recuperate strategy, and they're still going strong in their attempt to crush the ships.
Cain lets the Octopus know that they can leave the ships alone since they've taken casualties, but they're determined to get their snack now that they've put all that effort into opening the hard shell of the boats.
Nila sails them sail two more hours southwest at high cruising speed before they come across a flotilla of Landis military vessels on patrol. Nila orders their speed dropped, and they turn to head towards the ships at a moderate pace, indicating they're not going to run.
Cain orders all the Companions but Nila to merge again, much to their dismay, but keeping their potential numbers secret comes first. Both clones can see and hear when under the effects of the Merger, so they're not missing out on much; they just need to share the decision-making.
"Hail to the vessel. Drop your spells and your sails and prepare for inspection." The lead vessel calls with a magically enhanced voice. The Queen Rose glides to a stop as the Landis military vessels approach, their crews looking nervous and tired.
"You managed to run the blockade, I see?" Is the first thing the Admiral says to them.
"Sea Monsters attacked them, so we ran the gap. The Queen Rose is far faster than any pathetic human vessel." Nila declares proudly.
"Sounds like quite the story. But one for another day. We'll need to come aboard and check your hold for contraband. You know the routine." They do, and the only thing in the hold are their provisions.
"No cargo?"
"We sold out at the Armory Auction in Tortuga. Quite the shindig this time, even the Knight Commander Lancelot showed up to bid on some items."
They accept that as a reasonable response, more than a few vessels sell out there and come fast and empty for Landis to restock. It's a big kingdom and the biggest city on the Central Continent's Eastern coast, the perfect staging area for merchants.
"I heard the Demon King came from his capital to bid on a suit of armor. It's the talk of the castle right now. My sister is a maid there and lives for a good bit of gossip." One of the soldiers says.
"The Auctioneer said the Armor went to a nonmonetary bid, but the crowd didn't get to see who won. That armor was incredible, though, so much damage reduction." Vala lays it on thick, currently in her default form, armor and all.
The conversation is short since they don't have much to inspect, and they're sent on their way with the correct heading to come into the Landis Capital without causing suspicion. The Navy is sending everyone to a point outside the city and then in from there. Those that don't know the correct spot will be immediately searched upon arrival.
It's a simple but effective way of separating who has been searched from those who were missed and the blockade runners. Not that there seem to be many of either, only two other vessels are waiting at the appointed location when they arrive, and one belongs to the navy.
"Anchor here, and you can head in tomorrow morning.. We don't want anyone moving at night right now."
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