Collect Thyself

June listened quietly as the oar softly swept through the acid, the stench almost unbearable. 

The undead skeleton continued rowing as though everything was how it was supposed to be, as if them being inside a Great Serpent was completely normal.

About a little over half an hour had passed since he stopped speaking and let the skeleton row the boat in silence.

Since then, they've passed all kinds of things that rotted inside the Serpent, from various other creatures to ancient remnants of lost civilizations. 

So much, in fact, that June was used to it at this point.

Even now, there was no reaction as they passed through the mouth of a colossal skull that hung open, directly in the center. 

The deeper they got, the darker it became, but the lantern lit the path for them regardless.

Although, there were a few times it flickered and threatened to fail. 

Luckily it didn't happen… yet.

'Hopefully it stays that way.'

Over the last half hour, June has had some time to process what he's gone through. Of course, it was still hard to comprehend it all, but he was in a better mental state than he had been when he first wound up on the rowboat.

Initially, he was a bit on edge. He thought he was a dead man… no, he should've been. If it wasn't for that person — or thing — whatever it was that had shoved him with such great force, he would've long been dead for sure.

Also, miraculously, through it all, the pouch had remained tied to his wrist. It was drenched, sure, but it was still with him.

Though the note inside was probably not in great condition.

Carefully, June untied the knot around his wrist and loosed the drawstrings before taking a look inside. As he expected, the note was completely drenched, leaving it in a horrible state. In fact, it was already tearing.

Reaching in, June tried his best to be careful, but of course, it didn't help. The paper inevitably disintegrated bit by bit.

'Well…'

At this point he had to discard it, and that he did. 

Then, he brought out the pendant once more, opening the locket and caressing the rune that was etched into it. The locket was perfectly fine; the water hadn't affected it in the slightest.

For a few minutes, June just sat there and idly caressed the surface, lost in thought.

He didn't know where the undead skeleton was going to take him, or what awaited him when he arrived wherever it was they were headed.

Regardless, he was alive… 

Which, for him, was a great feat. He hadn't expected to get so far considering his dire odds.

Naturally, there was a bit of luck involved, without question, but he had done well.

Hopefully, he could find a way out and return to his world… if possible. Sure, there was nothing back home waiting for him — rather, there was not even a home. But, he couldn't help missing it.

The air alone sounded pleasant, especially compared to the awful stench that currently permeated his surroundings, reaching into his nostrils.

Not only that, but he couldn't help wondering how people would react to him returning.

Would they believe the story he told them? Of how he faced a Great Serpent, escaped its formidable power, and then traveled through its belly to…

Well, the story had to wait. It wasn't concluded just yet. Perhaps he wouldn't even live to tell the story anyway. Which, given his current predicament, was highly likely.

With a sigh, June shut the locket and instead of stuffing it back inside the pouch, he decided to bring the pendant up with both his hands and put it on. 

Now, he didn't have to deal with the drenched pouch, casually tossing it into the acidic depths, hearing it sizzle before disappearing altogether.

To be honest… the whole reason he kept it with him was so he could try selling it.

Yeah, it was a bit scummy given the backstory of the pendant itself, but he was sure Ethope wouldn't mind in the slightest.

To be fair, it had been decades... even June himself wouldn't care if someone sold something of his after he had long been dead.

Plus, he could use the money.

An item from the Ark had to have a high rarity, giving it a very reasonable selling price.

'Surely there are people willing to pay handsomely for something that came out of this realm, especially if it has a history to it.'

Clearing his throat, June looked toward the undead skeleton who was still rowing the boat, maneuvering past the obstacles in their path.

Ever since the slap, June had made sure to keep silent, respecting the skeleton's wishes. The thought of it still ticked him off a bit, but it wasn't anything personal. At first it was, of course… but now, no.

Even then, June wouldn't be able to take the undead man on, no way.

The only thing he was good at was running, and well… there was nowhere to run. Only an idiot would pick a fight with a being that was already dead anyway.

"Ha…"

June couldn't help but scoff, imagining himself attempting to defeat something that was already dead. It would be rather comical if the situation he was currently in wasn't so dire.

Out of the blue, June let out a sneeze that snuck up on him, echoing throughout the space. 

Another one shortly followed, only it was a bit louder than the last. 

He couldn't help it… he had taken a dive into a cold river not too long ago. 

By now, his clothes had relatively dried up, but the shivering still somewhat remained.

They continued down the Serpent's belly for a while longer, June idly sitting by as he used the time to rest both his mind and body.

In that time, they experienced several tremors and even a wavy path due to the Serpent being on the move, but it wasn't anything crazy. 

Though, he did almost fall out of the rowboat a couple of times.

After about another thirty-minutes, the undead skeleton finally stopped rowing. This alerted June as he took a look around, but he still couldn't see much.

However, a man's voice suddenly echoed from the depths of the shadows, alarmingly ethereal:

"Ah, hello future curse bearer, I've been expecting you…"