Going Out for a Swim

"Look, I know ye barely know me. But ye've got to believe me. This town, it's all I've got left besides my faith. The people here don't deserve what's happenin' to em. I'm to old too stop it, whatever it is…" Bishop pleaded with a sorrow filled voice.

Leo stared at the top of Bishop's lowered head. He sighed, "Fine. But what is it? The stench?"

"I really don't know. It just started appearing one day, it appeared in the food and drink first. Then it went to the people. I made the mistake of eating some of that food back when I was unaware of the effects. Then I heard whispers, out from every corner. I nearly went mad. Ever since then, I stayed away from those who've smelt, but each and every one… They've disappeared and reappeared like completely different folk. It's been so long, but nearly everyone here has changed, but I fear for those who haven't."

"Well, any idea what happened?"

"I've got none… I've asked around. Asking if I'm the only one who heard the whispers after eating the food. But none of them even recall a smell. But… but I think it's me faith. Whatever happened to them, I think me faith is what's protecting me. Instead, I hear the whispers, but they've died down after so long of not eating and drinking their horrid food." Bishop paused and looked at Leo.

He hesitated but eventually asked, "Are ye also a sorcerer?"

Leo looked at Bishop for a moment, before nodding. It was a lie, but it'd be effective at convincing Bishop he wasn't a demon. But that raised a question for Leo, are the other's smelling the stench like him?

"What's yer faith, if you don't mind me asking?"

Seeing as most humans were hostile against demons, Leo chose an angel god, "Lune." Since Bishop had told Leo the name of an angel god earlier, if he had answered Token or Blight, he was unsure of what Bishop's reaction would be.

Bishop sighed a breath of relief, "Excellent. Young man, I fear the end is nigh, so you've got to help me protect everyone. Until the storm blows over, you've got to help me."

Leo nodded with a determined expression.

"Alright, I'll let ye go now. It seems your friends are unaware of the situation. You should at least fill them in. Maybe take them out into the town one last time before the storm. Just… just be careful though." Bishop said in a tired voice as he put a hand on Leo's shoulder.

"I will be." Leo said with a slight smile.

Bishop laughed and stood up with his coffee. He took a slight sip and took one last glance at the window. He clicked his tongue and walked away. Leo however, stayed in the chair and started shifting through the new information.

With a sigh he stood and turned around. His hand went to his arm that was still sore and he gripped in frustration. Then Vera walked into the room with Hugo in her arms.

"Be careful, you're still healing." She said as she saw him touching the bandage. He raised his hand in jesting surrender and she smiled. She put Hugo on the floor, and he ran to the kitchen table and sat in one of the tall seats. The seat of course took him a while to climb up.

Leo smiled at the sight and Vera began making food for Hugo. Leo left the room and headed to the bathroom to get ready for the day. After that, he took out the medical supplies to change his slightly bloody bandages.

However, after unwrapping them he frowned. He looked at the long wound that had barely healed. At the moment, it was a long scab on his skin. Leo picked at it a bit and blood started flowing once more. With an upset expression, Leo began wrapping his arm again in new bandages.

He stepped out of the bathroom to find everyone getting ready for the day. He went over to the rest of Doe squad to tell them that Clarence would be coming with them today. He also asked them if they smelt anything bad recently.

"Besides Andrew, no." Faust answered with an innocent smile.

Andrew looked unamused as he reached out and flicked Faust in the forehead. Faust's head recoiled in pain.

"No. No I have not." Andrew answered as he prepared to flick Faust again in the forehead once he recovered.

"No, not really." Luke said as he tied his shoes. He looked up and asked why.

"Something weird is happening on the island, you smell anything really bad or see anything strange, tell me immediately." Leo said.

"Got it." They all replied in a similar way.

"Wait, is this about the glass of water?" Faust asked, remembering the events of last night.

"Maybe. They might just have bad water." Leo was almost one hundred percent sure something was up with the water, but that small percentage still chipped away at his mind.

Leo started packing some things in a decently sized bag. They were art supplies, if he was going to have to go through some hellish weather and a hellish island, he was going to paint! Then he grabbed Clarence and the five of them headed out the door. They began walking down the hill and talking.

"So, where are we heading to first? I'd like to go to the beach if you all don't mind." Clarence said to everyone.

"Oh! We haven't gone to the beach yet!" Faust said with glee, "Yeah, let's go there Mathias."

"Don't worry, that's where we're heading first." Leo said. Internally however, he was conflicted. Something was up with the water, but how much was affected. Surely the ocean couldn't be? Either way, Leo was unsure, but he already promised Clarence to head to the beach.

It didn't mean he'd have to get in the water though.

After a brief walk, they all made it to a nice-looking beach. The water in front of them stretched as far as the eye could see. It was relatively wild due to the incoming storm, but still swimmable. The water had a strong ocean smell which Leo thought was nice.

Leo looked around for a bit when he spotted some docks in the distance.

"Oh, that's where Marshall and Adeline said they ate. Apparently on the docks there's an island called 'The Siren' and it has good food. Hopefully better food than what the other restaurant had!" Faust said after noticing where Leo was looking.

"Interesting." Leo mumbled as he started pulling the supplies out of his bag. At the same time, the Faust and Luke began taking off their clothes down to their underwear.

"Why?" Andrew simply asked.

"We don't have swimwear…" Luke replied, decently embarrassed. Faust seemed perfectly fine, however.

"They have store over there with that stuff!" Andrew pointed to the town that wasn't that far from the shore. The inhabitants were getting their buildings prepared for the incoming storm.

"Alri-" Luke was about to say as Faust turned and jumped in the water.

Faust's head raised itself out of the water and asked with a smile, "What? Did you say something?"

Andrew simply sighed and shook his head in response. Luke seemed slightly miserable since he still wanted to get a swimsuit. But Faust kept urging him to enter the water and Luke didn't want to be nearly naked around Clarence who was basically a stranger.

As Luke entered the water, Andrew rolled up his pant sleeves and took off his shoes and socks. He stuffed the socks into his shoes and put them near Leo who was setting up his canvas.

Clarence was cleaning his binoculars to look out at the water. Andrew walked forward and put his feet into the water and gritted his teeth due to its coldness. He simply stood there letting his feet get wet while he watched the waves roll.

It stayed like that for a while. Andrew stood in the water while Faust and Luke swam around. Clarence looked out of his binoculars looking for anything strange, occasionally making conversation with Leo who was painting.

After a bit Clarence put the binoculars down and clicked his tongue.

"Nothing. I haven't even seen a bird go down to grab a fish." With a sigh he asked Leo, "So what're you painting? The sea?" He began making his way over.

When he saw Old Man Miller who was looking out a window with only his back visible, he grew slightly confused. "You've got the whole ocean and you draw him?" He questioned.

Leo shrugged, "It's more interesting. A man with his back facing the viewer staring out a window at the sea beyond. I also made the colors duller to show the monotony of a lighthouse keeper."

"Well, yeah, I guess that is rather interesting." He looked at the painting in detail while Leo cleaned his brush. He squinted slightly, "What's that on the window?"

"A moth." Leo answered. He raised his brush that now had more paint on it and continued working. Clarence took a step back, so he wasn't hovering over Leo and began watching him paint.

"So, what got you into painting?" Clarence asked and Leo stopped his brush mid stroke.

Leo thought about it for a moment before he answered, "It was one of the things I decided to learn by myself."

"I see, well you're pretty talented." Clarence decided to go back to watching the sea and he patted Leo on the shoulder a bit, saying, "Good work."

Leo nodded and continued painting. It wasn't long later that Leo finished and set down his brush. He opened and closed his palm a few times to get rid of the cramped feeling from holding the brush for so long.

He took a step back and started looking at it. With a satisfactory nod, Leo walked forward towards Clarence to chat with him and watch the sea while the paint dried. It was a simple painting so it wouldn't take long.

Clarence lowered his binoculars with a sigh.

"I'm really beginning to wonder if this is all just a practical joke. These waters are practically empty. Want to look around the beach?" Clarence asked Leo with a frustrated tone.

"Uh, sure."

"I'll come with." Andrew said as he heard them speaking. He took his feet out of the water and began putting on his shoes. Faust and Luke saw them getting ready to walk a bit and they came out of the water.

"What's going on?" Luke asked.

"We're going to explore the beach a bit." Leo answered.

"Nice!" Faust said as he got out of the water, Luke did as well with a red face.

After they dried off and changed all of them were ready to go out. Leo took the lead and began heading the opposite direction of the docks, instead heading towards the lighthouse. The base of the cliff the tall building stood on was covered in rocks.

They slowly made their way over as they all chatted, stopping every so often to look at the shells on the floor. Eventually they made it to the rocks by the cliff face when it hit Leo.

A stench so rotten, his entire body recoiled.