SerpenTine

The merchant smiled thinly at the sound of money, but as he was turned around, his reaction was hidden from Gerald. When he rotated back, his face carried an expression of surprise.

"Oh, what is this?" He quickly grabbed the money pouch and opened it up where he was greeted by the glint of golden coins. "A most generous offer… Here, this should help you."

The man handed over a vial of some kind of oil. Gerald took it and looked at it skeptically. "What is this?" he asked. The liquid inside had a weird medicinal smell.

"It's the sunscreen, of course," the man answered smiling like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You will need it if you plan really plan on hunting a Phoenix. The rocky wastes of the Great Desert are unforgiving under the scorching summer sun. Hehehe…"

Gerald felt like he was being mocked, and just as a thought of violence entered his mind, the guy in question became serious.

"Let me tell you a story since you plan on hunting the sacred bird of flames…" the man began. "Every ten years or so, hunters like you, from all parts of the continent, travel through this town on their way to the Great Desert across the Emerald Sea."

"They are all strong, greedy, and arrogant, just like you. They like to push people around, boasting of their great deeds on the mainland… Hah!" The man smiled mockingly, his visage turning to one of twisted pleasure as he told the tale.

"Thousands come, forming a horde. All in the search of the elusive Phoenix!" He nearly spat out the last word, cackling as he went on, "And then they march into the desert, woefully underprepared, for they know not of the beasts that lurk under the sands."

"And even if the worms don't devour them, the sun will drain them dry in hours. After weeks of wandering and deadly battles, they stumble back, with a few drops of blood." His words flowed like a river and were enchanting to listen to.

"None managed to slay the sacred beast, even until now. Though many have claimed to have done it, the Phoenix never dies." The man stopped his story and then looked at Gerald with a serious gaze…

"Anyway, if you plan on wandering into the desert, I have here a few things you might need!" Not losing any time, the man quickly dragged a crate from beneath his stall and started showing off various things needed for desert survival.

"Piss off! All that was a sales pitch?!" Gerald stormed off before the crazy man could even finish showing off his wares.

"Sir, please wait! I have hats! Sandals for the hot desert sands! Cloaks for cold nights! Even worm repellent! Sir!"

But the shouts fell on deaf ears. Gerald had enough of this place. He went back to the ship and decided to take a short nap until it was time to set sail.

***

Gerald was woken up sometime later when the shouts became too loud just as the ship was about to set sail.

He rubbed his eyes and went to the deck to get some fresh air. The sun was high in the sky, but the cool sea breeze made it nice and comfortable. He removed his clothes so that only his pants remained, and basked in the summer sun.

It was a perfect opportunity to relax and get a light tan since he had nothing better to do.

His body attracted many curious glances, though most tried to pretend they didn't notice. But so what? Gerald leaned on the wooden railing and watched the sea, with not a care in the world.

The waters were calm, only slightly rippling as the ship cut through, and schools of small fish came to feed near the surface, their silver scales glistening in the sun.

Extending a hand, Gerald pulled a blob of water closer, trapping a small fish inside. As he looked at it, he couldn't find anything unusual.

Not that he was an expert in fish, but from what he knew, they didn't seem much different from those he has seen on Earth. It was about the size of his palm and swimming in the blob of water in confusion, wondering where the rest of the ocean went.

"Back you go." Gerald returned it to the sea and it quickly disappeared from view.

The large merchant vessel, on which he stood, was made of thick dark wood and black iron, made to resist attacks from aquatic beasts which sometimes tried to have a taste. Or so he was told.

"Alarm! Sea Serpent on the left!" a sudden shout came from up high. An observer was stationed on top of the mast, looking over the blue expanse, for dangers and land.

The people on board quickly became active, taking their predetermined positions on the deck, some manning the few ballistae mounted on the rails while the rest watched the waters intently with lances in hand.

The men were quick and organized, but from their faces, you couldn't read any panic or fear. It was just another day for them, most likely having experienced a similar situation many times before.

Gerald was curious. It was the first time he heard of a Sea Serpent. Back on Earth, snakes that lived in water existed, but they were relatively small, usually up to a few meters in length. The curiosity didn't allow him to miss such an opportunity to see a new creature, so he jumped up on the main mast and searched for the snake with both Magic and Eagle Eyes.

And there it was, about a kilometer from the ship, swimming just under the surface. The reflected sunlight made it difficult to notice, and Gerald was impressed by the man that spotted it. He certainly wouldn't have known it was a living creature from so far.

The Sea Serpent was gradually swimming closer. It didn't even seem like it noticed the merchant vessel as they both made their way towards the south.

Sometime later, when the beast came to a distance of less than a hundred meters, Gerald could finally see it in all its glory.

It was almost as big as the ship, about 100 meters long, and about 4-5 meters in girth.

Its scales were dark green and black, glistening in the sun as it swam just beneath the surface. Long spikes ran along its spine, each of them like sharp swords cutting through water.

The head, large enough to fit a bear inside it with ease, had three large blue eyes on each side, and teeth like spears that could skewer an elephant.

As it swam closer, the sailors held their breath. The ship was deathly silent, each person alone with their thoughts and fears. A fight in the middle of the Emerald Sea would be a disaster. No matter if they won or lost, it wouldn't be worth it for either party. The best thing that would happen was to avoid a battle and bloodshed.

Then it happened, the Sea Serpent bumped the side of the ship with its massive body, and the large merchant vessel shook violently and leaned to one side.

A few people screamed in panic as they flailed around to get a hold of something to stop themselves from sliding helplessly.

"Hold on!" the captain of the guards shouted. He was holding onto a railing, just above the serpent's back where the ship was struck. "Don't move a muscle! Wait for my signal!"

The ballistae were aimed down towards the spine of the Sea Serpent. The powerful weapon carried two meters long iron bolts coated with poison. It was the perfect opportunity to strike!

"Hold it!" the captain shouted again as the ship shook once more, this time even more violently. Creaking of wood could be heard from below, and the people on top felt as if they hit an underground rock as the ship leaned to the other side and was pushed slightly.

Everybody held their breath, waiting for their leader's order.

But it never came.

The Sea Serpent bumped the merchant vessel a few more times as it swam, pushing it out of its way, and continued on its path across the Emerald Sea.

Shaken and sweating in fear, the men gradually allowed themselves to breathe out a sigh of relief as the beast disappeared behind the waves.

"That was a close one," one of the younger sailors gasped and collapsed on the floor. One wrong move and they would have been goners.

"Thank Innos for our captain! I would have definitely shot if it wasn't for his nerves of steel," a guard commented. His hands holding on to the ballista were still shaking like mad.

"A brave man indeed," Gerald agreed. Even he left some tightness in his chest when the giant creature bumped into them, and he could fly! He couldn't even imagine what the rest must have felt, having their safety challenged so aggressively. If the ship sunk, they would all die. It was a terrifying thought for sure.

"Stop moping around you scared little chickens!" the commander of the ship came from his cabin shouting, seemingly fine even after such a close call. "Go check if we are taking water! That second strike didn't sound too good. It would be a real tragedy if we sunk after surviving an encounter with a Sea Serpent!"

"Yes, sir!" the workers quickly followed orders, some of them running below the deck to assess the damage, while the rest went to check on the cargo and fix anything that might have fallen out of place.

Gerald decided to be on guard for the rest of the journey, just in case.