leonardwarren Chapter 138 Strange Things in the Water
Chapter 138 Strange Things in the Water
Chapter 138 Strange Things in the Water
Kane glanced at her: "Something's not right with this mission."
"Something's not right? What's wrong?" Dorothy's smile remained gentle.
Kane stared into her eyes and said, word by word, "You shouldn't have come on this kind of mission."
He said with certainty, "A spellcaster who has mastered a first-circle spell, even a wandering spellcaster, is sought after by countless forces. There is no need for them to go to great lengths to join the Duke's guard."
Dorothy paused for a moment, then chuckled and said, "It's different; it's a matter of my background."
"Background?" Kane frowned.
Dorothy slowly said, "My mentor dabbled in forbidden research, and our entire school was expelled from the Susas Academy of Mages. I chose to follow my mentor away, and other powers, fearing the academy, dared not accept us. Do you understand now?"
Kane nodded, neither confirming nor denying, but more speculations arose in his mind.
Dorothy's mentor's research was far more complex than simply "touching taboos."
He knew that while the bottom line of the Susas Mage Academy was slightly higher than that of the Nord Mage Tower, it was still only slightly higher.
The fact that the academy could expel someone so directly suggests there must be a more terrifying secret behind it.
But Kane secretly pondered: such a person might not be without value.
Because she is not accepted by other forces, she is easier to control and exploit.
He said no more, and the boat continued on its way. The water remained calm, and they were about to reach the shore.
At that moment, the team's ranger suddenly stood up and said in a deep voice, "Something's wrong, everyone be careful!"
Everyone was startled and stood up.
The Ranger's perception far surpasses that of ordinary people, and he has a special talent for detecting hidden enemies; this is no exaggeration.
Just then, Dorothy narrowed her eyes, gripped her staff tightly, and looked wary.
Kane gave her a deep look and immediately became wary.
Suddenly, a piercing scream shattered the silence!
With a "splash," the water splashed, and the boat rocked violently.
The knight-errant shouted urgently, "Damn it! There's something underwater! It's dragging the boatman down with it!"
Dorothy looked alarmed, took a step back, and exclaimed urgently, "Watch out! It might be a fish-man!"
She gracefully retreated to the middle of the crowd, and no one objected—the caster was someone who needed special protection.
Everyone stood ready, but the water remained still for a long time.
A soldier was reaching for an oar when, "whoosh—"
A long tentacle suddenly shot out of the water, wrapped around his ankle, and dragged him downwards!
"Damn it!"
The loafer beside him immediately reached out and grabbed him, but was pulled so hard that his face contorted in pain.
The knight immediately drew his bow and shot an arrow, which struck the tentacle, leaving a bloody mark.
This attack, however, thoroughly enraged the underwater monster.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
Several tentacles attacked the people on the ship at the same time! The sound of falling into the water rang out one after another, and several people were dragged directly into the water.
In the blink of an eye, only Kane, Dorothy, and the ranger remained on the ship.
The ranger, still shaken and breathing rapidly, exclaimed, "What kind of monster is this! It's not a merman at all! This is no task a first-tier professional should be able to handle!"
Kane's eyes flickered as he looked at Dorothy: "You don't have any spells to attack underwater targets?"
Dorothy gave a bitter look: "I'm sorry, it's underwater, there's nothing I can do."
"Is that so?" Kane didn't ask any more questions.
He had just sensed with his water manipulation technique that there was a large tentacle creature underwater.
Strangely, the water manipulation technique detected that the water flow around the monster had inexplicably stopped, as if it had been defiled by some kind of force.
That was the aura unique to demons.
Another demon?
Kane's mind raced, but he couldn't find a definitive answer.
There was no record of such demons in the book on the Abyss Worship Ritual that he had read.
But if it were an ordinary monster, how could it have such a huge body and possess the corrupting abilities that only demons have?
The swordsman gritted his teeth, glared at the two men, and resolutely said, "Jump ship! Swim to shore!"
Kane instantly saw through his thoughts:
The ranger is naturally agile and skilled at swimming. By scattering and escaping, he has the highest probability of survival.
But Kane glanced at Dorothy and nodded, "Okay."
He possesses immortality, so even in a battle in the water, he can kill this water monster tainted with demonic energy, and naturally he has nothing to fear.
Dorothy then perfectly feigned "panic": "What do I do?"
The ranger completely ignored her, focusing only on Kane.
He knew that only if Kane jumped ship with him could they distract the sea monster.
"Okay." Kane looked at Dorothy with a half-smile, held out his hand, and said, "Dance with me."
Dorothy shook her head, looking utterly helpless: "I really can't swim."
"I see." Kane nodded.
Ripples spread across the water's surface, bubbles rose to the surface, and the underwater commotion became increasingly clear.
The ranger looked at Kane: "Jump! Survival is all down to luck!"
Kane looked at him and said calmly, "Perhaps we can both survive."
"Ha, then it all depends on the gods' protection!"
"Whoosh—"
Several tentacles lunged forward again!
Kane and the ranger immediately jumped into the water and swam vigorously toward the shore.
Dorothy was the only one left on the ship, her face filled with panic.
Under the turbulent currents, Kane swam with his eyes open in the darkness, his water manipulation skills allowing him to move freely in the water.
But ahead, the ranger was already tightly bound by tentacles, his eyes filled with despair.
After dealing with the Ranger, the Water Monster immediately charged towards Kane.
Kane deliberately slowed down his movements, squinted his eyes and pretended to suffocate, letting the tentacles wrap around his ankles and slowly drag him to the bottom of the water.
On the shore, Dorothy had already steered her small boat ashore, her clothes almost completely dry and showing no signs of distress.
She spoke softly to the water's surface:
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
"Come out."
Ripples spread across the water's surface, and the octopus-like water monster with countless long tentacles slowly emerged, its eyes full of flattery as it looked at Dorothy.
Dorothy nodded slightly: "The boatman is yours to eat, but what about the others?"
The water monster's eyes flickered slightly, and then it dragged out five people with its tentacles.
All five were on the verge of death, barely breathing.
Dorothy frowned and clapped her hands.
Three half-elf guards dressed in leather armor immediately stepped forward and split up to rescue the drowning man.
Dorothy looked at the people on the ground and muttered to herself, "Five sacrifices are enough to create five demons through the ritual. I just hope they aren't those low-level, mindless monsters again."
As she stood up to leave, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind her: "Why don't you explain in detail what you mean by 'creating demons'?"
Dorothy turned around abruptly, her expression changing drastically.
The three guards had already collapsed unconscious, and Kane was standing not far behind her.
He slowly straightened up, drew a one-handed sword from the waist of the unconscious guard, and walked step by step toward Dorothy, saying calmly, "I felt something was strange on the ship; your every move seemed too deliberate."
"Even I can see something fishy about this trip; as a spellcaster, you couldn't possibly be completely unaware."
Dorothy forced herself to remain calm, backing away as she said, "You're making an enemy of the Duke!"
Kane chuckled lightly: "Even if I run away now, do you think the Duke will let me go?"
Seeing him closing in, Dorothy's expression hardened, and she chanted sharply, "Witchcraft Arrow!"
A blue spear of light shot out, but it was blocked by an invisible shield in front of Kane and shattered instantly.
Dorothy was shocked: "Shield spell? You're a spellcaster too?"
Where do you come from? The Mage Academy? Or the Elven Royal Court?
Kane remained noncommittal and continued to slowly approach.
Dorothy retreated to the water's edge and shouted, "Kill him!"
"Whoosh-"
The water monster burst from the water, its four tentacles lunging straight at Kane!
With a flash of sword light, all four tentacles were severed simultaneously!
The water monster let out a mournful cry.
Kane accelerated his blood flow, his figure flashing as he dodged Dorothy's spell and plunged his sword deep into the water monster's head.
The water monster struggled for a moment, then completely stopped breathing.
Kane looked at Dorothy, whose face was deathly pale, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips: "Now, we can have a proper talk."