18 The Sea Recedes
Saphira's voice whispered.
"It's time to wake up, Tyrel. The sun is rising."
Tyrel's eyelids opened, and he looked eastward.
A pale sun slowly rose above the horizon. The black sea recoiled and surged as its level dropped. Crimson blades punctured the dark surface of the water. The sea level continued to fall, and a crimson forest rose from the depths.
The labyrinth formed by this strange reef stretched as far as the eye could see. A half-hour later, the ocean was gone.
"Saphira... We need to kill nightmare creatures and get stronger fast."
Saphira replied.
"Alright. However, you should hide behind me as we hunt. You'll need to practice your archery skills."
Tyrel shook his head.
"Let me walk about in the labyrinth alone. I have a Memory I can use to avoid direct combat."
Saphira's sharp teeth gritted against each other.
"Okay. But where do you want me to fight? And where do you want to be placed?"
Tyrel looked out. The vast crimson labyrinth surrounded him. To the left was a familiar corpse—one of a giant shark-like nightmare creature.
Around the corpse, hundreds of smaller monsters were scurrying, tearing away, and devouring its flesh bit by bit. Each was about two and a half meters tall, looking like a weird mix of a demonic crab, a centaur, and a nightmare.
They had four pairs of long, segmented legs that ended in scythe-like protrusions. At the front, a human-like torso protruded from the carapace, clad in thick chitinous armor. The head, if it was even the appropriate word, was situated directly on the torso, with no neck in between. It had two narrow eye slits and a viscous-looking mouth with several slimy mandibles. Instead of hands, the monsters had two enormous pincers.
He grimaced and thought.
'Why!? Fate! Why do you want me to get involved with Sunny, Nephis, and Cassia!? You know what, I'll go against you and head opposite of where they're going!'
Tyrel closed his eyes and said.
"Saphira. Do you see that corpse? You could hunt there. Just fly in the air and lure them away one at a time. And please place me on one of the corals. I can move around using a Memory."
Saphira closed her eyes for a moment and nodded. Her altitude lowered until she placed Tyrel on one of the corals.
"If anything too horrifying happens. Please summon me back. I'll be able to help you."
Tyrel nodded but added.
"I'll only do that if I'm going to die. Otherwise, I'll try to navigate on my own. Your strength needs to increase as soon and as fast as possible. I have no methods to kill quickly and in a safe manner. So increasing your power is best."
Saphira nodded and flew off toward the crowd of nightmare creatures.
Tyrel summoned his Cephalopod Quiver. It formed out of sparks of light and attached to his back. Its giant tentacles moved randomly.
"Crawl across the coral and carry me."
Four tentacles wrapped around Tyrel. Gently, they lowered him to the ground. Together, they crawled forward while carrying Tyrel across the coral. They crawled onto the coral's side and to its underside.
Tyrel looked beneath him, and hundreds of feet separated him and solid ground. His limbs dangled as he stared at the ground.
'The creature's here can't get me. So I guess I'll explore and enjoy the scenery.'
Tyrel ordered the Cephalopod Quiver to crawl on the sides and undersides of the coral. It followed his instructions, and it constantly moved.
'This place is eerily beautiful.'
***
Sunless POV
Sunless shadow explored the crimson labyrinth. It jumped from the top of one coral blade to another. It stopped and stared at the corpse of a giant shark-like creature that briefly pursued him the previous night.
Hundreds of smaller creatures surrounding it ate from its carcass. To the right in the sky, a large silver fox flew in the air. It had four serrated sword-like claws on each foot. Seven long fluffy tails swayed behind it.
'That is a beautiful creature. I wouldn't mind making a blanket from its fur. Sleeping on rocks isn't pleasant.'
Sunless moved his shadow closer and observed it.
The seven-tailed fox circled the carapace scavengers and slammed into one's back. The carapace scavenger spun around, swinging its pincers. Claws met its pincers. The fox floated in the air, its clawed paw blocking the attack.
It floated back and sped by the side of the carapace scavenger. Its claws scraped the nightmare creature's armor, leaving long dents on it. The carapace scavenger ignored the damage and swung its pincers.
The fox ducked underneath and scraped its claws on the other side of the carapace scavenger. The fox flew back, dodging another carapace scavenger before scraping its eyes off.
The second carapace scavenger screamed and blindly swung its pincers as the fox landed on its neck. The fox's claws stabbed into the carapace scavenger's eye sockets and twisted them in.
The fox leaped off the corpse as two pincers snapped underneath. Its tails glowed slightly.
The fox flew at the injured carapace scavenger while dodging the other ones. Its claws scrape one of the dents in the armor. The dents open, and blood falls from the carapace.
Sunless was horrified as he saw the deadly dance the fox made.
'That fox is a nightmare! I'll head another way!'
Sunless's shadow turned to leave before he thought.
'You know. I should watch more. It's not like it can see my shadow.'
The fox dug its claws into the creature's wounds as its tails blocked attacks from other directions. The carapace scavenger shrieked in agony as the fox ripped out its innards.
The fox turned toward the other carapace scavengers and growled. It flew at them and slowly killed them one by one. Over the day, a third of the carapace scavengers were slaughtered before the sun began setting.
The fox grabbed one of the corpses with its clawed paws and flew away.
'That fox... It killed so many.'
Sunny's shadow returned to him.
***
Tyrel POV
Tyrel hung from his back on the underside of a coral. As the day passed, his eyes widened.
[You have slain an awakened beast, Carapace Scavenger.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Carapace Scavenger.]
[You have slain an awakened beast, Carapace Scavenger.]
[You have slain...]
'She's killing so many... So this is the strength of a dormant titan...'
The spell whispered every two minutes until the sun began to set. He immediately communicated his thoughts to her.
'Saphira! The ocean is going to come back!'
A minute later, Saphira arrived, and her tails wrapped around Tyrul.
"Tyrel. Dismiss your memory."
Tyrel did so and hugged Saphira's tails.
Saphira's tails held him while her claws held the carapace scavenger. She flew higher into the sky.
"Saphira?! How did you kill this?!"
Saphira chuckled.
"They were annoying to kill. Their armor was tough, and they kept attacking me from all sides. How many Necrotic Fragments did you obtain?"
Tyrel summoned the runes. His eyes widened.
[70/1000]
"I-I received no fragments. How many carapace scavengers did you kill?"
Saphira sighed.
"I don't know, but it was a lot. I lost myself in the thrill of combat...did you obtain any Memories or Echoes?"
Tyrel shook his head.
"No, I didn't."
Tyrel froze and asked.
"Did you absorb their soul core and mental capacity?"
Saphira smirked.
"Yes, I did. My essence and mental capacity are immense. However, the essence from each core is split evenly between my Necrotic Cores."
Tyrel smiled.
"That's amazing!"
Saphira chuckled.
"I'm glad you're happy. Eat. I don't want you to suffer from your flaw."
Down below them, the black sea returned to its normal level. The waves moved randomly.
One of Saphira's tails wrapped around Tyrul and moved him to the Carapace Scavenger. He pulled off a piece and ate it. He ate until he was full.
"Saphira, are you going to eat?"
Saphira shook her head.
"No. I don't need to eat to live. Remember?"
Tyrel's eyes widened as he nodded.
"I understand."
Tyrel thought.
'I guess I can use the plot-related stuff to my advantage. Even if it changes the plot, fate will make it return on course somehow.'
Tyrel closed his eyes and listened to the waves of the stygian sea.
'I probably should stay hidden while Sunny, Nephis, and Cassia are around. If Nephis finds out Saphira is my Necrotic Gaurdian, I'll be in trouble. Nephis will probably do whatever she can to get me to fight in their cohort. I will not join them.'
Tyrel spoke.
"Saphira. Thank you for keeping me safe and taking care of me."
Saphira giggled.
"You're welcome, pup. As long as I'm here, I'll do my best to do this for you."
Tyrel's eyes watered as he hugged Saphira's tails.
"I'm so grateful you're by my side."
Saphira cooed.
"Aww. I'm happy you like that. Would you like me to hunt the same creatures tomorrow?"
Tyrel nodded.
"Yes. But we should grab all the shards, too. Perhaps we can hollow out the armor of a carapace scavenger and fill it with soul shards."
"Why Tyrel? You can't absorb soul shards."
Tyrel smirked.
"I can't. However, I have a good purpose for them. It'll be so useful. It'll be worth the hassle."
Saphira sighed.
"Alright. But go to sleep."
Tyrel closed his eyes and fell asleep.
