Zarian realized on the first day of his journey that he and Para had to compromise their insane training thod. Journeying across the Stone Sea River demanded so asure of practicality.
Spikes of atmospheric wild magic mixing with irradiated moon dust surfing on the briny winds created a host of random and nearly cataclysmic storms that flew at his face. The higher the altitude, the worse the moon-touched winds roared in his ears and assaulted the wizard with gusts that could rip apart non-rankers below Level 100.
Moon magic didn’t seem to agree with Zarian, either, since moons were sources of loneso lights that held against the darkness. Not as strong as the suns or the stars, but they were still a little antithetical to complete darkness.
Thus, he couldn’t really gain anything from the fallen moon rocks.
Zarian kept cultivating anyway, his back shining purple from the gravity-producing webbing there. Para handled the bulk of the curse from the mythical crown, fighting it with a frenzy and so input from Zarian.
They were doing decently. But they felt wearier faster than they should. Aura Slayer was the bla. So they compromised there.
Zarian ca down to the water’s surface and used Aura Mastery in another unique way. He channeled water magic through the sword. That was easier to do while surrounded by water that wasn’t all moon-touched and had so ancient magic of its own.
Like a high-powered surfboard, the legendary weapon took them on a ride over the rolling waves. Zarian kept his feet glued on its broad surface and learned to surf on the fly.
He had more than enough base Agility and physical buffs to learn in one minute. After ten minutes, he was a better surfer than all the surfing grandmasters from the old world.
Zarian curved around skyscraping stone spires jutting up from the dark surface of the Stone Sea River. He cut straight through low-sweeping walls of winds that ca barreling down from the skies.
With a big broad smile on his face, he zipped quickly across the water on his sharpened wand of a sword. Para’s kilt-shaped and serpentine body parts coiled around his legs or fluttered behind him with his waving lion tail.
He ignored all the noise from moaning storms and the many creatures bellowing out above the surface of the huge salty river. There were more interesting things beneath the surface that he perceived with a limited use aura. He would’ve seen more if he wasn’t under the curse of the mythical crown.
He found so treasure chests along the way from sunken vessels or within the rib bones of dead behemoths. Instead of stopping, Zarian sent down brave spectral spider explorers to dive into the water. They quickly swam down to reach the treasure chests, wrapped it up in webbing, then perford a dance on top of them.
With the tallic and alien grimoire of Voidling in his hand, Zarian cast both Void Domain and Void Waltz to yank each spider and treasure chest to him. Para quickly stored away the lost treasures. The successful spectral spiders made themselves at ho with the others on Zarian’s purple webbed back or went off to explore on their own.
They still had their little wizard hats even if Zarian wasn’t using his. Because of their hats, each spectral spider was self-sufficient. It was still dangerous out there for the little guys, but they were all capable enough of doing webbed magic on their own.
If they wanted to go, then Zarian felt proud to see them off. He gave a salute to each brave spectral spider that wanted to do their own little expeditions.
It was kind of bittersweet and aweso to see them ride their own little boards made of webbing as they went to explore where no spectral spider had explored before.
Other than that, the spectral spiders that hung around or got summoned made Zarian richer and richer. He had no idea how rich he was, honestly, but he’d collected an imnse amount of treasures from Grimrock, the Harrowing Mist Isles, and now from the Stone Sea River.
It was surprising how much gold and enchanted items were lying around. It was also surprising how he easily collected the stuff with little thought. Like picking up trinkets that were mildly useful and pretty to look at. Most adventurers would go years with no big returns from their adventures, forced to scrape by here and there.
As soone who’d grown up as fostered and as a vagabond, it was bewildering to think he had so much money that he didn’t know what to do with it. It felt more natural that he had benefits for simply existing because he had to make do with his existence one way or another before the Marines, while in the Marines, and after the Marines.
Now he could see for himself the truth of having overwhelming power … it was easier to get more and more gains. Well, sotis.
The Star System did a decent job of making the climb upward harder for those at the top, but Zarian obviously wasn’t fair whatsoever. Hence, he made things harder on himself on purpose while doing so good deeds, regardless of alignnts.
He kept a lookout for the voyage ships he’d seen from the long distance call with Hannah. He had picked up so details with Devourer of Secrets and Stories about the water-braving vessels and the people on them.
He knew enough to tell which vessels had worthy enchantnts and fighters to brave these moon-touched waters and storms, and which ones were completely caught blindsided.
Many vessels had on board so decent enough paladins or striders to protect them. So vessels had more special conditions, like mutual relationships with the ancient and friendly beasts of the Stone Sea River. So of these beasts were even eager to help the little people against the monsters.
Monsters were cruel and hideous creatures that were under heavier paraters of the Star System. The main exception was Reiki and her spiders from the Dancing Librarian Dungeon. The sa could be said for Reiki Junior and the Spider Bear Dungeon at the Blood Prairie Savages’ Stronghold, but maybe less so than Reiki Senior.
Unlike monsters, beasts were creatures that were far from human or any of the adventurous races, while still being a natural part of the world. A great example of them were the intelligent wolves Zarian and Bianca t in the Bramble Wolf Forest a while ago.
Not all beasts were like that.
But there were plenty of ancient, large, and intelligent beasts in the Stone Sea River. Many of them were in battle against the evil monsters sharing their waters. So even acted as escorts for the vessels with crew who were on their good grace, regardless of alignnts.
But with recent events of an apocalyptic kind, there were more monstrous dangers out there in the Stone Sea River. So of which were corrupted, so of which were mutated, and others were both.
Zarian found himself in so interesting encounters to help a few friendly beasts or many desperate people. Or in one case, he helped both simultaneously.
***
Soti later, Zarian was munching on dried jerky Foodie had made for him as adventuring snacks. He was watching a drama unfold beneath him while staying completely unnoticed.
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“We don’t have a choice! We need to leave the fucking turtle!” one older man shouted while at the stern of the ship.
“Don’t you curse at him like that! He’s been a friend to my family for generations! We aren’t leaving him behind when he’s done everything to protect us!” said another older man, who was at the helm of the vessel.
The first man shouting from the stern was a strider, a Level 95 Water Cutlass, his chosen elent flowing with a blue shimr up and down the heavy saber in his hand. He was the strongest man on an enchanted seafaring vessel that looked like a green, shell-shaped, supersize galleon that could easily hold a thousand people.
There were only five hundred people on board, all human adventurers from the Windy Strider Kingdom. Mostly everyone else, other than the Water Cutlass and a few others, hovered around the average of Level 50 or below.
The Water Cutlass was also one of the mid-level leaders of the Shark Adventurer Guild, but he was on a private contract as the main human guard. The passengers were from a bunch of minor guilds seeking glory and gold where all the chaos was happening, west of the Stone Sea River, where Zarian had co from.
The Water Cutlas was the type of man to place more importance on himself and his career than to uphold anything that felt honorable and righteous. Sotis, that was a smart thing. Or the Water Cutlas wouldn’t have made it all the way to Level 95.
Too bad he was out of his depths in his current situation.
Zarian gathered all of this information easily with his legendary trait, Devourer of Secrets and Stories. He checked out the other main human of this encounter while he was enjoying the drama.
The man at the helm, another strider, was a Level 73 Sea Captain. He reminded Zarian of the classic grizzled and salty n of the sea. The type of n who had a grumpy and aged appearance while there was still a golden heart under all that crust.
The Sea Captain had spent his whole life taking voyages around the Stone Sea River. He’d faced plenty of great tis and horrible tis. But he’d never seen so much monstrous danger and terrible weather like in the current tis he was in.
He blad the Dark Lord for everything. He wasn’t wrong about doing so. The Dark Quarrel of Mountains and Moons had affected almost every corner of the Walled Continent, maybe more so than the Darkrun Apocalypse.
The Sea Captain’s best friend, the primary protector of the Twinned Turtle, had gone through so rough scrapes to keep the vessel from facing certain doom. But they were still a few days from port, and their greatest challenge yet was closing the net upon them.
That was why the conflict between the Water Cutlass and the Sea Captain was at its boiling point.
“Look, the turtle obviously cares about us making it to port. It’s going to sacrifice itself, aye, because it has a good human-loving heart. That’s very nice of the beast. But what good is that sacrifice if we die with it, you foolish old man?!” shouted the Water Cutlass, taking a threatening step toward the helm.
“He is not an ‘it,’ you sniveling, goat-blowing gold-dog! He’s Aspis! He’s a Master Ranker! He’s older than the Dark Era! You cannot just leave behind a Grand Turtle Beast like him and think you’ll find a place in the Ascended Heavens!” the Sea Captain shouted, as his loyal crew gathered around him, bracing themselves to protect their leader.
The Water Cutlass took another dangerous step forward. In a nacing voice that cut past the crashing waves and howling winds and groaning wood of the Twinned Turtle, the Water Cutlass said, “I don’t have to give a damn about the Ascended Heavens if I ascend my way up to God Land. And I can’t do that if you get us killed along with your fucking giant turtle.”
The drama was about to cross the line of no return. The Water Cutlass was powering up his abilities. He knew damn well nobody on the ship could stop him unless they all ganged up on him at once. But there weren’t enough of them on the stern and around the helm at that point.
“Please don’t fight,” resounded a deep voice from overboard.
Behind the green vessel, Aspis broke the water’s surface with his great snout. If the vessel was supersize compared to a traditional galleon from the old world, then the Level 118 Water Guardian Master was humongous. It truly was an ancient beast born from the Adventure Era, a living example of fantastical tales that n of the sea would tell while at port.
The head of the friendly magic beast was a third of the size of the enchanted vessel. The rest of the turtle’s body was fifteen tis larger. The top of the shell even had stone constructions and watery forests made of hardy algae-like plants. All of it looked like a section of Atlantis rising from the depths.
There was nobody currently ho, but Zarian imagined the Water Guardian Master could house people there on his back. Zarian could tell through Devourer of Secrets and Stories that Aspis had ferried and housed many people over the years who ended up stranded or lost across the Stone Sea River.
Aspis was truly a friendly beast who didn’t seem to understand why humans were selfish and cruel to each other. And he really looked at the Sea Captain as a friend, which was why he was doing what he was doing regardless of self-preservation.
Because of Devourer of Secrets and Stories, everything about Aspis was as open as an easy-to-read book for Zarian. The kindness of the Grand Turtle Beast made Zarian rethink his approach for when it was his ti to reveal himself. It wasn’t yet ti, so he waited a little longer.
“Please listen to the adventurer,” Aspis advised with a big and rumbly old voice. “Leave behind. The Kraken Siren Monsters have grown terrible with the touch of the fallen moon drops. They also seem to be on the verge of corruption, too, because of Evil Goddess Shadowfell.”
The Water Cutlass waved around his sword. “See, even the turtle agrees with !”
The others ignored him as the Sea Captain shouted back over the crashing waves and roaring wind. “But you’re powerful, Aspis! You’re a Master Ranker! You can’t let the damn sirens with tentacles bring you down!”
Aspis sighed with the breath of a long and enduring life. “They have many benefits under these dark tis. They have more numbers than I can handle. And they, too, have Master Rankers. I’m afraid, my friend, that this will be the end of . But please don’t let this be the end of yourselves.”
“What if you beco corrupted and turned into a thing of Shadowfell?!” the Sea Captain argued. “You can’t risk it!”
“Do not fret. I will ensure that I don’t. Even if it ans I must end myself first,” Aspis replied kindly.
The hard and crusty facade of the Sea Captain was on the verge of breaking. Zarian swore the man was about to shed tears, but at that point, the wizard couldn’t handle it anymore.
His parasite was getting antsy from all the drama, too. All of her snake bodies coiled tensely around his legs, cutting off so circulation.
It was ti to make his move.
“Okay, I’ve heard enough. Anymore and you might have tearing up,” Zarian said from on top of the mizzenmast, right above the squabbling Sea Captain, his crew, and the Water Cutlass. “I’ll help y’all out, okay? I’ll help.”
Before anyone could get an accurate look at him, he dropped and made a soundless landing on the stern that seed as light as a feather.
Everyone staggered backward from the sight of him except for the Sea Captain, who clenched the enchanted helm with a tense grip that would’ve broken a weaker and less magical wheel.
Zarian was about to speak again, but the Water Cutlass cut him off with a battle cry. The Level 95 man attacked with all his years of hard earned savagery, experience, stats, and abilities.
“Die, Kraken Siren Monster! Die!”
With a strong sweep of his sword, the Water Cutlass sent forth a sharpened water crescent that was six feet wide. He followed up with a few more water crescents that were smaller but faster.
Then the Water Cutlass charged up his body with water-based enhancents before diving forward with a power stroke. The blitzing attack ca with the weight of a large and condensed wave aid at the top of Zarian’s head.
Afterward, the Water Cutlass added a series of fast lee strikes. He mixed the fluidity of water with the sharp expertise of his sword play. All the powers from his traits, skills, and stats attached to his experience made him a superior expert of his craft.
He would’ve slaughtered most adventurers. But most adventurers weren’t Zarian.
From the start, Zarian’s first action was blinking and chuckling. He had his sword held by his lion tail and didn’t bother to get it. Para’s coiling serpent bodies and thick kilt strands remained around his legs. She didn’t even bother using any magic, leaving Zarian to handle things.
The wizard used a few active buffs and so ticulous Aura Mastery. Then he reached forth and grabbed the first water crescent. With a squeeze of his hand, he broke the elental conjuration effortlessly.
He flicked his fingers against the smaller and quicker water crescents that flew afterward. He turned those into harmless droplets of water that sprayed him and the others nearby.
With the back of his hand, he smacked aside the chopping power cut aid for his head and dismantled the crashing water magic for the sake of the others more than himself.
Then he used the bottom edge of his hand to deflect each rapid strike from the Water Cutlass. Zarian’s Aura Mastery dampened the water magic so all the water splashing off each ti they connected remained harmless for everybody else.
“I don’t think that’s a Kraken Siren Monster, everyone,” Aspis said wisely.
But the Water Cutlass’s focus was too narrow to understand the words of the grand and ancient beast. The berserk man kept up the attack against Zarian Sainte-Darkrun.
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