279. Calm

“Centina.”

The man spoke as held up the glinting object.

The [Evolved Centinel] stared at her captor. Erhard. A Human man who’d come to the Bloodied Gulf— who swore the destruction of all Centinelkind because of their role in his family’s demise. Here he was, chuckling, chatting with one of said Centinels.

She was conflicted. She… enjoyed it. Even if she was still trapped in the magical box. Her shackles. Despite clearly being a captive, she held feelings for him. Weird feelings. It was not like anything she’d ever felt before. Yet, she felt it.

The books she’d been given described it as a feeling called…. love.

But was it really love? Perhaps her feelings were muddled because of her containment. Surely if she were free what she felt would go away.

These thoughts plagued her, but that didn’t matter for now. Instead, she tilted her head at Erhard.

“What about Centina?”

He repeated himself.

“What?”

“For a name. You said you didn’t have a name, right?”

Erhard smiled as fiddled with something in his hand. The [Evolved Centinel] scowled.

“Was that the best name you could come up with?”

“I think it fits. You take pride in being a Centinel, don’t you? Having it as a part of your name seemed appropriate.”

“Well… if you say so.”

Centina took a moment to savor the name— let it sink in. Then she nodded.

“It is not a bad name.”

“Of course not.”

Standing to his feet, Erhard held up an odd circular metal object. It looked like the kind of item a Human would wear for their protection. Centina blinked.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a ring. It doesn’t have any protective enchantments, unfortunately. At least, for you. It’s made to be quite durable.”

“Why are you giving it to me?”

She asked, puzzled. He shook his head.

“Just something for you to remember me by. Try it on.”

Centina accepted it, inserting it into one of her claw-like fingers. It fit perfectly. And it looked kind of… nice. She’d never worn anything like this. Or anything, really. After a moment of admiring the ring, she registered what Erhard had said.

“Remember you by? What are you talking about, Erhard?”

The smile never left his face, even as he met her gaze. Even as he explained.

“I’m not going to keep you imprisoned any longer, Centina. I’m setting you free.”

Centina abruptly sat up. She stared at where she’d been lying— at the sleeping bag which could barely fit her Human-like half of her body.

“I fell asleep…”

She muttered to herself. At some point after speaking to Salvos, she’d dozed off. She wasn’t even tired, but she took a short nap. It was probably because she had spoken extensively about Erhard— her heart ached, thinking about him. It had been such a long time, and she’d mostly been able to move on. At least, in the sense that she didn’t live day-to-day thinking about him.

But after that Demon dug up her painful memories, Centina briefly fell into a whirlpool of mental fatigue and melancholy. She curled up in Erhard’s bed and… cried.

Even now, tears trickled down her cheeks which she was quick to wipe off. She didn’t care about her appearance since the monsters of the haven didn’t understand or care for such things. But for the sake of herself, she had to be strong.

Centina got to her feet and shook her head.

“If Salvos keeps her promise…”

It sounded like salvation. Like paradise, to finally be free after so long. But she knew— Centina knew that it was a long and arduous journey ahead of her.

“And that’s why I have to be strong.”

Everyone had a reason why they wanted to do something. No one lived with no purpose or goal in mind, even if it was just to survive. The moment that drive to live vanished, they would no longer be a person.

They’d be dead.

That was obvious, obviously.

And the fact that everyone in the haven was still alive cemented the fact that they wanted to live. That was why I knew I could convince them to follow through with my plan to get them to escape. However, there was a minor problem.

Risk.

It was risky to attempt an escape. This risk went directly against one’s desire to survive, which made it hard to get volunteers. After all, they were safe here. My argument against that was that they weren’t actually safe— there was a looming everyday threat that this haven could be discovered by Centinels at any point in time.

But, well…

“This haven has existed for hundreds of years and still hasn’t been discovered. It is safe.”

The giant crabs were vehemently against my proposal. I crossed my arms.

“That doesn’t mean it won’t ever be discovered! That’s like saying you have never died before so you won’t ever die. That’s not how it works!”

They exchanged confused looks before shaking their protruding eyes.

“It is safe.”

And that left it at that. The other monsters in the haven made the same argument— even with Willy and Kron’s help, I had a hard time finding anyone else who was willing to volunteer after Galt. Some of them weren’t anywhere near as ‘eloquent’ as the giant crabs, even.

“Come on! We’ll help you find an even better home!”

“Food.”

I poked the [Talonflayers] as they wriggled on the ground. There were dozens of them, each about twice as long as a Human, but only about a foot wide.

“You'll get good food too!”

“Food.”

“Please?”

“Argrableble.”

I was pretty sure that wasn’t even an attempt to communicate. It was just making weird noises with no meaning. Sighing, I turned to my friends.

“Seems like no one else wants to leave.”

I shook my head, and Willy flitted up to me.

“Trust.”

I blinked.

“Right. They don’t trust me. Which is stupid! Why wouldn’t you trust me? I’m me.”

“Prove.”

He replied simply. I narrowed my eyes.

“They need proof that I’ll ensure they’re safe?”

I cast my gaze around the room. Judging by how most of them glanced over at me, the monsters’ interests were piqued by my offer, but Willy was right, they didn’t think I’d deliver on my promise, not unless I could guarantee they made it out alive.

An idea crossed my mind. I beamed and turned to Galt— my first volunteer. And my friend, too. I opened my hands and shrugged as I strolled up to him, speaking loudly.

“Well, it seems like no one else but you wants to escape. Let’s go, Galt.”

“Hmm, yes. I suppose it is time we take our leave.”

“Yep! Although, give me a moment.”

I stopped him from exiting down a tunnel. In full view of the other monsters in the haven, I hefted the Breastplate of Alexander off me and onto his neck.

“What are you doing, Salvos?”

“This is for extra, added protection. It’ll keep you safe. It’s very durable.”

I watched as the regular-sized breastplate seemed to grow, fitting around the [Gallias Tortoise]’s neck. A shimmer overcame him as his Temporary Skills took effect.

“This is…?”

His eyes grew wide. A few of the watching monsters shifted. They could sense the power, too. But I had to demonstrate it.

“It keeps you safe. So, let’s say someone comes up to you and tries to hit you. Like this—”

I lashed out at him, my claws overcome with [Barrage of Cinders]. He flinched. But the attack bounced off him as my flames washed over the protective aura.

“See? Nothing happens.”

“Incredible…”

Galt was not the only one who was surprised. I could see more than one of the giant crabs reacting. Good. They were definitely changing their minds, at least somewhat. Now came the next step— actually successfully getting the [Gallias Tortoise] out of here.

With a smile on my face, I turned to Willy and Kron.

“Let’s go, guys.”

More than a few gazes bore into our backs as we left the Land of the Lost. Although no one said anything, I knew that more than a few of them were thinking— believing— that maybe, just maybe, with Kron’s illusions, Willy and my abilities, and the Breastplate of Alexander, they could escape this place once and for all.

—--

We emerged from one of the tunnels that brought us higher up— closer to the ocean above. It was a ledge that led out to one of the cliff walls, about midway up to the very top of the cliff itself. I took a quick look around with [Planar Navigation], finding any and all Centinels that were hiding closeby.

“There’s about a dozen down below, and a handful slowly crawling along the wall just at the exit.”

I frowned, and Kron nodded.

“We wait, yes?”

“Yep. Give them a bit and they’ll pass without a problem.”

As we waited, I turned to Galt just to see how he was doing.

“Is everything ok?”

He had a bit of a worried look on his face.

“I am… fine. It has just been a while since I have been this far away from the haven.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll get you out. I promise. You remember the plan, right?”

He hesitated.

“You’ll fly me out as Kron covers us with an illusion. Her magic can’t reach as high as the sea, so once we’re out of her range, we’re on our own.”

“That’s my side of the plan. I’m asking if you remember you job.”

I rolled my eyes. Galt murmured softly.

“Yes. Just stay put. Don’t struggle.”

“Exactly! If you struggle it’ll make flying more difficult. But if you stay put, I can get you out of here in a jiffy!”

I gave him a thumbs-up, and he closed his eyes.

“I hope that’s true.”

There was still some apprehension there. I placed a reassuring hand on his shell.

“It’s fine. Just trust me.”

The [Gallias Tortoise] opened his eyes and met my determined gaze. I thought of Mountaintooth and the brief time I spent in the Beastmen Plains. Of my confrontation with Belzu. Of my everything I’d been working towards here in the Mortal Realm. Then I got to my feet.

“I never break my promises.”

I started forward, gesturing for Galt to follow

“The Centinels have passed. Willy, you’ll stay behind this time. Just watch from afar and make sure nothing bad happens to Kron.”

In the future, the [Will O’ Wisp] would be flying with me so we could transport as many monsters as possible at the same time. However, with only Galt, I sufficed.

The [Gallas Tortoise] followed me as a brief shimmer ran over us. Kron’s illusion. It made us invincible… or kind of invisible. It wasn’t the total invisibility that was achievable through [Alchemist] potions. And it was even less effective since it was covering multiple targets. If a perceptive-enough Centinel peers in the same direction we were flying in, it would notice some flaw in the illusion. Maybe even enough to see us completely.

But that’s not my main concern.

I spread my wings wide as I hefted Galt from his back. With his side, getting a good grip wasn’t easy. So, I created [Faux Limbs] to help with that.

We slowly ascended from the ledge in the middle of the cliff face. I flapped my wings slowly, taking my time so Kron’s illusions could keep up. The instant I was exposed to the Bloodied Gulf, the stench of blood and death overwhelmed my nostrils. The cacophonous clickings were audible, even if distant. And there were even some that were closeby.

I looked down to see a small group of Centinels crawling along the bottom of the ravine. They halted, casting their gaze around as if something was amiss. I hesitated. Were we found out this early into the escape?

But no— the ground beneath those Centinels exploded. An [Older Centinel] crawled out of the earth and began to shred them apart. I watched as the undulating figures thrashed about, ascending even further up until we passed the top of the crevice. A single [Junior Centinel] stood there, clicking its mandibles by itself.

Even as we directly crossed through its gaze, it didn’t notice us. I stared at it as we continued flying up. If it made any weird movements, I’d kill it before it could alert any other Centinels.

Only when we were even higher up— halfway to the ocean— did I think of looking away. And that was when I could relax. For a bit. I cast my gaze around, taking in the sight of the Bloodied Gulf. it spanned dozens… maybe even a hundred miles in length. Walls of water rushed down along the edges of the Bloodied Gulf, forming the water dome over the complex network of deep crevices. There was no way a Centinel could chase us now that we were this high up.

Maybe an [Evolved Centinel] could. But none of the regular Centinels posed a problem.

“We’ll be leaving Kron’s range soon.”

I turned to Galt who wore a wide-eyed gaze. That of disbelief.

“We’re really leaving the Bloodied Gulf. Just like that.”

I shook my head.

“We’re not out yet. Brace yourself, alright?”

He nodded as we flew up a little bit further. Then there was a flicker. I activated [Haste] and [Warped Time] as Kron’s illusions vanished.

And I burst into the air.

I moved so fast, I crossed the remaining distance into the ocean above before Galt even knew what was going on. It sent a huge ripple through the sea. The Centinels swimming in the water immediately turned to investigate the source of the disturbance.

What they saw was a Demon swim-flying at high speeds for the surface. The lower-leveled Centinels couldn’t catch up to me. But there were [Older Centinels] and even a single [Senior Centinel] waiting in the water for me. They moved to block my way, but I’d been prepared.

Fiery weapons conjured into existence, sending bubbles through the ocean. They launched out, blasting apart the Centinels and keeping them back. That would’ve drawn more attention, but it didn’t matter. By the time any other Centinel noticed the ripples and the waves, I was already gone.

I took in a deep breath as I hovered high above the Bloodied Gulf, alongside white clouds that lazily crawled through the sky.

Centinels swam down below, as usual, killing any sea creature that swam too close to their territory. I smiled, looking down at Galt as he took in the scene.

“Y-you… actually did it.”

“Of course I did!”

I raised my chin. The [Gallias Tortoise] was stunned. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He slowly cast his gaze around this vibrant picture— one he hadn’t seen in a very long time— before facing me.

“Thank you, Salvos. I shouldn’t have doubted you, even for a moment.”

I beamed at the praise. Then I shook my head.

“Well, we’re not done yet.”

“We’re not?”

He gave me a puzzled look.

“Yep. Now’s the hardest part.”

I let out a sigh as I took off, flying further into the ocean.

“Finding a safe place to drop you off.”

“Ah, right.”

More died. More of his kin was slain. Who did it?

It happened close to him. He’d been returning from his journey of growth, hoping to show her his growth. But he saw the ripples in the water, followed by the blood. Centinel blood.

Fueled by rage, the Sage Centinel surfaced to find the culprit, but he was too late. All he saw was the figure flying in the sky. Two figures. One was that of a sea creature. But the other was more familiar.

His gaze sharpened into a glare as he tracked his enemy. The one that had defeated him. The one that had been responsible for the death of so many of his kin.

The silver Demon.

He was going to get revenge. He was going to make the silver Demon understand his pain.