Horrors of The Deep

Walking toward the ship, I felt Nephis' breathing calm down and become rhythmic. I let out a relieved sigh, and soon I was only a meter away from the ship.

(Wasn't that... a little excessive?)

[Definitely, but it ended well enough. I think, at least.]

Approaching the ship, I placed Nephis on the ground and looked at the mast.

Since it didn't have a sail, I created a large blanket out of the remaining essence I had and took out the spiderwebs I had left.

Then, once again using [Grafting], I connected the makeshift sail to the mast.

Happy with the result, I picked up Nephis and jumped into the ship's interior. Since I was still augmented by the two shadows, I was much more powerful than usual.

Looking to my side, I saw Cassie squirming in the bed of spiderwebs. She had her mouth open, but no words came out.

I had made her unable to speak first so she wouldn't accidentally say Sunny's true name—a precaution that was definitely necessary.

Gently, I put Nephis on her own bed and used [Fool's Gambit], pushing the boat with black tentacles.

The ship slowly approached the water and, once afloat, began to drift. Dismissing the tentacles, I commanded Blisto to look over us and leaned against the mast.

Letting out a sigh, I looked through his POV. The waters raged, causing us to drift further from the island. After ten minutes, I could no longer see the Soul Devourer.

Finally, after what felt like forever, we had left the Ashen Barrow.

[Sunny, we did it. We survived an Awakened Demon, an Awakened Terror, and of course, the little birdie.]

(Calling it a little birdie is a bit crude, don't you think?) I nodded in agreement and scratched the back of my head.

[Well, still, we survived. I think we should celebrate when we have the time.] As I said this, Cassie stopped squirming and calmed down.

Standing up, I approached her and deactivated the ability and took of her restraints. Letting out a gasp, she clutched her throat and moved her mouth.

"Su... Sunny?" she meekly said.

"Well, it's Pleiades actually. Are you fine now?"

She pursed her lips, and a tear fell down her cheek. She then lunged at me and gave me a bear hug. I accepted it and smiled.

"Thank you! Thank you!" she frantically thanked and apologized. I listened attentively and let out a relieved sigh.

I gently pushed her away and looked over at Nephis.

"Listen carefully, Cass. I'll tie this around your arms..." I took the noose I had made from the spiderwebs and began to tie her hands, "We'll be attacked by an abomination from the depths, so I need you to hold on tight. If you get thrown off, it'll be very difficult for me or Sunny to save you."

Tightly securing her hands, I went over to Nephis and got her into a sitting position before also tying her hands.

"Are you sure we'll make it?" she asked, shaking.

I patted her shoulder and took a deep breath.

"I assure you, we will. You did see the vision of us being in the Dark City." Nodding to me, she clenched her fists and looked at me with determination.

Going over to my hammock, I lay down and looked over the ship. Blisto flew overhead, quiet. Having him watch over us was reassuring, though it didn't calm me much.

Feeling my heart race, I breathed in and out. Nephis was still unconscious but seemed fine, though her armor was battered.

Gulping, I realized I had left her sword at the Ashen Barrow.

'Hopefully, she can still dismiss it.'

Bored already, I closed my eyes and focused on the surroundings.

I activated [Position] and located the Dark City. We were heading in the wrong direction, so I used [Fool's Gambit] and created a tentacle on the side of the ship, steering us in the right direction.

'Good, everything's going well.' I thought, then immediately grimaced.

Why I had to raise such a red flag was beyond me, but thankfully nothing happened. The boat creaked under the sway of the waves, and a soft wind filled the makeshift sail, propelling us forward slowly.

Tension permeated my whole body, and I decided to leave the tentacle be. Realizing my fumble, I stood up and walked over to the noose.

I had intended to tie my hands to it, but my plans were thwarted as I felt urgency coming from Blisto.

Cursing under my breath, I attempted to reach the mast, which was only a few steps away. But then a terrifying force hit the side of the ship, causing it to flip.

No longer feeling my feet on the steel, I was met with the cold embrace of the water and was submerged within it.

The coldness encased me, and as I opened my eyes, I was met with darkness. Feeling Sunny's panic, I then felt my leg grabbed by a slippery tentacle.

(Damnation!) Sunny cursed, and I felt the two shadows augment me.

Summoning the shard, I felt its cold grip in my hands and instantly cut off the tentacle grabbing my foot.

Green blood spilled from the wound, and a harrowing screech assaulted my ears, causing me to cover them and almost open my mouth, though I managed to hold it in.

Blisto sent a worried caw, and my face darkened. In the water, there wasn't just one abomination. Two more were approaching.

The first was made of dozens of tentacles. The other two were even more terrifying.

The cold water gripped me tightly, chilling me to the bone as I floated in the dark abyss beneath the ship. My lungs burned as I fought to stay calm, but panic surged in the back of my mind as the reality of the situation set in.

Three abominations. One already had its tentacles reaching out, while the other two loomed—monstrous silhouettes cutting through the blackness of the sea.

I couldn't let this be the end. Not here. Not now.

My hands tightened around the shard, its cold edge giving me a sense of focus—an anchor in the overwhelming chaos.

I summoned the strength augmented by the two shadows, and my movemnts were drasticaly more powerful.

With a quick slash, I severed the next tentacle that shot toward me, sending another spray of green blood into the water.

The creature's pained screech reverberated through the depths, vibrating through my body.

Blisto's urgent caws echoed above, warning me of the others closing in fast. I kicked my legs, propelling myself upward, desperate to reach the surface and get a clear view of the surface.

My head broke through the surface of the water, and I gasped for air. The sound of crashing waves and Blisto's cries filled my ears.

The ship was still rocking from the blow, but at least it hadn't capsized. I could see the glimmer of Nephis' battered armor as she lay unconscious in the boat, her body clinging to the deck.

Cassie, tied securely, was gripping the ropes with white knuckles, her wide eyes filled with terror as she looked around for me.

"Stay calm!" I yelled toward her, though the crashing of the waves likely drowned out most of my words.

Before I could say anything else, I felt a hand grip my leg, and I was once more pulled into the water. Barely able to take a breath, I felt the hand tighten around my leg, causing me to growl slightly.

I looked on and saw the abomination, though just barely.

It had a humanoid shape. Its torso had a large maw with razor-sharp teeth, and in the middle of the mouth, a sickeningly long tongue thrashed around in hunger.

On its torso were six stumps, each stump sprouting inky black hands that shot toward me.

And its face… even more terrifying. Its oval-shaped head had ten long black eyes that stared at me with insatiable hunger.

'Ugly bastard.' I thought as I sliced the hand gripping my leg off.

But I had no time to relax—another tentacle wrapped itself around my shoulders, pulling me toward the first creature.

I gritted my teeth and tried to slash at the tentacle but couldn't reach it. To make matters worse, more arms grabbed my legs and pulled in the opposite direction.

The two forces pulled in different directions, and I felt my body being torn apart. Unable to hold back, I let out a bestial growl.

Though I didn't feel pain, the overwhelming amount of information assaulting my brain from [Pain Nullification]—alerting me where I was being wounded—was making me lose my mind. Along with me being able to sense the murderous intent from the abominations because of [Decryption].

I tried switching gazes with Blisto to teleport myself away, but my eyes were burning, turning red. Letting go of the shard, I watched it fall.

As it drifted further away, I switched places with it, freeing myself from the grip of the two abominations.

Dismissing the memory, I caught my breath and activated the soul flames. The rejuvenating warmth from the flames soothed my wounds, and I relaxed slightly.

But knowing time was short, I switched POVs with Blisto and looked at the ship, searching for something to switch places with.

(What are you doing?! Watch out!)

Stopping the connection, I looked to my left and saw the third abomination. It was an amalgamation of teeth and bones, each connected by bloody hands to form a grotesque serpent.

It looked at me with crimson eyes and shifted its body. Its tail, made of multiple spine-like bones, came hurtling toward me and was only a meter away.

Activating [Load Amplifier], I lessened the damage, but it still knocked me back, causing me to open my mouth. My lungs filled with black water, and I began to choke.

Panicking, I moved my limbs and frantically thought of a solution. Widening my eyes, I used [Impossible Thief] and stole the water from my lungs.

Then, quickly, I switched to the sight of a raven in the Bright City and stole the breath from one of its residents.

Regaining my breath, I focused on the second abomination. Its hands were approaching, and not far behind, dozens of tentacles were closing in.

(WHAT DO WE DO, PLEIADES!!)

My mind raced, and my blood boiled.

'Damn you all! DAMN YOU!' I gritted my teeth in fury. 'SO BE IT! IF I'M GOING DOWN... YOU'RE COMING WITH ME!'

Clenching my hands, I focused on the best way to destroy them—to burn them, to cause them as much pain as possible, to do the most damage I could.

Grinning madly, I focused on creating an ability, and the perfect idea came to mind.

Ability Name: True Destruction

Description: The user can generate amethyst purple flames. These flames can only be controlled and generated by the user. The flames can burn anything they touch and cannot be extinguished. Only the user can put them out. The flames do not hurt the user or anyone and anything the user doesn't wish to harm.

Smiling, I felt a raging star enter my soul sea. Unlike the rest, this one felt hungry, primal, and insatiable.

'Good.' Without wasting time, my hands began to emit a purple light, and adrenaline filled my body.

(What the hell is going on? Ple—P—) I no longer felt Sunny's emotions or heard his words. All I saw before me were the raging amethyst flames.

'Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!' All that occupied my mind was the urge to kill these abominations.

My raven's worry was completely gone, and I no longer felt anything—except the flames.

The flames surged forward, swallowing those disgusting hands, and soon after, the entire abomination.

As its form was encased in flames, I focused on the others, and a wave of rage overcame me.

'Come. Come, all of you. BURN!' Losing all semblance of sanity, I was immersed in the beauty of the flames.

*********

Opening my eyes wide, I looked around and saw my surroundings. I was on a steel surface.

My head ached, and soon my memory returned. I gritted my teeth as I remembered my defeat. Looking around, I saw Cassie leaning over the side of the steel walls.

As my memories came back slowly, I realized everything. I had likely fought Pleiades instead of Sunny, and I was certain we were on the ship he had made.

And by the looks of it... something had gone wrong.

Quickly walking over to Cassie, I hurriedly grabbed her shoulder.

"What's going on!" I demanded, earning a yelp from Cassie. She turned towards me with teary eyes and wheezed.

"I… I don't know! Everything was fine for a time, and then we were hit by something. A little later, I heard Pleiades telling me to stay calm, and then… nothing."

Frowning, I looked upward and saw his raven cawing in panic and worry. I climbed over the side of the ship and looked outward.

Focusing into the distance, I saw it—the waters began to boil, and beneath them, a purple light shone.

Then, from deep within, screeches of pain echoed, only to be snuffed out.

Soon after, a pillar of amethyst purple flames arose.

And as it did, even the clouds above were devoured.

Next Chapter: Pyromaniac