Chapter 36 - The Final Verse Of The Melody

Chapter 36 - The Final Verse Of The Melody

"Heard the captain's announcement—thought you were dead. I should have known it won't be that easy to get rid of you," Calen jokingly remarked.

Reve rose from the ground, catching his breath. Yet again, he survived death. "That's touching. I won't leave you that easily. Now–"

The melodious songs of the sea reverberated once more. This time, it seemed to originate from somewhere deep within the ship. This time, its enchantment was easily resistible, but that didn't calm their nerves.

Reve frowned as he gazed upwards. "Curse the gods! We need to leave now, Calen. Ren's waiting for us."

"Huh? Leave where? Did you hit your head against something? We are in the middle of the damn ocean. Endless waters are our only neighbours."

Reve shook his head and looked around desperately. "That is only objectively right. We are closer to our destination than we realize. It will only take a day or two on the sea."

In the corner of his eyes, Reve caught something fastened to the floor, which made his eyes glint with curiosity. "You know what? I will fill you in as we go. We're short on time. Now, help me lift this up."

His hands grasped the wooden floorboard firmly, feeling the smooth edges in his hands.

As Calen gripped the opposite side, he mumbled, "What's this?"

Oddly, the floorboard resisted them, firmly gluing to the ground even as Reve and Calen combined their strength. Yet, it seemed to be controlled by some sort of concealed mechanism.

Reve chuckled. "Did you know the captain installed hidden passageways all around the ship? He was obsessed with moving undetected. That's how he manages to stay one step ahead of the chaos."

"He sounds like a real nutjob," Calen remarked.

"I agree with you on that one. You should have met the man. I have to admit, I have no clue about the inner workings of you psychos."

Calen feigned a pained expression. "Touche, my friend."

Reve sighed and let go of his grip. The floorboard fell back into place.

Focusing his mind on the ground, Reve felt the mechanism of the secret door with his ability. He tinkered with everything he felt.

Suddenly, a subtle clicking sound resonated, and the floorboard sprung open of its own accord.

Hiding beneath the floorboard, the open space revealed a small ladder leading to a hidden network of passageways. Reve recognized it immediately—it was the same route he had taken before.

Reve told Calen as they ventured through the dimly lit corridors. "After I escaped the wheelhouse, I made my way to the captain's quarters. I knew he must have something that could shed light on the situation. And damn, the discoveries I stumbled upon were mind-boggling."

He continued his revelations.

Captain Havoc was a veteran marine soldier. Prior to his eventual deal with the akhluts, he had once studied methods on how to kill them. But since they were so rare to come across, he abandoned the research.

Reve explained, "Anyway, there is no substantial way to kill an akhlut, let alone an entire family of them. That is why we need to get the hell out of here."

"But we just killed one? Wait…we killed a young one. A rogue one." Calen began piecing things together.

Reve nodded. "Yes, I immediately suspected the Ghost to be a juvenile akhlut once I went through the captain's stuff. I believe the captain reached the same conclusion–"

"-What's that smell?" Calen interrupted as he sniffed through the air. The scent of burning woods wafted into his nostrils.

"Oh yeah, I might have also set the ship on fire while I was at it. I figured if we killed the Ghost, we would need something to mess up our scent trail since the akhluts are master hunters. Once they find the dead juvenile, they will raise hell on us, and trust me, if we struggled with just one young akhlut, we would despair against the entire family."

Calen agreed with a nod. "That makes sense. By the way, where is Ren?"

Reve responded with a hint of concern. "I found her trying to open the hidden latch. She should be waiting for us at the lower level with the boat… that's if she hasn't bled out yet. Well, she is resilient."

Calen's raised voice was tinged with confusion. "Hold up, what boat?"

Reve sighed. "I didn't just go looking in the captain's room for the information about the akhlut. I wanted to see the ship's manual. And also, I wanted the map of the ocean to check our distance—all three of which I got."

Calen smiled, "Ah now, you are just showing off. You realized Tryphon is just like every other ship, except with a few supernatural oddities—or maybe a lot. Anyway, as a ship, it must have emergency boats, and that's our escape car!"

Soon, Reve passed through an exit door in the secret passageways, entering a dimly lit space shrouded in darkness.

Far ahead, a massive and awe-inspiring machinery stood, emitting a constant mechanical roar while its smaller components moved with rugged velocity.

Calen mumbled, "The engine room…"

A smile of awe curved on Reve's face. He had almost the same reaction as Calen.

The magnificent machine was a majestic sight to behold. The sounds it generated, its movement, and the dim glow it emitted created a perfection he never expected to witness in the realm of technology.

At the end of the dark space, a collection of dusty large boats rested on platforms.

They found Ren struggling to drag one of the boats while carrying a large bag on her back.

Immediately, she stumbled to the ground as soon as she saw them. They rushed to her instantly and lifted her up.

Reve took the bag from her, digging his hands into it as he searched for an item. Not soon after, he found a med-kit in the back and threw it at Calen.

"Use it on her. I'm going to prepare the boat."

Calen opened the med kit, finding a metallic-hybrid vest amongst other supplies. Taking off Ren's shirt, he hurriedly wrapped the cool vest on her chest and applied bandages on her wounds.

She looked at him vengefully, but couldn't afford to say anything, as any movement would cause her great pain.

Calen grinned. "Shouldn't you be thanking me? It's not like I saw anything. What is even there to see?"

Ren's eyes shot daggers at him. If looks could kill, Calen would already be six feet under.

"Hey, how did you set the rooms on fire?" Calen suddenly shouted.

Reve seemed focused on his task. He reached out to the wall of the lower dock and pressed a red button situated nearby. Instantly, a rectangular portion of the wall rolled up to the ceiling.

As gusts of wind and the scent of sea invaded the lower dock through the opening, Reve swiftly launched the boat into the water, securing it with a rope in a desperate manner.

He then turned to Calen and replied, "I found a small lighter in the captain's room–"

Before he could continue his words, a massive wave rocked against the ship. He slipped to the ground but held on to the anchor rope for dear life.

"Fuckery—I sense a storm coming. Oh, curse the gods."

"Give me the lighter," Calen hurriedly said.

Before he could finish his words, a small object was tossed his way, and he caught it firmly. He hurriedly opened the lighter and activated it. Then, with a wicked grin on his face, he threw the inflammable object toward the ship's engine.

A blazing inferno began to spread far and wide. It attacked the engine relentlessly.

Calen scooped up Ren and placed her on his shoulder. He raced towards the boat with all his might and speed.

"Reve, start the boat!" He bellowed.

As he reached the rectangular opening, he leaped from the ship and nimbly landed on the boat's deck.

"Why did you do that?" Reve sighed as he began to pull on the small generator of the boat.

Amidst the spectacle of crimson fumes billowing and expanding, Calen's sinister laughter filled the air. "That's how you create chaos. You make it impossible for you to control. You make it big. You make it beautiful. Hahahaha."

He dropped Ren softly at the center of the boat and squeezed himself to the left. Suddenly, the boat's engine kicked off and Calen took over, manning the ship's rudimentary steering mechanism.

"Where are we headed?" He yelled over the mounting storm.

Reve produced a map from his pocket and pointed resolutely in a specific direction. "Northwards. Our destination is the first land we see."

Heavy rain began pouring on them as cackles of thunder rumbled with malicious delight in the sky above. The boat swayed relentlessly, battered by the vengeful waves surging from the enraged sea.

Suddenly, an immense explosion erupted from behind as Tryphon succumbed to flames. Roars from unknown creatures surrounded the ship, which urged Calen to accelerate their escape.

"Hahaha! You see, Reve? That's how chaos thrives. They won't even notice we are gone. Now, let's just hope we don't crash. I have never sailed a boat before, but it should be just like racing games, shouldn't it?"

Reve shouted amidst the storm, "And you are just telling me now? I gave you the steering wheel."

"Why don't you do it then?"

Reve bellowed, "I don't even know how this boat works! How do you expect me to move it?!"

"Quit complaining and just trust me. I am a genius and I am quite proud of my gaming record in my younger years."

Faint murmurs seemed to escape Ren's lips. She had a grim expression as she eyed Calen with contempt.

"What is she saying?"

Reve went closer to Ren and listened to her.

A solemn gaze appeared in his eyes as he replied to Calen, "She is praying for our safety."

Ren mumbled something else, and Reve translated.

With a suppressed laugh, he added, "She says she will kill you when this is all over."

"Hahahaha. This is my curse. No matter what I do, I always seem to make enemies."

Suddenly, a dark entity, shrouded in an abyssal aura, arose from the depth of the water and towered towards the sky. The shade-like form had no eyes, yet its presence bored down upon them all.

Its gaze lingered for a fleeting moment before dispersing back to the depths.

Reve felt a shiver sweep through his spine. "The shadow of Kathuk. We caught its attention."

Calen spoke with a tremor in his voice. "I think it was angry. In some traditions, akhluts are viewed as emissaries of Kathuk."

They all felt fear consume them. Yet, there was nowhere to run to. Boundless water surrounded them.

"Why didn't it attack us?"