anwhile, Ari, consud with rage at the sight of her wounded husband, unleashed a
relentless assault on the dragon. Enraged, the Primordial Elental went berserk, tearing the creature apart in a frenzy of violence.
As the enemy finally died, Archer's exhausted voice echoed in Ari's mind, 'Bring the body. I want to store it in my Item Box.'
She listened to him and sucked the red dragon's corpse sowhere before teleporting to his side. When seeing the white-haired woman, he smiled, "Thank you for helping. I was just about to end that damn thing's life."
Ari bead with relief as Archer and Detra shifted back into their humanoid forms, propelling themselves out of the water with powerful leaps. They landed heavily on the deck of the 1st Fleet's flagship, the wooden planks creaking under their weight.
He collapsed imdiately, blood pooling beneath him as he lay motionless. One of his legs and an arm were completely severed, while his remaining limbs hung limp and lifeless, leaving his won in a shocked silence.
"What the fuck Arch!" Detra exclaid.
Talila, Maeve, and Nyx touched down beside him, imdiately sprinting to his side. They enveloped him in a warm embrace, but their joy quickly turned to concern as they noticed the wounds covering his body.
"Looks like I've earned myself a bit of downti," he said with a faint chuckle, wincing slightly. "How about you take to the quarters? I could use a few hours of sleep."
When the won heard this, they helped him there. Archer noticed dozens of sailors watching him with wide eyes as they saw his injuries. He didn't bother with that as a headache slamd into his head.
Archer gritted his teeth as they reached the room where Detra helped him to bed. "Get so rest, Olivia said we're close to an island. The storm will get much worse before it gets better."
"Okay, let know if you need any help," he said in a drowsy voice.
Following that, Archer soon fell asleep as the ship dipped up and down because of the waves. While resting, his body slowly healed from the Pseudo-Gods strikes, which radiated with its
mana.
When Archer finally woke, the ship was eerily quiet. He pushed himself upright with a groggy yawn, only to flinch as a surge of pain shot through his battered body. "Ahhh, I swear," he muttered, gritting his teeth. "I can't wait to rank up again so I can avoid this kind of ss." Shaking off his complaints, he walked toward the nearest window, but all he could see was rain hamring against the glass, blocking any view of the world beyond. With a sigh, Archer turned and made his way to the bridge.
'Let's go see where we are,' he thought.
As he walked, a few passing sailors snapped to attention and saluted him, a silent acknowledgnt of his presence. Archer gave them a tired nod, hiding the pain behind a forced smile.
Soon enough, he arrived at the bridge, which was dimly lit and only had a few sailors working at stations. As Olivia sat in the captain's chair, studying a map, Archer noticed her and thought she was beautiful in the silver moonlight.
While walking toward her, the white-haired woman looked up with glowing pink eyes as she spoke, "Archer, how are you feeling? I can see the injuries aren't fully healed, as you're limping still."
He chuckled before answering, "I'll feel better soon Liv. I'm used to fighting people stronger than , but how long until we reach safety?"
The older woman sighed as she revealed, "We had to sail to the far west to avoid a Leviathan's Maelstrom. Those damn monsters would have sunk the fleet with no survivors."
"So where are we?" Archer questioned while sitting down next to her.
Olivia looked at the map and replied, "A few miles from the old continent, Placidia, there is a bay big enough to hold the 1st Fleet. I can station two battleships at the entrance to protect us while we rest and recover."
When Archer heard this, his eyebrow arched as he had heard tales of the lost continent before. His expression darkened. "Stay clear of the shore," he warned. "Make sure every sailor stays onboard. This place is a graveyard of trillions who died here long ago."
"How do you know this?" the voice asked, laced with curiosity. "Not many of your generation are familiar with the Fall of Placidia. It's a tragic tale, and most of the kingdoms on Plouria are descendants of its survivors. The rumors from treasure hunters and explorers paint a grim picture, saying the place is teeming with death and nightmarish monsters."
When Archer heard this, he nodded, "Maybe we could set up a fortress on the shore and have missions explore the continent. I'm sure there are cities full of wealth and lost technology hidden by the horror."
"It's not like the Alliance travels this far. The only reason we did was because of the storms," she replied while staring at the fog-covered landscape.
"The Swarm hides here, we'll have to fight them anyway,' he thought while staring at the eerie continent. 'I'll station a legion here and cycle through them every year so they can get experience and loot from this place.'
Archer turned to the white-haired woman, his gaze sharp. "How many legions do we have now?" he asked.
Olivia pondered for a mont before replying, "The last count was eighty-one, although most of them are newly ford or still in training.'
'Good, I'll need to be careful when deploying them, but this place would give a legion specialized in fighting in all kinds of terrain,' he thought with a grin.
Following that, Archer turned to the admiral. "How long until the fleet is anchored in the bay? And I assu you sent a Destroyer to check it out before we arrived?"
Olivia nodded with a smile, "Yes, it's clear and there's nothing apart from a destroyed town and grassland," she answered.
As the white-haired woman spoke, a heavy silence fell between them as they sailed toward the nightmarish continent. Archer's gaze drifted toward a small fishing village nestled on the shore, but a deep unease gnawed at him, the feeling that sothing was wrong.
'People evacuated in just a few days... I wonder what they left behind,' Archer mused, his sharp eyes picking out details the lookouts couldn't see.
He wanted to bring out the Shadow Creatures, but a bad feeling held him back. Sothing in the air whispered that doing so would stir whatever lay hidden on the continent. Archer grimaced, 'Better not. I'm not strong enough yet, and Ari had to return to Draconia,' he thought while staring at Placidia.
The 1st Fleet entered the bay and organized themselves with the least damaged ships, positioning themselves at the back of the formation. The pristine vessels would guard the rest
while targeting the entrance.
Archer and Olivia watched as the sun rose over the land and lit up the mist, which gave off a nightmarish scene. While standing there, he spoke, "I'll go scout the surrounding landscape.
I'll ask the girls to help."
The white-haired woman nodded. "Be careful out there. I will send so patrol craft to patrol the bay and coastline," she said.
Following that, he stepped onto the bridge's balcony and watched the land as he summoned Detra, Talila, Maeve, and Nyx. When the four won appeared, they smiled as Archer started speaking, "We need to scout out the surrounding landscape. We will be staying here until the fleet is repaired, and a fortress established here."
They looked confused, but Maeve was the first to question, "Why build it here? This place is creepy and unsettling."
"I think this place will be important in the future, so I'm making sure Draconia has a presence here," Archer replied before summoning his wings. "Be careful out there, and only travel a
few hours from the bay."
Everyone agreed and took off to scout to make sure it was safe for them. He followed behind and went to check the abandoned fishing village he saw on their approach. Ten minutes later, Archer was hovering over the eerie place.
He descended into the village square, his boots barely making a sound as he touched down. The mont his feet hit the ground, a sudden vision struck him, a vivid, overwhelming rush
of images that clouded his senses.
Archer noticed his surroundings changed. The fishing village was now alive with people going about their business. He watched as a stall owner chased after so children who took so
apples.
Others were busy at the harbor, unloading the fishern's haul while chatting among themselves, oblivious to his arrival. Archer stood still, his mind reeling in confusion. The
vision still lingered, and he couldn't shake the feeling that the land itself was trying to show
him sothing.
"Why, though?' he thought.
[Drop so powerstones, comnts, and gifts to help the novel grow; I appreciate all the
support you can give]
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