Danger At Sea

A few days later, Primus and Avdan set out for the Eastern Enclave where the Occam's Razor headquarters was based. Avdan was a former member of the Occam's Razor guild who got into a fight with Marco, the co-leader, of the guild when an internal dispute began.

He was kicked out of the guild soon after Marco felt his authority was being challenged. Primus and Avdan were in the same situation, so Avdan agreed to become the first member of his new guild if he succeeded in creating it.

Primus thought Marco was an impediment to the development of the Occam's Razor guild. He intended to inform Samane of her co-leader's cancerous character as well as borrow some Credits from her.

Shadowdale and the Eastern Enclave were sperated by a vast ocean called the Devil's Maw. The dreaded ocean was home to numerous horrors that required the strength of some of the strongest first-rate players just to be kept at bay.

Primus booked passage on a huge boarding ship set to voyage in a few hours. The ship was under the protection of two first-rate players who were Elders of the Thunderbird's Guild. He payed the fee for both himself and Avdan - it cost about a thousand Credits.

Primus winced as he transfered the Credits from his real life account to the receptionist at the counter. RLC and in-game Credits were interchangable, so spending a thousand Credits on Cosmic Retaliation services was basically the same as spending his Credits in real life. They possessed the same value.

"That's some money you got there, ain't it, Ghost?" Avdan finally spoke.

Primus forced a smile, he was starting to get worried since he noticed how silent Avdan had been for a while now. To hear the red haired oaf finally utter even a single word was refreshing, but Primus still hated to spend so much money, hence, his forced smile.

"It's my life savings."

"Oh, I was starting to wonder how you got so rich overnight." Avdan chuckled.

Primus shifted slightly on the wooden bench and turned to face Avdan.

"Excuse me?"

"You know... fifteen Honeysuckle Leaflets..."

"Oh, that."

Primus remained silent until the ship was ready to sail. Fifteen minutes prior to the ships departure, he was lead to the port and instructed to board the Stalwart Wonderer.

The ship was double masted and resembled a golden eagle with both wings outstretched, their tips ending in dormant runic inscriptions. The figurehead was sculpted in the form of a screeching bird with feathers protruding backward from its forehead.

Aside from its pleasing aesthetics, the Stalwart Wonderer could also boast of high defensive and offensive power. The hull was made of a tough white material and at the gunport were several automated turrets and hooded people clothed in robes.

Primus and Avdan walked up the boarding ramp and a towering figure garbed in praetorian armor with a cascading red cape approached them.

"State your business, lads."

"Silent Reaper. Crimson Viking. Section forty-five, eighth bunker." Primus responded almost instantly.

The soldier called for an escort, and they were lead below deck. Primus and Avdan settled down in their cramped room and the battle for who would occupy the lower part of the bunk bed soon began.

Avdan eventually managed to convince Primus to let him stay at the lower bunk. He didn't actually convince him since Primus just didn't want Avdan, because of his size, crashing the upper bunk on him while they slept. Even his ectoplasmic body would be displaced after a few kilograms of steel fell on it.

"Should we explore the rest of the ship, Ghost?" Avdan asked curiously.

"No, it's best we don't."

Primus didn't wait for Avdan to continue as he left for the bathroom.

***

Primus woke up to the noise of roaring waves and continuous artillery fire as the ship was violently jerked back and forth.

He woke Avdan up too, and they ran to the quarterdeck. The scene that unfolded before their eyes was dire.

The turbulent waters of the sea crashed against the ship's hull. A row of glowing blue archaic symbols shimmered into existence and shielded the sturdy white material from the pressure of the waters.

Wind caused the mast to twist and turn so that the ship was set off course. Bolts of white lightning rained from the sky and struck at the quarterdeck, only for them to be intercepted by the same set of archaic symbols.

The sky was dark with grey clouds obstructing sunlight. The ship's crew feared the worst that would happen.

At the gunport were cannons and many men garbed in cyan leather tunics who held wooden staffs with glowing orbs at their tips. They were the ones responsible for casting protection and warding spells as they continued their journey to the Eastern Enclave. They were the Spellmasters.

It was very cold, so many of the ship's crew had already gone below deck to take comfort in the warmth of its interior.

The bulky guards barked out orders and brandished their weapons. They were determined to face whatever horrors the Devil's Maw threw at them.

"Avdan! Throw me to the fighting top, now!" Primus roared.

Avdan nodded and imitated the shape of a bowl with both of his hands, then Primus stepped into them and was momentarily weightless before he found himself overlooking the entire upper deck.

Primus wasn't suited for open combat but could handle himself if push came to shove. From where he stood, he could make out the silhouette of something gigantic moving under the Stalwart Wonderer.

His heart was gripped by fear when he realized what the figure was. Primus was about to leave the fighting top when the entire ship suddenly shook.

The Stalwart Wonderer trembled mightily for a few seconds... then its hull was smashed to pieces.

A large black fin cut the ship in half at the main mast. Primus quickly scrolled through his status until he found what he was looking for.

<Mist: allows you to turn from a solid to gaseous state for as long as you have mana>

<Mana: 300/300>

[Activate Mist?]

[Yes]/[No]

Primus activated his Mist ability and jumped down to the starboard. His body became gaseous, then flickered out of existence for a moment.

He landed safely beside Avdan. Without even needing to say anything, Avdan nodded and they both ran.

The black fin was quickly catching up to them. Primus knew that he and Avdan alone weren't enough to contain the creature - it was at least Rank 5 to be able to cause all that destruction -, so he ran even faster.

He had already outpaced Avdan and was smiling stupidly when he lost his foothold and a cylindrical maw rose from the water, smashed the starboard, then opened around him, torrents of water gushing into its abyssal throat. Rows upon rows of sharp teeth protruded from its stony flesh.

Primus closed his eyes and waited to find himself in a vast field of whiteness with his level one less than before, but nothing of the sorts happened.

He opened his eyes and was shocked to see the body of a huge shark-like creature neatly severed in half, its fetid blood spraying everywhere.

A serene blonde beauty stood by his side, her attire was prestine and not touched by the beast's blood at all.

"El-elder Yelena!"