The plates steamed with soup and vegetables, their aroma wafting out of Fisher Gesha’s kitchen. It caused Mercy’s mouth to water. Her hands were covered in what looked like black-tar gloves reaching to her elbows. They reflected the lanterns in the room as her elbows rested on table with her chin in her hands.

To her side sat Yerin, angling her two sword-arms so that they did not accidentally stab anyone. She kept looking back at the door.

Spider constructs hung from the ceiling. Every so often one would twitch. Yerin ignored it, feeling the urge to slash them all to pieces. Mercy began to hum aloud to cover up her growling stomach.

Eithan rested his feet on the table as he lit a pipe with his soulfire, blowing rings into the air.

They wore their green Skysworn armor, having just finished their mission for the day when Fisher Gesha had invited them for dinner.

When Yerin had checked the door for the hundredth time, it finally opened with a crack. It revealed the darkness and rain falling, and a young man stepped out of the shadows.

“Look who decided to show up!” Called out Fisher Gesha from the kitchen.

“Better late than ever,” grumbled Yerin. She felt unease she hadn’t even been aware of began to fade away as she saw Lindon’s smile.

“Apologies for being late.” Lindon walked in. “Bai Rou was there when I was turning in our mission assignments for the day.”

Behind him a hulking figure with glowing red eyes huffed smoke from its mouth. The rain hissed when it touched its shell. Lightning flashed from outside, and it revealed the flaming dragon-turtle.

Orthos walked in from the darkness, his red and black eyes sparkled with amusement. Little Blue rode on his head, the blue Sylvan Riverseed dangling her feet as she played with a little toy knife Lindon had given her. She looked like a small woman with long hair and a flowing dress, made of blue light. She talked excitedly in chime and bell sounds as she waved at everyone.

Yerin waved back.

Eithan nodded. “Yes, crashing his wedding was a fiasco on our part. Oh well, at least it was memorable for him!”

Mercy laughed. “May we all hope for such memories!”

Dross spoke up from Lindon’s head. [I have that memory saved! We can all watch it for movie night!]

Yerin slapped the chair next to her, a crooked smile on her face. “Saved you a seat.”

Lindon thanked her as he sat down. “How about let’s not talk about Mrs. Bai Rou for the night?”

Eithan winked at him. “No promises.”

Mercy playfully stuck her tongue out at him.

Fisher Gesha walked out on her spider construct. “Eithan, take your filthy boots off my table!”

She turned to Orthos, wagging her finger. “No burning my house. Or else next time I’ll make turtle soup.”

Orthos laughed from his belly, setting down in the corner with Little Blue.

Yerin got up to help Fisher Gesha carry the heavy meat slab she had been saving for Orthos.

“Mhhm, a dragon needs his meat.”

“And that’s the last time I fetch this for you,” lectured Fisher Gesha. “You have no idea how expensive this was.”

When they were all settled in, they huddled around the table. They all wore their green Skysworn armor, except for Fisher Gesha who was dressed in a blue robe dotted with spiders.

Yerin stared at the stew suspiciously, as if she expected an arachnid to crawl out.

Eithan ate his stew delicately, nodding appreciatively. “Almost as good as my cooking! Well done!”

Fisher Gesha smacked him, but he had lowered his head at that moment, causing her slap to miss and touch his long blond hair.

“Oh, this smells so good.” Lindon sighed as he dug into his soup. “I was starving.”

“Don’t eat too fast or you’ll choke.” Fisher Gesha barked as she slapped Lindon upside the head.

Lindon choked on his stew, coughing.

“Apologies. I lost myself for a moment.”

“We all tend to lose our heads every once in a while,” mused Eithan as he smoked a pipe. His ring of smoke floated in the air and joined Orthos’s smoke coming from his shell.

Fisher Gesha turned to him and fixed him with a glare. “What did I say about smoking in my house?”

Mercy grinned over from her stew, her cheeks bulging from stuffing her mouth. “Thank you for looking out for us!”

As they ate, Yerin was able to coax Little Blue to walk over and climb up her shoulder. The little spirit warily peered over Yerin’s shoulder, sniffing the soup, and smiling. She began to jump up and down, stretching as if she were about to jump. She made excited chiming noises, psyching herself up by doing jumping jacks. It looked like she was about to dive in, so Yerin wisely grabbed her and put her back on the ground to scamper back to Orthos.

When they finished eating, Mercy clapped her hands over her bowl and bowed.

“Yummy! Very yummy!”

Fisher Gesha let a smile slip.

“Today must have been a hard day if you enjoyed my cooking that much.”

“Today was so fun!” Mercy exclaimed. “We found a lost kitten, foiled an assassination plot by the local gangs—Yerin beat them up pretty good. Oh, we also saw this funny man with eyes all over his head!”

Yerin’s face turned pale, wishing she could take that memory away.

Fisher Gesha raised an eyebrow. “Nothing strange about that.”

Mercy nodded. “Yeah, but there were also these spider things with him. They had eye stalks all over their bodies!”

Fisher Gesha’s eyes widened. “Oh, some customers have been bringing those in lately for Soulsmithing parts.”

Yerin’s chair scraped as she shot up, looking green in the face. “Tell me true. Did you fed us that.”

Lindon began to cough again.

Fisher Gesha shook her head. “Don’t be silly girl.” She waved her hand. “I only cook spider soup on holidays.”

Yerin sat back down.

Mercy nodded along. “Makes sense.”

“They don’t leave behind Remnants,” Fisher Gesha continued. “Strangest sacred beasts I’ve ever seen.”

Lindon leaned in. “I didn’t sense any madra from them. Or at least, nothing I could understand. It felt….chaotic……like a thirst for hunger….”

There was a silence, where only the howling wind was heard. Trees scraped against the windows, and the spider crawled on the ceiling above them.

It hid in the shadows, its eye stalks peering down on its victims eating at the table. It watched as the old woman got up and went to the kitchen.

“Don’t worry,” Eithan was saying to Lindon. “I’ll teach you my pure madra techniques when you are Under….lord…”

Eithan looked up at the ceiling at the same time Dross floated out of Lindon to look up.

[…..Hi there are you friendly?]

The spider leapt on them.

Two bars of Blackflame, a sliver of sword aura, an arrow of shadow, and a fork Eithan had thrown pierced the spider.

[Aaagghhh! Kill it with fire!] Dross wailed.

The spider was reduced to molecules before it hit the table.

Dross wiped his forehead as if he had sweat, his floating purple body bobbing up and down.

[Phew, I thought you all were goners. I thought for a second, I was going to have to save everyone’s butt. Haha, but the foul spider knew better than to mess with me!]

He made karate sounds as he waved his purple tendrils in chops, floating back inside Lindon’s head.

[Waaaaaa! Hiyaa! Take this!]

Yerin stepepd away from the table. "I hate spiders."

She had just put her sword away when, suddenly, a shadowy void appeared overhead, blinking with strange lights.

Orthos jumped up, spooked. Little Blue peeped on his head.

“What’s that!” Called Fisher Gesha from the kitchen.

“Oh, we are admiring your pretty lightshow!” answered back Mercy with a shaky laugh. “How did you do that?”

Lightshow? Mouthed Fisher Gesha. She began to grumble under her breath.

“Eithan, what have you brought into my house!”

Before Eithan could respond, there was a knock at the door.

Lindon looked up, his body tense. “Who can that be?”

Yerin put her hand on her sword. “I don’t know, but don’t open the door.”

Orthos stood up, his growl getting louder as his eyes flared red.

Eithan’s smile slid off his face, standing up.

The aura coming off was alien.

Slowly, the door cracked open.

Creeaaaaaaaaaaakkkkkk.

Behind them, footsteps began to pound down the stairs.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump. Thump.

Thump. Thump. Thump. …………………………ThumpThumpThumpThump!

The shutters began to open and close, and the lights flickered on and off.

From their empty bowls, it began to fill with blood. Eyeballs popped out, and pale fingers began to poke out.

The pounding from the stairs got louder, and pale figure with long black hair crawled out, its head twisted upside down. Its mouth poured with blood and smiled, a chilling moan coming out.

Yerin kicked the table over, her sword slashing out. Her blade stopped before she could release her Striker technique. Everyone was frozen in place.

Eithan was in the process of taking out his scissors, his teeth gritted. Mercy was raising Suu, which was in the middle of turning into her bow. Lindon had a half-formed Burning Cloak around him. Orthos’s tail was seen in the corner of the doorway, frozen in the process of running away to the kitchen.

The blood from the plates continued to overflow, but suddenly the plates shattered as geysers of blood filled the room in seconds, covering the entire room in a pool of crimson plasma.

No one could move when the door fully opened, somehow the blood not escaping the room. Despite the blood, the figure was perfectly clear.

The creature with no face.

Only darkness covered where his face would have been, an endless void that expanded and enveloped his head completely.

Somehow, his presence spoke to them all. It felt like being in the presence of a god, the aura around it making everyone shiver. With its Intent, it carried its name.

Urg’naut, The Creeping Shadow.

Then everything turned black as the shadow portal above enveloped the room

***

Fisher Gesha heard a strange noise from the dining table. She looked up from her sink.

“What’s going on over there?”

There was a strange aura in the room, feeling like she was swimming underwater. Disoriented, she began to walk in the dining room.

The wind howled and lightning flashed through the windows, shining on the empty table.

Fisher Gesha stared at the room, frowning.

The room was empty.

***

They appeared in blue waters. It was an underwater chasm, seaweed poking through and fish zipping by.

Lindon looked around, relieved to see Mercy, Yerin, Eithan, and Orthos with him.

[Ah! Help! SOS! 911! Ayudame! I can’t breathe....Oh wait, I don’t have lungs! Never mind! Everything is okay!]

Lindon struggled to hold his breath as he swam to the surface, the others next to him. Orthos paddled quickly through the water, his flippers hardly causing bubbles. Little Blue clung to his head.

When they broke through the surface, they sighed a breath of relief.

Yerin hissed. “Well isn’t this just nice and shiny for us.”

They had emerged into a cavern of diamonds, moisture clinging to the precious material in beads.

Eithan let out a low whistle.

[Uh, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore guys.]

Lindon’s eyes were wide. “Eithan, how much Blackflame scales could we buy with this?”

“Enough to buy the Blackflame Empire a thousand times over.”

Eithan looked down into the water, noticing the problem first.

Dross was next to notice. [Guys, can any of you fly?]

Orthos looked around with dragon fever, but his attention was stopped as he felt something grab his foot.

He kicked out, peering down, and shouting a warning.

Everyone looked down to see undead corpses swimming up to them, howling in the water like sirens. They were like a black and blue tide, a mesh of human and creature. The lead reached for Eithan, a rotting corpse with white hair and wide bloodshot eyes. It began to laugh in a woman’s voice, her rotting hands motioning for Eithan to come closer. The voice echoed down like a chain effect, until all the corpses laughed in a demonic female voice.

Mercy shot her shadow arrow and it burst into a mile-wide net, wrapping the army up. She turned to the others.

“Let’s get out of here before we—aaagghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

Gravity reversed and they fell through the air. What was once up was now down as they fell through the chasm, about to hit the ceiling.

Lindon and Orthos blasted through the diamond with Blackflame, their Truegold spirits shining brightly. Yerin added firepower with her Striker techniques. Together they cracked through the ceiling in a dust-cloud of glittering diamonds as they fell through …to the open sky.

Below them stretched an endless blue sea. In the distance, a whirlpool ravaged the horizon, pulling an island that was trying to swim away with feeler-like arms. On the other side of the horizon, where the sun was setting, a giant shark poked its head out, sneering, before it was pulled underwater and eaten by a bigger sea monster.

A ship sailed the seas below, shining red. They were about to crash into it.

Orthos fell shell-first, his feet waggling as he threw his head side to side in fear. Little Blue clung to him and let out a scream like bells chiming.

As they neared the ship, the crew began to point their canons at them. Tjhey fired their cannonballs.

Yerin slicked one in half, Lindon kicked one away, and Eithan caught his on one finger as he spun it around and threw it into the sea, sending it blasting into the water with a spray. They were more worried about destroying the ship than some cannonballs.

Eithan slowed their fall with soulfire, calling wind aura to catch them. It allowed them to land lightly on the deck.

Mercy fell flat on her face, kissing the wooden planks.

Orthos curled up and covered his eyes with his claws. “I don’t like heights.”

Little Blue chimed, trying to console him.

Lindon crouched, ready to summon the Burning Cloak.

Yerin raised her two sword-arms and sword.

Eithan beamed and waved. “Hello, friends!”

One of the crew stepped forward, a muscular man with a hammer.

“Prove to us right now you are not Elderspwan, and you may survive the next couple seconds.”

Lindon quickly told Dross to not make a sound, lest they spook the crew.

Yerin raised her sword, but Mercy tried to calm the situation as she raised her hand. “We’re human. 100% human.” She glanced at Orthos. “And part turtle-dragon too!” She added brightly.

The man raised his hammer, dark shadow creeping out as it shot at them. It felt oddly familiar to the shadowy man they had met in Fisher Gesha’s house.

Yerin blocked with the Endless Sword, holding the shadow back. She slashed out with her sword, but another muscular man jumped out with a white sword, his skin dark. He blocked her own blade with a loud crack, ice spreading from his Soulbound Vessel.

On contact, a wall of ice trapped her sword. Yerin kicked through his wall, shattering it. She slashed at his neck, which he ducked and kicked her side. Yerin absorbed the kick with her Steelborn Iron body, her Goldsigns stabbing forward.

“Stop!”

A man walked out, wearing a captain’s robe.

“Enough of this.” He turned to the man with the hammer. “If they were Elderspawn, they would have reacted to your Elder Soulbound Vessel.”

The man grunted and backed down. He gave Yerin a look of murder.

Yerin glared at him, her blade quivering.

The captain turned to them. “Forgive my Champions. My name is Captain Santiago, and allow me to introduce you to my Navigator ship: Big Red.”

Lindon dropped his Burning Cloak, and Mercy waved cheerily. “Hello Santiago! Hello friends! Where are we?”

Surrounding them were a group of Navigators, sailors of the Aion Sea, according to the crew. Their captain, Santiago, was a handsome man with long flowing brown hair and perfectly tanned skin. He was Soulbound Vessel to his Navigator ship, able to control it as if it were a living breathing extension of himself. He was young with freckles, and had a golden cutlass strapped to his side.

The captain introduced them to his three muscular Champions, members of the strongest warrior guild in all of the empire. One of them had a hammer, another was dark skinned with an icy sword. The last was a man with long black hair and white bracelets at his wrists.

“Hoy! Bless the Luminian Pilgrims and the Unknown God! There were Elders ashore?!” The gunner Davy squinted at Mercy and Lindon recounted how they had gotten here. He was in the middle of polishing his pistol, which he said was something called Awakened. Apparently, it had some sentience.

“The Aion sea can be tricky a place, yes for sure! Ain’t a more dangerous place in all of the Aurelian Empire, that’m for sure!”

“Aurelian…Empire?” Asked Eithan. He smiled.

“Yes’sir.” Davy nodded, taking a swig of his canteen.

Yerin slapped Eithan’s shoulder. “I said I would never call you my master. I am definitely never calling you emperor.”

“Ah, but don’t forget, you are an adopted member of the Arelius family! That would make you royalty as well.”

“Where are you guys headed?” Lindon asked the captain.

The captain smiled as he led them to the main deck, his three Champions watching them closely. Orthos growled at them, but none of them backed off.

“We are en route to get some treasure for our Guild Head. You can come along and see if you’d like. Well, I guess you have no choice. The nearest port is just past our location, so you might as well come. We could use your help.”

He stopped, realizing the others had stopped walking.

“Okay, group meeting,” hollered Yerin.

Yerin, Lindon, Orthos, Mercy, and Little Blue gathered in a circle as the captain looked on with an amused expression. Eithan jumped over with his hands behind his back and standing straight, his face never losing his smile.

“Okay, what do you think?” Asked Yerin.

Eithan beamed as the Champions glared at them.

“Why not help them, they all look friendly!”

“Well you did say we need expenses now that you are no longer Patriarch,” Lindon told Eithan. “We could benefit.”

Yerin nodded, “My thoughts exactly.”

Little Blue raised a tiny knife, chiming valiantly with bell sounds.

Orthos breathed smoke. “As long as we stay away from heights, I don’t mind.”

Mercy smiled as she looked over at the captain. “He has perfect teeth too!”

The captain laughed, “Flatter me all you want miss, this man is happily married to the most beautiful lady in all of the empire.”

Yerin scratched her head the group faced the captain. “How much gold are we talking here?”

“And are you willing to share?” Asked Lindon. “Apologies if that is too much. Thank you for saving our lives. But we are in need for some money ourselves to help with our…. training.”

The captain rubbed his chin. “This is practically dangerous, and I was planning on using my Champions. But if you are willing, we would allow you to retrieve it yourself. If you do this, you are able to keep 20%.”

“30%,” Yerin said.

The captain laughed. “Why not cut the banter and I accept your real offer. Fine, you can keep 50%.”

Yerin smirked as Mercy jumped up, cheering, and clapping her hands. Little Blue joined in.

***

The island was a leafy jungle, vast and full of life.

“The treasure is under the island,” Captain Santiago said. “Davy will come with you to show you where.”

The gunner grinned at them, putting on his scuba bowl helmet. The glass glowed green around his head, the Awakened object providing him with oxygen.

Eithan rubbed his chin. “50% still sounds too good to be true….Okay, I accept.”

He turned to the others. “Everyone, saddle up and get swimming!”

Lindon, Yerin, and Mercy jumped into the water with their green armor glinting. Orthos followed behind, Little Blue clinging to him. Davy the gunner jumped after them, giving his captain a wink.

“Be right back, captain. Shoudn’ta take too long.”

Eithan waved him goodbye as he jumped.

“Ahhhh,” he said as he took in a deep breath. He enjoyed the sparkling sea, taking in the flying birds. “I’ve always loved treasure hunting!”

He turned to the crew, the three Champions surrounding him as they took out their weapons.

“Sorry Mr. Arelius,” said Captain Santiago. “We have no use for you. 50% is a prosperous deal after all.”

“So, this the part where you betray me?” Eithan said with a wide evil smile, pressing his fingers together. “Oooh, yes so dastardly! I admit boys, you got me surrounded. I will surrender peacefully, don’t you worry.”

***

The treasure was literally under the island.

A frog face stuck out from under the island, green and with closed eyes. It was as if it was attached to the island underneath, which flowed with moss and seaweed like an underwater forest. Fish that swam around, darting with life. The giant frog’s mouth was open as it slumbered, moss growing on its nose.

Lindon and the others swam, using the constructs from their Skysworn armor to help give them oxygen. It was a special helmet made of glass, filtering out the oxygen from the water.

The blue seas were vast, light filtering through in rays. In the distant something big swam by.

[Ooh. Big Fishie.]

As they neared the giant living frog, its gray decaying tongue had a pink flower petal growing at the tip. It was here where a ship was nestled.

Jack-o-lanterns adorned the golden ship, glowing with candlelight despite being underwater.

“The treasure is in there,” pointed Davy. “Careful now. Don’t wake up that Elder.”

Orthos began to growl, glaring at the frog.

Yerin swam inside with her hand on her sword, her sword-arms helping her paddle.

Inside the ship they swam through the cracked woods, debris swirling in the water. It was cramped and dark, barely any light filtering through They entered a room that had most of the walls removed, allowing the view of the blue waters.

Finally, they had found the treasure.

In the ship dining room, there was a table full of floating skeletons, some still in their chairs. The ceiling was aligned with lit jack-o-lanterns that provided lamination in the dark. On the table, a massive diamond chest was strapped to the table with vines that grew pink petals.

“Wow,” said Yerin and Lindon at the same time.

“Good. We found it. Let’s get out of here.” Said Orthos.

[I agree.] Added Dross. [I need to see the sunlight again. I’m trying out this new tan, guys. A man’s gotta tan gosh darn it!]

Lindon had barely touched the treasure chest.

Outside, the giant frog’s eyes shot open, letting out a croak.

The guardian of the treasure had awakened.

It slammed its mouth shut, about to swallow its victims whole. Its eyes bulged as it croaked again.

Ribbit. Ribbit. Ribb—

It exploded as Blackflame, sword aura, and shadow madra burst it to bloody pieces, releasing the golden ship as it sank to the coral reefs.

Inside his helmet, Davy laughed. “By golly, what the heck they be feeding you guys? Sea monsters?”

Lindon grinned. “You could say that.”

Yerin rolled her eyes, but she still smiled.

“C’mon Mercy, we’re leaving.”

The giant frog’s remains felt on the ocean floor with a crash, its webbed legs still kicking in its death throes.

As Yerin helped Lindon pick up the heavy diamond chest, Mercy looked over at the other skeletons in the room.

“It’s so sad. These are all the victims who were killed by that Elder frog.”

“Aye,” shivered Davy, “Tis was Othaghor’s Elderspawn. Little devil that Great Elder is, creating heinous biological beings. Enough to send the shivies down the spine of anyone with a right mind.”

The corners of Mercy’s mouth turned down, swimming as she examined each victim.

One of the corpses had a Jack-O-lantern for a head, having been surgically implanted. Mercy stared in horror, her nose crinkling in disgust as she stared at its carved face. Bleed leaked like candlewax from its eyes and mouth.

Tears welled in Mercy’s eyes.

“These Great Elders….how could they do this to people?”

Candlelight still glowed inside its jack-o-lantern head, lighting up the dark dining room. It’s wrinkled gray claws wrapped around the shoulders of a little floating skeleton in a dress. Moss covered the skeleton, and wisps of long brown hair hung on in the current.

Mercy stopped swimming, her eyes sad as she touched the little girl’s dress. It blew apart in her hands, carried by the currents.

She turned away to see the next skeleton turning to look at her.

The skeleton looked over, its jaw dropping to the ground and bursting apart. It reached for Mercy’s face.

Yerin unleashed the Endless Sword, decimating the skeleton to pieces.

At that moment Davy pulled out his Awakened gun, it glinted black in the waters. He pointed it and fired.

The bullet screamed out, a red hunk of metal that shoot Yerin in the back.

Her Goldsigns cut the bullet half, and Davy fired another round.

Lindon was there in an instant, dragon breath smashing through the second bullet and piercing the corner of Davy’s helmet. It shattered to pieces, his face screaming as he took in water.

Behind Yerin the Jack-O-lantern skeleton turned.

She ducked as it reached for her, its black robes swirling Its gray claws missed her and grabbed the head of Davy.

The Jack-O-Lantern corpse twisted Davy’s head all the way around, his blue face open in a fixed scream.

Mercy swam up, shooting an arrow into its face.

Yerin swam low, carving a line up its groin and bisecting its face with her sword.

Lindon sprang with the Burning Cloak and smashed its legs out as Orthos bit into its torso and ripped it apart.

The candlelight died out as the Jack-O-Lantern head bounced on the ground, its body destroyed.

Mercy looked over at Davy’s body, her eyes wide. “What…” She looked up at the Navigator ship above. “Eithan is in trouble.”

[Uh, I think we’re in trouble Mercy.]

Frog-like creatures swam through the water, piercing through the golden ships in bursts. The room lit up with churning techniques, but some managed to bite into Mercy’s Skysworn armor. Yerin immediately cut them with the Endless Sword, but their blood sprayed acid on Mercy’s armor.

Mercy ripped her armor off as the acid began to eat through.

More of the skeletons began to come alive, and from the distance, an army of more creatures were surrounding them.

Orthos flared with the Burning Cloak.

Dross groaned.

Yerin lifted her sword. “Orthos, you carry the chest on your shell. Mercy wrap it around him with your madra. Lindon, I take point. You take the rear.”

Lindon prepared a blast of dragon’s breath.

“Right behind you.”

***

Eithan smiled as he held onto the rope attached to the ship mast.

“Nothing like a fine day for dying!”

He stood on the rowboat beside the Navigator ship. The currents shook the wooden rowboat, and the wind made Eithan’s long blond hair fly back in the wind. He raised the golden cutlass in the air, admiring its blade.

“Swindler, you have just been swindled.”

Captain Santiago lay at the edge of the rowboat he had been trying to escape, his brown hair in disarray. His nose bled, and he glared up at the blond Underlord. Eithan rested his foot on his throat, in one hand swinging the captain’s golden cutlass.

“Why you—”

Eithan was pulled away on the ropes as the jaws of an Elderspawn crocodile shot out, swallowing the rowboat and captain in one gulp.

It sent out a wave that sent the mast of the ship cracking backwards, pulling up the rope Eithan had been holding onto.

As the crocodile glided upwards, it revealed its pure white scales. It looked like a glacier sticking out of the sea. It towered over the ship, raining down white water in waterfalls onto the ship as its red eyes closed in satisfaction. It sank below the sea to enjoy its meal.

Eithan was pulled into the air by the ropes to the mast, reaching the top.

The hammer Champion jumped up to him.

Eithan tugged on the rope, using the tension to flip over as he dodged the swing of the hammer from the hammer Champion.

He flipped onto the wooden mast and the dark-skinned Champion jumped aboard. His muscles bulged as he thrust his sword forward. A wave of ice blasted outwards in a jagged spike. Eithan swung his foot to the side and shattered the ice tip away, spinning around as he caught one of the ice spikes. He threw the ice spike back at the Champion. At the same time, he Forged a star that shot into the man.

The ice Champion blocked the ice spike, but he still had a pure madra star spinning towards him. He jumped up, but the star followed his trajectory. As the Champion fell, he grabbed the mast he had been previously standing on and spun in a wide circle as he held onto the mast pole, his feet coming up to kick the star of pure madra away.

When the Champion landed back on the mast, he turned to see Eithan’s laughing blue eyes taking up his view.

Eithan dashed across the mast, perfectly balancing. He ducked under the Champion’s next sword swing to punch him in the stomach.

BOOM!

The ice Champion blasted away into the air, the sonic boom creating rustling the flag overhead and almost tipping the entire Navigator ship over.

The force of the punch sent the ice Champion skidding along the ocean like a bouncing pebble.

He sprayed water into the air like a waterfall roar, catching the dying embers of the setting sun. He began to freeze the water around him to slow his fall, but two sharks jumped up and bit into him. He froze them both and shattered them, both five more jumped up and bit into him. He screamed as they tore him apart.

Back on the ship, Eithan landed on the deck and caught the fist of the bracelet Champion with the back of his hand. The bracelet Champion pushed Eithan aside, but Eithan rested his hands on the planks and lifted his feet up, twisting his body around around and kicking the Champion in the face. His kick sent the Champion smashing into the ground. His head burst into the wooden planks, punching through.

It lasted only a second as the roaring Champion shoved himself up and his bracelets Soulbound Vessels glowed white as he created floating silken needles.

At the same time the hammer Champion swung his hammer, sending a burst of Elderspawn shadow.

Eithan raised two hands and two spinning balls of pure madra enveloped his hands, catching the two strikes and sending them back at their owners, who tanked right through them.

The bracelet Champion ran behind him, punching forward. Eithan turned, turning the punch away with the cutlass and then stepping forward with the blade. As he stepped, the cutlass stabbed forward as he held it out with both hands. Silk grew from the bracelet’s champions hands as he brought them up, enveloping Eithan’s sword in webs of white.

Behind Eithan the hammer Champion swing his Soulbound vessel, shadow streaming behind his hammer.

Eithan dropped the cutlass and grabbed onto the bracelet’s Champions wrist. He pulled himself up, resting his feet on the Champions chest as the hammer from the second champion passed underneath him.

Eithan flipped upwards, lifting the bracelet Champion off his feet, and flipping him in the air with the Underlord. The acrobatic move caused the bracelet Champion to slam down onto the hammer Champion with a burst of broken planks and splinters.

The hammer Champion rolled away, swinging his hammer, and unleashing a wave of shadow.

The sea exploded behind him.

A Kameira sea dragon rose over the water, trailing water, as it arched over the ship in a dazzling display.

On the Aion sea, the orange sky had rapidly turned to a starry night, the moonlight reflected off the Kameira’s skin and bouncing off from the water droplets in the air like white rainbows. Its skin burst with electricity and shone with silver light, a diamond blinding display as its blue feathers left tiny crystals in the air that glittered. Its head crashed into the water with a glorious sing-song call.

As if Eithan had known all along, he reached up and caught one of the blue feathers and let the dragon pull him away from the wave of shadow launched from the hammer champion. Eithan let go of the Kameira as the bracelet Champion created a spear of silk and threw his spear at Eithan.

Eithan landed on the floor with a crouch as the spear sailed over his head. The bracelet Champion threw another spear of silk, blasting through the air with a sonic boom. Eithan caught the second spear and twirling it around to block the hammer strike from the second Champion, shadow gushing out from his hammer like waves. The force of the hammer slammed Eithan into the ground, but Eithan rolled away to the bracelet Champion and kicked him under the chin, launching the Champion up into the Kameira’s body.

As soon as the bracelet’s Champion touched the scales, he was instantly electrified. Before he could recover, Eithan threw the spear and pinned the Champion to the Kameira, the spear stabbing through his neck and into the scales.

The Kameira didn’t even notice as it completed its arc and sank into the dark depths, taking a screaming Champion with it. Before he disappeared into the water forever, he managed to make another hardened silk spear and hurl it at Eithan, who stepped to the side as it stabbed the deck behind him.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Eithan heard the hammer Champion running behind him, picking up the spear and hurling it at Eithan’s back. Eithan crouched and caught it by the tip of the spear with two fingers, spinning it around him, and throwing it back. The Champion tried to catch it, but Eithan shot a Forged star behind it and changed its course, causing it to stab the Champion in the ribcage. He grunted as he took the hit, raising his hammer and slamming down onto the ground.

A wave of shadow rushed at Eithan, filled with Elder Intent directly from Urg’naut.

Eithan sent a pulse of pure madra.

It didn’t cancel out the shadow as it was not madra, but when it reached the Champion, his power faltered. He may not have madra, but pure madra did affect the spirit. His Soulbound Vessel, sensing weakness, attacked its own owner.

The Shadow whirled around in a black tsunami and swallowed the screaming Champion whole. In seconds, he was gone, the shadow vanishing into black liquid that evaporated in the moonlight. Not even his hammer remained.

Eithan stood up from his crouch, taking the pipe out of his pocket and lighting it as he enjoyed the full moon. He blew a cloud of smoke, cleaning a speck of dust that had fallen on his green Skysworn armor.

He turned around as Mercy climbed aboard, wet and breathing heavily. Her green armor was smoking and dissolving away, revealing her black robes underneath. She looked around, frowning.

“Hey, where’d the captain go?”

“Oh, he was feeling a little seasick and decided he wasn’t cut out for this sea business thing.”

“Aw man. I kind of liked him.”

***

The new crew sailed on the Navigator ship—now called The Arelius Invasion. Their boat skirted along the oceans, avoiding all incoming dangerous thanks to Eithan’s bloodline ability.

Eithan was commanding the wheel, pretending to know what he was doing. He rested his foot on the diamond chest, whistling, as he wore the late Captain Santiago’s black Navigator hat.

He won’t need it anymore, Eithan had assured them with a smile.

Mercy hang from the mast on webs of shadow forming a hammock she had made, looking up at the stars with Little Blue.

Orthos had taken control of the captain’s cabin room, throwing himself on the bed and snoring.

Lindon and Yerin stood on the ship railing, looking down into the water. Below, dolphins jumped into the air, making clicking noises.

Yerin threw a fish, smiling as one of the dolphins jumped up and nabbed it.

“Nice one there, fish. Keep it up. Hey you, old timer. You better hurry you. He’s beating you!”

[Actually, I think that one is a girl, Yerin.]

She shrugged.

Lindon fingered his void key necklace, looking up to the moon.

“This is…kind of nice.”

“Yeah….”

“I’ve forgotten what nice was….”

Sighing, Lindon ran his hand through his hair. “Fisher Gesha must be worried about us.”

Yerin threw another fish. “Nah, I reckon she is glad to get rid of us. Won’t have to worry about dealing with Eithan anymore.”

Lindon chuckled. ‘That’s a plus.”

“You talking about me?”

Eithan appeared behind them, grinning.

Yerin groaned, her sword-arms stabbing out at him. He moved aside to dodge them, throwing his arms around them.

“Don’t be like that guys! C’mon, we’re on an adventure! You guys have been working hard for days! You deserve a vacation!”

[Really! We do? Wow, and I thought Lindon almost getting killed in Ghostwater meant he still needs a loooong way to go before he even could think about sleep! Shucks, maybe we can rest a little!]

Yerin frowned. “You alright in the head. That don’t sound like Eithan to me.”

Lindon nodded. “Besides, we can’t afford to rest. If Yerin and I want to make it to Underlord, we can’t afford to waste any time.”

Eithan nodded along. “I’m glad you think that way, because I was just about to tell you guys that I was kidding and you should forget about resting for the next, oh, five years!” He raised a fist. “We must advance! Sacred artists like us who aim to one day slap Monarchs around can’t afford to dilly-dawdle!”

[Aww man! You got my hopes up!]

Yerin rolled her eyes as Lindon sighed. “Eithan, can you be serious for us. Just for once.”

Eithan exhaled, rubbing a tear of joy from his eye. “But it pleases me to see you suffer so!” He suddenly clapped his hands together. “Assume cycling positions!”

Lindon and Yerin both sighed as they sat on the floor, closing their eyes to begin training.

Eithan waited.

Finally, Lindon opened his eyes. “I…I can’t cycle. There is hardly any vital aura here….”

Yerin looked around with wide eyes. “The Big Red crew wasn’t lying? We really aren’t home anymore.”

Eithan nodded. “I think we are in another dimension. Oohhhh.” He wiggled his fingers at them. “Now you understand our dilemma. We need to get back home, so you can properly continue your training.”

His smile grew tighter as he looked up at the sky. When he spoke, his voice had lost a hint of charm. “Who knows what happens if we remain stick here forever. Our cores may run out without access to vital aura. We will no longer be considered sacred artists.”

[On a more important note, I won’t be able to eat dream aura anymore!] Cried Dross. [So tasty!]

The ship began to quake.

Yerin shot up, her sword out. “What was that?”

“At this point I think we are getting used to saying that phrase,” said Lindon as he got up too.

Eithan peered at the sky above.

“That….is what our Navigator friends call Great Elders.”

Mercy fell from her hammock in surprise. She made an arrow, pointing at the sky.

Above them, a giant eye began to form. Or at least it looked like an eye. As it blinked at them, it had already changed into a human-like hand. Then into a giant foot. The being changed shapes rapidly, never staying on one for long.

In the cabin, Orthos burst out, unleashing a Dragon’s Breath.

The flames turned to harmless flowers before it reached the Great Elder, drifting in the sky.

Lindon, Eithan, Yerin, and Mercy cycled their madra as they looked up, all business.

“What do you want,” snarled Yerin. “Why are we here?”

Eithan pointed at Yerin. “What she said.”

[Uh, maybe don’t antagonize it] Said Dross. [Just so you guys know, any normal mortal right now would have been driven insane now. It’s taking everything I have for that not to happen to you guys so uh….MAKE IT GO AWAY! MY HEAD HURTS! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP! THARLOSSSSSS! I AM …………………THAARLOOOSHH AAHAHHHGHHHHH!]

Dross’s voice turned demonic at the end, booming as if another entity was speaking through it.

Eithan burned with pure madra, an explosion of energy that resulted the wind around them in a miniature hurricane, Forging giant pure stars that blasted the Great Elder. Lindon, Mercy and Yerin added their Striker techniques. It met in an explosion that lit up the night, reaching even the darkest depths of the Aion sea below.

Before the attacks hit the Great Elder, the landscape changed.

Lindon, Yerin, Eithan, Mercy, Orthos, and Little Blue found themselves in a laboratory.

The lab walls around them was made of skin, tables having pores that opened and closed. It emitted moisturized steam.

The Great Elder had teleported them somewhere else.

All around the tables, strange spiders with eyes talks were walking around, conducting tests.

As they neared the end of the room, they reached the skeletons. They were slinked over the tables, the spiders crawling over them and taking bone samples.

One of the spiders stopped, its two eye stalks slowly turning and staring at them. Its eyes were human. Its eyes twisted to the side, and it rushed forward.

Orthos roared out dragon’s breath, burning through spider. It met the wall of flesh behind it, cauterizing it before blood flowed out. The wall shifted, screaming.

“What are those!” Cried out Lindon

[Inquisitors! Wait how do I know that. I feel like my mind is overfilling with information…Inquisitors, spawn of……..]

“Dross?” Lindon asked. He felt horrified as Dross seemed to falter in his spiritual sense. As if Dross was somewhere else. “Dross what’s going….”

Lindon stared into the eyeball.

A DEVIATION. PECULIAR.

Everything was pitch black.

Eternal.

The only thing that mattered was the creature in front of him, covered in eyes. All knowing. All knowledgeable. In that moment, Lindon knew everything.

He knew Eithan, Orthos, Mercy, Yerin, and Little Blue were experiencing this same experience, for this Great Elder was eternal. Omnipotent. Omniscient.

He knew the past. He knew the future. He knew his death. He knew his friend’s fates. Lindon knew he would forget everything afterwards, not remembering this encounter. He and his friend would forget this had ever happened.

Everything was a chess piece, playing along at this being’s hands.

This Great Elder, who cared only for knowledge.

This was Ach’magut.

YOU SHOULD NOT BE HERE.

A blue portal appeared underneath, sucking Lindon in, and he reappeared back in Fisher Gesha’s room with everyone else

Fisher Gesha jumped as they reappeared.

“What the heck! How’d you do that?”

They looked at her, their hair was messy, their armor scratched, their face dirty, and they all were shivering.

Fisher Gesha stared, seconds passing only for her.

“….What the….”

Mercy looked over at her excitedly with a huge smile, her purple eyes flashing.

“You won’t believe what just happened!”

“What?” Fisher Gesha stared at them. “Go on, stop staring at me and spill the beans!”

Eithan cocked his head. “Huh, I don’t remember.”

Suddenly, it was like nothing had happened. Their hair was back to normal, their armor brand looking brand new.

It was as if time had reversed.

[What are you guys talking about? If anything happened, I would for sure remember it.]

Lindon frowned. “Don’t you guys feel like something is missing. Like an empty piece of your mind was….I don’t know erased.”

Yerin nodded.

Orthos snored, already fast asleep.

Mercy laughed. “Gosh, the stress must be getting to us!”

Fisher Gesha smiled. “Well I have just the right remedy. I have a surprise for you. Today is my husband’s birthday. He would have turned 457 if he were still alive.”

She took out a pot of soup.

“So, in remembrance, I made some spider soup!”