The mont the being was gone, Zaroth rushed out of the glass do, creating a bubble of air with his fire control, once again resurfacing back on the top of the ocean.
Who could bla him? Trapped underwater with that being didn't sound like a fight he had a good chance of winning even if he went all out.
Thankfully, the journey back to the surface was smooth. Vera had guided them with a grace that resembled a dance, turning at just the right monts, avoiding any hidden threats. The serpent now trusting her, complied with every command.
Night had passed, and the sun now hung in the sky, casting its glow over the surroundings… or it would have, if not for the smoke that had risen into the atmosphere, darkening the air.
There was no sign of the large teors—only smaller chunks broken off from the main body, now floating aimlessly atop the sea.
Naturally, Zaroth hadn't remained silent during their ascent. Vera didn't seem to know much, but she had shared one crucial thing: sowhere on the elven continent was soone—or sothing—the elves wanted slain. And for that cause, they needed 'Fated Ones'. For reasons unknown, only those bearing a Fragnt were able to face the being.
"So you made a deal with them? They co and heal , delay the curse and in exchange… you go kill that thing we just saw?" he asked.
Vera nodded, her voice sharp. "Yes. That's the gist of it. But keep in mind—that wasn't its true body. Just a shell. A vessel. Or sothing similar."
A sigh escaped Zaroth's lips. He wasn't about to argue—he owed the elves, and by extension Vera, his life. But still… she had made a deal behind his back. And now, he was tangled in whatever ca next.
"Whatever. I'll just treat it as a way to get stronger," he muttered, then gave the ntal command for the serpent to move forward.
GROOOWWL
His stomach groaned, reminding him that he hadn't eaten much—if anything at all.
"I suppose it's ti to eat," he said aloud, reaching into his shadow and retrieving a few supplies.
While the serpent continued to guide through the waters, Zaroth skillfully made a campfire over the beast's body, took out so at, skewered it on a stick and began to grill.
Gently, the green flas he had created with his skill Fireball began to cook the at, changing its color from pink to golden.
An enticing aroma lifted high in the air, only intensifying his hunger several tis over.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed a figure of a woman with a white mask watching over him silently.
"You hungry?" he called out, guessing that she was too polite to ask.
She nodded without a word and took a seat across the fire. Most of her robes were gone. She'd sweated through them during that tense mont in the do. While the serpent traveled, she'd used the wind to wash and dry them—more or less.
This led her to ask for so clothes, and Zaroth being a gentleman and all, had given her so he had stored in his shadow just in case.
"I can use my fire to dry them off, you know?" he suggested, taking a bite out of the perfectly cooked at. He had been cooking barbecues for so ti now, leading to the at being mouthwatering. It was juicy and tender, just like it had to be.
"The fire would ruin the fabric," she replied simply, taking a bite of her own.
Curiously, she didn't remove her mask—just lifted it slightly to allow the food through.
"Oh."
Before she knew it, the at was gone. She had devoured it like a hungry beast—that left even Zaroth staggered. One blink was all it took for it to disappear.
"I guess that it was good?" he chuckled at the sight.
Her flushed cheeks were visible through the slight tilt of her mask, and she quickly lowered it again to hide her expression.
"It was… pretty good," she said, sohow keeping her voice even.
"Well, if you say so," he smirked, handing her another stick of at.
She hesitated for a fraction of a second, but then snatched it shalessly, starting to devour it as well—just not that intensely this ti.
The rest of the day passed in relative silence.
Surprisingly enough, not many things ca to attack them. It seems that the teor shower—while being a terrifying experience to live through—had been a hidden blessing, scaring off most of the bigger threats far away.
This led to only small, mostly harmless things trying to attack them, only to end up on Zaroth and Vera's nu.
The journey grew so peaceful that Zaroth even took to fishing—and with unexpected success.
Small fish had begun to swim next to the serpent's body, using the mighty beast as a way to scare off any dium-sized fish that could likely feast upon them.
Their plan worked—however, what they hadn't anticipated was Zaroth being the one to catch a good chunk of them and eat them in the end.
'A new skillset added to the list,' he thought with a grin, looking over his haul.
Other than fishing, he spoke mostly with Vera, though she didn't seem keen on sharing much about her life.
She didn't seem to mind playing cards with him and Eldros together, and surprisingly, she absolutely crushed them. It wasn't that Zaroth and the Unholy Judger played badly—it was that she was simply that good.
At the end of most gas, Zaroth often thought, 'Thankfully I didn't bet against her.'
Finally, after about a week of traveling on the serpent's back, the scenery began to change.
The blue sky shifted hue, becoming greener in color, marking a clear change happening to the surroundings.
Feeling hopeful, Zaroth went ahead, stopping at the head of the beast and squinting his eyes.
"Land!" he shouted in pure joy, seeing an island on the far horizon.
He had arrived at one of the elf continents.
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