Sacrifice to the Drowned God

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Kai let the difference between his and Andrik's status become a wall of silence for a while.

The swarthy mate looked around, taking deep breaths and licking his dry lips.

When Kai saw him getting frustrated, noting the boundary of his patience, he tapped on the table, and the mate straightened his back in surprise.

"Andrik," Kai barked. "You have done HIM great service by adhering to my orders in these last few weeks. I dare not speak for the Drowned God, but I can feel it in my heart; HE is pleased with you."

Andrik's breathing was caught in his throat, Kai could tell. The brown-haired giant humbled himself by emptying the entire mug of wine, wine dripping off the corners of his mouth. He slammed the mug hard on the table and nodded.

'No wonder he was named Andrik the Unsmiling,' Kai amused himself, sipping his wine.

"And thus, HIS loyal servant, Andrik the Twice-Drowned," he continued, slowly, "this meal isn't an ordinary meal, but a reward. Priestess Shae, serve us the flesh of the Storm God's spawn."

The shudder that had coursed through Andrik shook the entire table. He would have stood up in shock if it wasn't for Kai's tap on his knee. "You remember the roars of our foe that I faced after sending you below the deck, right?" Kai said, distracting Andrik as Item-M took two plates of cooked Gyarados' meat out of her MRB. "It was a monster sent by the Storm God. But, using the Drowned God's power, I slew the beast. Now, we will feast on its flesh."

Item-M put the two huge trays on the table, and aromatic steam entered their nostrils, making their mouths water. At one glance, none could tell if it was regular meat or magical. But Contestants could sense Mana around them, and thus, Kai could feel it, the magic lingering within this cooked flesh, hidden deep.

Kai would have never shared this precious food with anyone, much less needed to be said about Andrik, who was neither a Contestant nor someone Kai needed to manipulate anymore to gain a favor. He just wanted to see how the magical flesh would affect an ordinary human, or more accurate would be to say, an in-world ordinary character.

"Don't wait for me," Kai commented, and lunged at the meat. On his side, Andrik, almost barbarically, gawked at the meat and then tore a large piece. The moment he gulped the morsel, Kai noticed from the corner of his eyes that Andrik's entire face became red. Piece after piece, both kept eating, stuffing their bellies with the delicious meal. The sound of wine gurgling in their throats, chewing, and clutters of plates rang within the cabin for some time.

They belched together and laughed. "Good," Kai said, nodding, and sloshing his wine. "How do you feel?"

"Incredible!" Andrik bellowed, drunk on meat and wine, grease running down his chin and staining his patched doublet. "Hot and powerful. It's like there are two of me inside one body. Now I just need a woman. Nothing's like fucking a woman after a hearty meal and bloody fight."

Kai's lips twitched as he saw Andrik's face turning to look at Item-M. 'Aphrodisiac?!' He thought, winking at Item-M, who was looking back at him in a horrified, stunned stupor. 'Hmm, I need more experiments to confirm it.' A suppressed chill burst out of Kai, almost freezing the hulk-like man. The redness over his skin visibly receded, and as Andrik's mind calmed down, a hideous fear flashed across his previously lustful eyes.

Kai noticed Andrik's manhood was erect, like a huge iron rod trying to burst out of his breeches. He noted all these changes and then laughed. "You saw the deviousness of the Storm God's spawn, Andrik?" he said, bullshitting again. "Such is the hold of that abomination's flesh even after its death. Now that we have had our fill, look alive. We have more to discuss, and you have one more reward awaiting you."

Andrik's mouth opened and closed, fumbling for some elusive words. There is more?! He must have been thinking, for the giant's lips were now having a hard time resisting a persistent grin.

Cleaning the grease off himself with a piece of cloth, Kai asked, "Do you know Old Tongue?"

"Yes," Andrik grunted. "I am from Old Wyk, the holiest island among the Iron Islands. It was also the first island colonized by the First Men, and they had left behind many secret and ordinary scrolls. We, children of Old Wyk, are taught the Old Tongue even before the Common Tongue."

Kai felt elated, and this elation surfaced on his face like a proud smile. "Brilliant!" he thundered, smacking Andrik's thigh. "Now listen, and listen carefully. Remember the words you have listened to before passing out that night…"

And then Kai told him all the parts of the ritual and the process to follow. At last, he took out a piece of paper, on which he had drawn the Yellow Sign in black ink, and handed it over to Andrik. The giant stared long at it as if it was some divine symbol unknown to the archaic texts of the Iron Islands.

"I see them…" he mumbled. "I see the billions of tentacles of the Drowned God."

Kai's eyes narrowed. But before he could ask anything, Andrik folded the paper, putting it under his belt. "Captain, all this is well," he told Kai, licking his thick lips. "But what can I, an ordinary man, offer HIM as a sacrifice? I… I have nothing of importance."

"Impossible!" Kai rebuked, plainly showing his dismissal. "Every person, young or old, poor or rich, or dead or alive, has something to sacrifice. Think, Andrik. You must have something. Something unique, or probably dear to you."

'Something like an Item,' Kai held himself from saying this out loud.

Andrik looked out towards the dark sea, waves undulating like a black sheet of ink. "The Banner of House Drumm," he said after a while, a hint of longing in his tone. "Once I had given my everything to the House Drumm, in their service. Now, only the Banner remains as a symbol of that fealty."

Kai and Item-M exchanged a glance, and when she nodded, Kai beamed. "That'll do then," he told Andrik. "Remember, it was Andrik the Unsmiling who had sworn fealty to House Drumm, not Andrik the Twice-Drowned. Now, go! Do your duty and show your piety. Let us see if the Drowned God accepts your sacrifice or not. Let us know what the future has in store for you, my loyal mate."

Andrik jerked up, his breathing ragged, and bowed. The wood banged against wood as he barged out, determined to die, if necessary.

Kai's breath, too, was ragged, almost refusing to come out. The moment of truth was approaching him, step by step, he knew. Opposite him, Item-M had already taken out Jet Wing again, in case something would go awry. Not with Andrik, but with Kai. He had ordered her to damage him fatally if it would come to that.

The tension within the captain's cabin was tangible.

Hours went by, but Kai didn't lose patience. He knew Andrik must have been having trouble drawing the Yellow Sign, and then again, there was no telling if the combination of the Sign and his minor-epithets was even workable or not.

All this was based on nothing but a theory, after all.

It was then Kai felt a tug, heard an incoherent murmur, and just as he lifted his head, the world trembled again.

There was no time to waste. Kai snapped his head at Item-M, who, getting the signal, took the Bone Battle-ax and threw it over to him, not without difficulty. The Battle-ax was not an Item, as only Contestants with Elementary Armorer Ability, or something similar, could make Items. And it was too big for him to store it in his MRB, even if it would have been empty.

Despite all this, Kai concentrated on the trembling, sensing the door at the other end of the tunnel. Suddenly, he perceived the door opening, little by little as if it was being pushed against some heavy sea current. Through the door, Kai saw images taking form, and the figure of Andrik materialized, sweaty, horrified, and impatient. There was a red banner in front of him, lying on the floor.

Kai reached for it, felt the silk at the tip of his fingers, and snatched it in. At the same moment, he threw the Bone Battle-ax through the opening before the door could close again.

The trembling stopped, all doors closed, and when Kai opened his eyes, there was a red piece of cloth in his hand, made of the smoothest silk.

Item-M stumbled her way towards him.

They looked at each other.

Their eyes sang a song of surviving a stupendous trial, making this ordinary moment a momentous one.

They both knew that after this moment, their lives would never be the same.

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