101 An Expedition into the Forgotten Lands Part 5

Here is the chapter!

I told you guys it was going to be released on time... Mostly...

Anyway, enjoy!

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'While Philip pursued the Demon, a group of people could be seen tinkering with a strange machine not far from their location…'

/Crunk… Crunk…/

"Huff…"

"... Need a hand?" A burly man asked with a sly smile and with his arms crossed as he looked at another man

'He had round glasses and a thinner yet still muscular body, albeit even with those, he still had great difficulty as he tried to crank a valve.'

"No... Huff… Almost… There!"

/Clank!/

/Shun shun shun!/

'The man finished cranking the valve and his machine came to life.'

'In simple terms, the machine looked like a tripod, with a long tube in the middle drilling into the earth.'

'It had dozens of strange parts to it, some oozing steam, others connected to transparent liquid containers containing strange colorful substances, antennas, and other strange parts crackling with faint magical power.'

'It looked frail and untrustworthy as if it couldn't resist even a single blow… But that couldn't be further from the truth.'

(Image?)

'With each turn of the valve, the drill dug deeper as pressure built up within its chassis, carving a path deep into the earth until it locked in place somewhere a few meters underground.'

'Once that was done, the man in glasses let a sigh of relief before taking a step back and letting another individual, this time, a woman in bluish robes finish the setup.'

/Snap!/

'With a snap of her fingers, three magical circles manifested in front of her eyes, each compounded into the other like a layered sandwich.'

'She fiddled and played with the runes and strings of energy carved in each ring before pressing them all together onto a small reddish marble installed somewhere inside a cylindrical tube, which she then sealed inside the machine with a satisfying 'clank'!'

"Done." She said with a tired but proud tone

"Then let's get this going, there were some tremors nearby and I don't want to go back to the gathering point with the news we broke one of these." The burly man said as he kept his lookout over the red plains

"I agree, just shoot it up before something happens."

'As he said that, he turned to the other members of the ground, a bunch of well-trained knights clad in bluish dark armor standing in line next to them, around a dozen of them.'

'And as he gave them orders to assemble and clear the perimeter, the lady moved to another side of the machine where she began to tinker with a primitive console of some sort, making dozens of calculations as she kept manifesting magical circles and other forms, writing on them, and dispersing them into nothingness.'

"..."

/Squint…/

'But suddenly, as she was distracted, the burly man's eyes opened wide while the man with glasses' squinted into a frown as he turned around, his hand reaching for the rapier on his waist…'

/DASH!/

/CLANG!/

/BOOOOOOM!!!/

""?!""

'Like a bullet piercing a leaf, a grayish flash dashed through the red grass, piercing through the burly man, drawing a long streak of blood across the air as it stopped a hundred meters away from their position, sliding across the ground as it came to stop!'

'Following this moment of surprise, all of the guards, including the girl and the man in glasses reacted, getting into a stance as they looked around warily.'

'The knights formed a wall with the machine behind them, their shields raised and their weapons drawn, they were fast and precise, this was not their first time doing such a thing.'

'But none of them paid any heed to the just attacked man.'

"! It can't be!" The woman said in great surprise as she looked at the squatted creature in the distance

'She recognized it, the pattern of its scales, its overall appearance, coupled with that incredible bout of speed and power…'

"An Ahatoh… A Bladed one… But it's…"

"Heavily injured." The man in glasses responded as he wiped some blood from his thin rapier

/Swoop!/

"An ordinary Ahatoh would've evaded my strike, this one took it head in. It is evident that it's on its last legs." He said as he swung his rapier to the side, causing a thin sound as its edge cut through the air

'In the extremely short window of the attack, he swung his rapier forward, making use of the creature's momentum to strike and pierce its abdomen through its injuries before pulling it out at lightning speed.'

'And he didn't even seem fazed by it.'

"You think I'm blind? That's not the problem here." The woman replied snarkily as she pulled a thin wand from underneath her robes

'She quickly inspected the Demon, coming up with an analysis:'

"Its two horns are broken, its skin and scales are heavily injured, there are signs of corrosion and burns, cuts and bruises, especially around its head, likely the source of its broken horns."

"Heavy injury in its abdomen and…"

"Yeah, I think we understand, it's completely mangled up…"

"Did you hear that big guy, stop crying in the corner, let's get to work."

"... Huff... Phew...that startled me." The burly man said as he turned around, his hands bleeding severely as he did so

'There were deep bite marks in them, including even some sharp teeth still lodged onto his skin and bones…'

'From the looks of it, this man had shoved his hands inside the demon's mouth and pulled it! Taking with it the beast's teeth!'

'How utterly brutal.'

"An Ahatoh, my grandfather used to tell me stories about them, tales of his own grandfather fighting one, never thought I would have the honor to face one myself." He said with a smile as he took a step forward

Now I'll have my own story to tell.

"Ahem! We, mind you. Besides, no one is facing no one here, remember what we came here to do." The woman said as she pinched her fingers, channeling something onto them as she created a small blue thread in the air

'Her fingers moved quickly, weaving together a string of bluish words which quickly vanished as they dissolved in the air...'

"Thank you for the reminder, I'll try my best to not trash it up." The burly man replied as his momentum began to rise

/Rolls eyes…/

"Very well, defeat it or distract it long enough for me to finish setting this up and safely storing it, Kalvar, help him if possible." She said as she turned around, not sparing them a second glance

"Shall we then?" Kalvar asked as he looked at the burly man

/STEP!/

/CRACK!/

'The burly man did not reply, merely stomping on the ground with great force as he stepped forward, approaching the silent Demon in the distance.'

'While he seemed eager to approach it, the Demon was completely and utterly motionless, observing them as it looked for something… Or maybe, it would be more correct to say it was waiting for…'

/BOOOOOOM!/

""!!""

'Like thunder crackling in the sky, the Demon vanished, and the next time it reappeared, it now held a body in its hands and something in its mouth…'

"Shit!" Kalvar exclaimed as he dashed after it as he realized the seriousness of the situation

Despite how warry I was I barely saw it move.

It thought it was on the defensive due to its injuries but that wasn't everything, the Demon was looking for a gap in our defenses to strike our weakest link and recover.

Regeneration, it is tired... It's looking for sustenance, and that comes above all.

The knights shouldn't be weak enough to be slaughtered by it on a whim, but its speed was far beyond anything I thought possible given its appearance.

But for the Demon such a burst should've taken its tool...

The consequences of that are evident, but since it got its hands on its target...

'Both he and the burly man thought the same thing:'

We can't let it recover!

/Crumble.../

'The two were about to move when something changed.'

'The air began to heat up as something approached them from afar...'

"?!"

/DASH!/

/SLASH!/

""!!""

'Burning through the red fields of Hell was a bluish comet.'

'It appeared from nothing but it changed everything.'

'Whenever it passed, ashes fell but no fire ignited.'

'With his sword in hand, Philip appeared right next to the Demon, his eyes red and his muscles tensed as his heart pumped blood through his veins.'

'His two hands on the sword's handle, he used his momentum to precisely slash horizontally across the Ahatoh's neck, threatening to cut its head with a single swipe.'

/Duck!/

'With even greater speed, the Ahatoh twisted its head sideways as it bit down with everything it had against the Knight's arm, trying to goble it down whole and recover.'

'Even if the Knight's armor was made to withstand such clashes, it still failed in even amounting a resistance to the Demon's mighty jaw.'

/BAM!/

'But in that faint lapse of moment, Philip's sword changed direction, and with a mighty blow, he slammed its hilt against the Demon's sturdy, spiky back, cracking it into pieces and forcing the Demon to spit the arm out.'

'The arm was almost cut in half but it was still there, better that than devoured.'

/SCREECH!/

'Standing now between a rock and a hard place, knowing full well the creatures it intended to hunt weren't going to give him another chance, the Demon screeched loudly in both pain and wrath as its muscles twitched.'

'Like a rat in a corner, it pushed its body to its limits for what was likely the showdown of its life.'

'It was ready to fight, tooth and nail to the end. It was going to show its foe why 'bladed' was etched in its name, show that even when struck it left behind cuts and lashes in its opponents.'

'Even if today marked it's last day, it was going to bring down as many of them as it could.'

/BOOOOOOM!/

"!"

/Splatter!/

'Angered beyond reason, the Demon kicked the ground with monstrous power, lifting a wave of stone and dirt into the skies as it tackled Philip, causing several large spikes to pierce both his chest and shoulders!'

/CRACK!/

'Philip's feet dug deep onto the ground as he was pushed a hundred meters back, but in such a flat and long land, the Demon's tackle did little purpose apart from exposing itself to his opponent.'

'He resisted its charge, holding onto the Demon's spikes as it slowly lost its momentum...'

…

"..."

"..."

'Meanwhile, the Knights and the three Nobles looked at Philip from afar as the conflict went on.'

'From an outsider's perspective, it seemed as if two demons were fighting… And it was to reason.'

'A humanoid entity clad in blue whisps of intense heat whose source neither of them could define while also possessing a pair of curved ethereal horns and scally wings on its back...'

'It appeared from nowhere, dashing and bashing the Ahatoh with great brutality.'

'Of course, the three of them were quick to realize who the individual in front of them was, it was hard not to given the spectacle the young man had given them not so long ago.'

'That was the very reason why they did not interfere, knowing now where all those injuries had originated from…'

'But this did not mean they were okay with just watching, the Red Plains wasn't a place where one could be so complacent…'

'Yet time would tell if they should join in or not.'

…

/SLAM!/

'Bearing through the pain, Philip slammed his hands against the back of the Demon once more, pushing it to its knees as he held its head, shoving it aside violently as some of the Ahatoh's spikes cracked as they remained lodged inside his body.'

/SLASH!/

'With the Demon thrown aside, Philip immediately followed with a diagonal slash to its neck, which was swiftly blocked by its nails.'

/CLANG!/

/CLANG!/

/CLA…/

/CRACK!/

/SPLAT!/

'Three immediate slashes followed, and they were all blocked by the Demon as it recovered its balance, but it was on the third clash that something unbelievable happened.'

'Its claws cracked and split, causing Philip's sword to slash directly through its right arm's joint, cutting through its skin and flesh before stopping at its extremely resilient bones.'

/EXPAND!/

'His sword embedded deep into the Demon's arm, Philip wasted no time to press his advantage, unfolding his Mental Domain and pressing it down on the Demon's mind, squishing its relatively simple conscience as he brought enough time for himself to channel armament onto his left arm as he pulled his sword back onto its scabbard.'

/BANG!/

'He instinctively switched Classes, and pressed the trigger, causing a magazine to explode out into the air.'

'But by the time it was ejected, his sword had already finished its trajectory...'

/SLASH!/

'A strike faster than sound echoed through the plains, together with the mighty cries of the Ahatoh as it realized it had lost its limb.'

/SMASH!/

/CRACK!/

'With the Demon exclaiming in pain, Philip delivered yet another fatal blow to the Ahatoh's still injured chest as he punched it with his right fist!'

'The sound of broken scales unfolded as the Demon was flung back into the red fields faster than a jet in the sky, crashing onto a boulder and shattering it as it continued to slide across the ancient battlefield.'

/Vanish!/

'Like before, Philip teleported, reappearing in the crash course with the Demon, his sword in hand, ready for a strike.'

/ROAR!/

'Even if its mobility while in the air was little, the Demon did not back down, with its remaining nails, it slashed down at Philip, cutting through his body like a hot knife through melting butter!'

/Scatter…/

/SLASH!/

'But to its dismay, Philip was but a guise, something it would've recognized were it not in a near berserk state due to being pushed to the edge.'

'The real Philip was standing a step to the side, in an invisible state thanks to one of its Hunter Tools, causing him to mirror his surroundings down to every aspect, be it smell or sound.'

'With his arms up high as he held his vibration blade, Philip struck down at the Demon's neck, removing it from its shoulders in his final decisive strike!'

/SPLATTER!/

'Even then, he did not stop there!'

'Philip dove into the Demon's body, piercing its heart with the sword before taking out the Darklight Sword and slashing its other arm and legs apart.'

"Huff… Huff…"

'And once everything was done when his bloodlust came to an end and all signs of life came from the Demon ceased, Philip sat down on a rock and took out a simple potion, drinking it before beginning to heal himself with his magic.'

[DING]

[DING]

[Din…]

[A Great achievement!]

'As always and to be expected, the System blasted his ears with notifications, reflecting his accomplishments as he yet again did the "impossible".'

'But like last time, which was beginning to become a pattern, Philip merely closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, trying to keep himself awake as his eyelids grew heavy and his tiredness increased.'

'Another fight had come to an end, all through his own effort, just like he wanted.'

'No special awakenings nor strange powers manifesting mid-fight, just an old-fashioned fight where the most prepared and aware won.'

'The Demon was strong, but it was rash, had it hidden inside the eel and devoured it to recover before engaging with Philip, it might've won, or at the very least, forced him to flee.'

'But it was greedy, talking Philip as prey, it wished to remove all possible threats before recovering on its own...'

'There was also the fact of luck, the Demon ran straight into the highest gathering of energy in the vicinity, but unfortunately, given its weakened state, it was unable to deal with his targets fast enough, not that it would've been able to do so in the first place.'

'In the end, it was slain due to its own choices.'

/Crackle.../

'Still, even as he breathed heavily, armament burned brightly around Philip's body.'

'It was only obvious, after all, his current form was his real, unaltered body, remaining in this state was not in any way strenuous.'

'Albeit keeping Armament at bay was, causing it to run rampant on his surroundings, thankfully enough, the rock he was sitting on was sturdy enough to not crack, letting him sit in peace as he caught his breath.'

'He had faced many monstrosities in these plains, but today marked the day he felt the most tired, his muscles ached and his head throbbed in pain due to how much he forced it to work.'

"..."

By this point, I guess the mute function is completely useless.

/Float…/

'As he sat down, tired and worn out, Carnatita slowly floated to his side, sitting down next to him as she looked at his worn-out body with some concern, only for Philip to smile slightly, taking a deep breath in the process.'

'He would be fine, and although he had several large spikes piercing his body, with his current regenerative abilities, he would be in absolute peak condition within an hour at most… Given he ate something in the process as he was 'dying' of hunger.'

'His stomach may not complain now due to all of the hormones ravaging within his bloodstream, but soon enough, the effects of cutting his meal to fight would show themselves.'

/Step…/

'Amidst his silent recovery, the trio from before approached him, with their knights behind them, the one injured before mostly recovered by now, with his cut-off arm already reattached back.'

'It was a clean cut, one of the simplest to heal if they administer the correct first aid appropriately, and for a knight of his level, there was little to spare.'

"..."

'Hearing them approach, Philip forced his body to move so he could face them properly.'

"Huff… Thank you… For not interfering." He said amidst quick gasps as he got up from his seat

'He turned to face the three of them, who kept a distance as Philip's flames threatened to burn them, mostly their clothes.'

'The burly man did not seem to mind them, but he kept his distance, knowing the boy needed some distance as his injuries were rather severe.'

'And if his mind was as sharp as his sword, then he would prefer to stay away from strangers he barely ever met before.'

""...""

'To his words, the three of them smiled, but their expressions reflected what each truly felt.'

'Amazement, curiosity… Desire?'

'It seemed it was hard for them to maintain a cynical expression as most Nobles would, but at the same time, maybe they just didn't want to do so.'

'What's a little bit of that in the face of this hell on earth?'

'Philip recognized the three of them of course, it was hard not to given he had already seen them.'

'Without much surprise, they were Nobles, not just any of the bunch, they were the respective representatives of each of their Households.'

'That did not mean they were the only ones representing said houses, the children and direct successors had also been brought together with their own Knights and other forces for this conflict.'

'It was War after all, one they would likely experience many times throughout their lives, they needed to understand how it felt to be here, to lead soldiers into Hell and out of it.'

'No one wanted to bear the shame of returning alone. And for the young ones who had many decades ahead of themselves, it was something they wouldn't be able to live with.'

'Failing was the same as killing their social life as all would always remember them as cowards or failures.'

'For the three of them, the burly man, given his muscles, appearance, and the sneaky coat of arms on a small shoulder protector on his right arm, he was the brother of the Patriarch of the Tex Family, one of the Ducal Families of the Kingdom.'

'Funny enough, his niece, the daughter of Duke Werevigs was amidst the captured slaves Philip freed when he left Adrius Palace, all the way back when he just started his journey.'

'They were likely safely escorted back to the Kingdom as he was distracted with his matters at Parad Academy, so the news of their return might've gone unnoticed by him...'

'Either that or the news was suppressed, which would make sense also.'

'The middle-aged man holding a Rapier was the Patriarch of the Lakris Family, a family with a rank equal to that of what a Marquis would be.'

'That being given the symbol inscribed onto his rapier.'

'And finally, the lady in front of him was, without a doubt, a member of the Ercerkalivar Family, mostly from the exaggeratedly shiny emblem on her shoulder.' 1

'Philip had the impression he saw her before but as he looked at her face, he realized he was wrong, either that or he saw her glanced at her momentarily during the party.'

'He had studied about Nobles and their emblems, but memorizing all of their faces was beyond him...'

'Given her appearance and emblem, considering her age, she was likely a member of the younger generation of the Family, albeit not young enough to be called a youth anymore.'

'And considering her power, definitely that of an Archmage of the 7th if not 8th grade, her being in her early 30s was out of the realm of possibility... In ordinary circunstances.'

(...)

'As for the Knights behind them, there was no need to overcomplicate things, they belonged to the Wall troops stationed towards the East.'

'Adding this all together, Philip easily inferred their reasons for being here, well, it wasn't like there were many options in the first place.'

"... Ahem. Apologies for being blunt and forward, but your situation doesn't look good, are you in need of medical assistance by any chance?" Kalvar asked as he looked at Philip, breaking the ice between them

"Oh... Huff... I wouldn't refuse some help... I'll be in your care." He replied as he held his breath, suppressing his own abilities as he turned back into his usual, low-key self

'With his hair down and his ragged clothes, the difference between the him from before and after was quite significant, to the point it made the onlookers change expressions.'

"I... Would like to apologize, it seems I barged in during the setup of a 'seed', it was my mistake and I'll take respons... Cough!"

"Shh... Don't speak, please." The girl said as she approached him hurriedly, checking his physical condition as a bead of sweat fell from her forehead

'With a single spell, she was quick to access the situation.'

Alright... He's a complete mess.

How's he even moving around like this? He should've... Died by now.

His throat is mangled up, broken in a few places...

His right lung is punctured by the Ahotoh's spinal spikes together with his liver and stomach.

There are dozens of fractures spread throughout his body and the webbing of his hands is split... His fingers themselves are in even worse condition.

He's healing at an accelerated rate... To some degree he's more of a monster than the Ahatoh.

/Whispers.../

'But that was everything she checked before she resumed her work, focusing on the energy in the air as she chanted something softly.'

'Meanwhile, Kalvar turned to the soldiers, reorganizing them while the burly man focused on observing the surroundings once more.'

"I'll... Pull these out, is that okay?"

"I would have to do so eventually, at least they're not barbed." Philip replied with a light smile as he looked at the lady, causing her expression to stiffen

'She wished to ask if he had ever experienced such a thing to speak like that, but given his looks, it wasn't too far-fetched to think such a young man had already gone through such life and death experiences.'

'At the very least there was one thing she caught on from him... The fact he was shrewd.'

'Philip was intelligent and polite enough to properly communicate with them and take responsibility for his actions, excellent traits for any Noble.'

'For them, this situation was completely inconsequential, but Philip was first to speak, assuming responsibility for the situation, as if anything substantial had happened.'

'By making a mountain of a molehill, Philip forced them to cooperate or become the villains in this scenario. After all, how could they ask for anything from him when he sacrificed himself to slay such a fearsome beast?'

'That was a matter of perspective at the end of the day, and given their expressions, they took little offense regardless of his intentions.'

'To her, it was clear Philip had a decent head on his shoulders, at least when it came to speaking...'

'She couldn't say the same about his decision making, as deciding to clash with an Ahatoh alone wasn't exactly the definition of a sane decision.'

"For what happened just now, there is nothing to be responsible for, albeit we would appreciate it greatly if you told us what happened, with as many details you're willing to spare of course." She said with a smile as she weaved together an orb of green light, blowing it softly across Philip's face, healing his skin wounds as for the first time in a while, he breathed clean air and not the metallic stench that permeated this entire region

'As she said that, the burly man on the side had his expression distort as he almost puked at her actions.'

'It was as clear as day what she was trying to do to the boy, and it made him sick in the stomach.'

'He wanted to shout: "Try aiming at something your age range!", but alas, even he had things he feared.'

'If he did scream that, not even her father would be able to stop him, and knowing that old man, the first thing he would do would be to hide somewhere none would reach until his daughter's rage quelled.'

'Of course, that would only end with his timely demise...'

'It wasn't like she was to blame, Philip crossed every mark in what a Noblewoman was in search of.'

'The only thing she could have him work out a bit more on was his actions... She and many others would prefer to marry a more... Stable guy.'

'Still, there seemed to be something compelling her to him, he was handsome of course, but not to an otherworldly amount like the princes she saw here and there.'

'If she were to put her thumb on it... She would say his face just hit the spot. The right balance between all of the oversaturation of handsome princes lying around.'

'Her actions were only natural given many wanted to form relations to him, this included both the burly man and Kalvar.'

'And after his performance today, it was clear his potential may be even greater than they previously expected...'

'As this wasn't a greenhouse for him to show himself, this was the battlefield, and he just won a fight like a real man would, at least from the perspective of the burly man.'

"Cough... It's nothing special... I was caught by surprise as I prepared my lunch..." Philip said as he closed his eyes, retelling his story of when he first arrived at the shore, cutting a few details here and there of course

'And while he healed himself and got to know the Nobles and the Knights, two worn-out adventurers reached the sea after two weeks of continuous travels!'

...

/Grumble…/

"Urrg… I'm gonna puke… Shiiiiit…" Petter exclaimed out loud as he held his stomach in pain

It's as if a centipede is walking inside my bowels… And it wants freedom…

"Humph, next time, don't let it burn." Dae said coldly as he stopped walking

"Huff… Huff… How much more do we… Woahhhh?!?!?!"

/Stumble… FALL!/

"GUHAAA!"

/Rolls eyes…/

/Pull…/

'Distracted due to the pain in his stomach, Petter did not realize Dae had stopped just a step away from a precipice, stumbling into it as he realized far too late about his impending fall.'

'But being the good friend he is, Dae pulled him back before he fell, shoving him onto the rocky ground again.'

/FRAP FRAP!/

"..."

"Haaa… I feel much better now." Petter exclaimed with a wide smile as he let out a thunderous… Relieving himself of all the pressure and pain he felt before

'All the pressure from his almost falling ended up being released. Unfortunately, it was just not in the way he expected...'

Phew, my body digested that piece of crap rather well… For a moment there I thought I would…

/Kick…/

"???"

'Annoyed, Dae kicked Petter down the precipice.'

"Cough… He's so damn annoying." Dae exclaimed out loud as he waved his hand around

Shit...

'But as he saw Petter fall, exclaiming all kinds of nonsensical slurs, he smiled.'

'If Petter could see that he would slap him in the face thinking he was a doppelganger.'

'But as quickly as the smile came, it went away, being replaced by his usual cynical expression.'

We finally arrived at the sea, and with our last meal, we're ready to proceed.

Thanks to the Cape, we went through the Red Plains without encountering too much trouble, marking the end of the first phase.

I did everything I had to and I couldn't be more prepared than I am right now… Not without compromising a lot more further developments.

From here on out, however, things will escalate…

/THUD!/

'Shutting his thoughts to a complete halt, Petter finally crashed against the ground where he stood for a few moments before getting up, dusting his clothes as he stretched his body.'

/Jump…/

'Seeing that, Dae did not hesitate and jumped after him, landing with a smooth glide not too long after, walking past Petter as he approached the red Ocean not too far away.'

"Hey! Rude!" Petter exclaimed as he went after him

…

/Shua!.../

/Splash!/

"Urg… Pfft… These waves… Couldn't we have chosen a better spot to gaze at the ocean?" Petter complained as the red waves slammed against the rocks nearby, completely drenching them in seawater 

"..."

'The reason for that was that Dae was focused on something, not even reacting to the water and letting it fall on him as he remained static, like a statue.'

"Sigh…"

What did I expect?... It's cold...

/SPLASH!/

/Sharpen…/

"The conditions have been met." Dae said out loud with narrowed eyes as he raised his right hand

/CLANG!/

'From nowhere, his trusty sword, Excalibur manifested from thin air, piercing onto the rock underneath him as glistering light slowly dissipated in the wind.'

/Grab/

'He grabbed it with his right hand, looking at the Ocean as his sword began to change.'

/Whispers…/

'Words began to play by his ears but he did not let himself get distracted, focusing even further as he had trained six entire months for this moment.'

/Splash!/

'Like water bursting out from a balloon, his sword lost its shape, breaking into pieces as it stretched out, becoming a spear… A Trident.'

/Clang!/

'With one mighty swing, Dae slammed the Trident against the rock and the sea calmed down immediately.'

"All jokes aside, that's quite cool." Petter said with some respect as he looked at the sea 

"Come, we don't have much time." Dae said as he gave Petter his left hand

"... No Homo?" 

"Grab my hand before I pull you through your face." Dae said slowly and sternly as his gaze grew serene

/Grab…/

'Petter quietly grabbed his hand, following after him as he jumped onto the sea.'

/Splash!/

/Bubble…/

"Woah?"

/Let go…/

'Immediately as they touched the ocean, a protective barrier around ten meters wide formed around them, protecting them from the ocean around them.'

'It quietly floated in the water, standing just a meter above a forest of seaweed.'

'And just as quick as it formed, Dae let go of Petter's hand, almost throwing against against the ground, but he held himself back from doing so... Just barely.'

"This place was deeper than a thought, the red gleam of the sea really hides it, huh?" Petter said with some surprise as he looked around

"But uh… Don't tell me we'll be… Like... Looking for something underwater?" He asked as he quickly realized Dae's plans

"There's something we must retrieve and we can only do it now, in fact, we're late by at least half a month, so you better pray things go smoothly." 

"... Does time matter that much?"

"As we go deeper onto summer, the currents change and with it, creatures migrate."

"There is a faint window where the tides change, and if we miss it, we'll have to thread through currents moving hundreds of Kilometers per hour as they cross this planet's hemispheres, and I don't think I need to remind you what will happen if this bubble pops while we're down here."

"... I won't ask any further." Petter said in low spirits as he sat on the bubble, looking at the scenery as he tried to forget what he just heard

"... Just focus, if everything goes well, we'll be out of it in no time." Dae said as he began steering the bubble, driving it deeper into the ocean

"Thanks."

At the very least he can be Human from time to time…

"I can hear that."

"What?!"

/Chuckle…/

"Hey! You can't just read someone's mind and laugh at it!"

"It's not like there's anyone here to stop me." Dae said with a light laugh as he pushed the bubble even faster, causing Petter to fall back headfirst against the bubble's walls

/THUD!/

'And while one might think it was a smooth fall, they would be wrong as the bubble was as hard as concrete.'

My head…

'With blood falling from his eyes, Petter held in the pain…'

'Albeit that was likely seawater.'

…

/Stop.../

'After a few minutes traversing the sea, Dae finally stopped in front of a step precipice leading into abyssal depths.'

'Their journey had been rather smooth so far, with the most fearsome beast they encountered being a manta ray-style fish about the size of their bubble, albeit it did not care about them, swimming away as they went on their path.'

"... You know, I'm not afraid of the sea, but I think I am now." Petter said as he looked down

"That's not where we... Who am I kidding, that's exactly where we're going..." He mumbled to himself as he shook his head in despair 

"Stop whining and brace yourself." Dae said as he moved the bubble to the tip of the precipice before tilting his body slightly forward, putting one foot at its edge

"What are you... Woah?!" Petter exclaimed as he lost his balance

/THUD!/

'Yet again, Petter fell back, hitting his head against the bubble's walls.'

"OUCH! What the fuck?!"

"I told you to brace yourself."

"You could've told me you were going to... To... Change gravity!"

'Like Petter exclaimed, gravity had shifted, causing him to fall... Horizontally.'

'Dae now stood at the precipice, walking on its walls as if it was the ground, looking down at Petter as he waited for the latter to go after him.'

"I didn't change gravity, that's too much effort for such a simple task."

'Like he said, Petter felt strange, he could still feel a force pushing him towards the "wall", but at the same time, he felt another force pushing him down.'

'Gravity was still there, however now, there was a much stronger force pushing him in another direction.'

'And at the same time, it felt as if gravity had weakened, to the point it felt at most like a slight push.'

"Nonetheless, we don't have all day." Dae added as he crossed his arms

"Tsk, I'll go dumb at this rate with all this headbanging..." 

"..."

"Say something asshole!"

'After a little more complaining, Petter 'climbed' onto the precipice's edge, walking side by side with Dae as they delve deeper onto where not even light could reach.'

'An adventure only meant for themselves.'

...

.

.

.

Notes

A little bit of an update on Dae and Petter, they'll reappear later once we have the time.

There will likely be a few more Pov's through this arc, but not many, it'll depend on my mood.

What do you think Dae's after? Any ideas?

Thank you for reading, have a nice week!