A minute passed then two minutes and the battle was still going on without stopping. Arthur resisted the weight of the hand with every punch of his body. His arms were far beyond sore as even his muscles started breaking from the inside due to the extreme stress.
He felt shocking pain running through his body that only intensified with time. All the adrenaline in his body was keeping him alive and kicking but it couldn’t stop the rush of tormenting pain that came with it.
His legs dug deeper and deeper into the wood, breaking it layer by layer as the sharp wood shards scratched his legs continuously. However, there was no sign of it coming to an end. Arthur realized very quickly that he couldn’t truly stop or break the hand.
The stone it was made of was simply so strong and resilient that even his best abilities couldn’t fully break it. From the very start, it was a losing battle that he entered, desperately trying to save whatever was left of the ship. The fire burning it and the mass destruction of its main parts.
‘What should I do…?’ Arthur quickly started feeling the alarming danger surrounding him. He couldn’t escape, or stop the monster. He was completely stuck with no way to come out victorious.
“Dammit! DAMMIT!!!!” He yelled as he tried to make one last push with every ounce of his power. His teeth started bleeding from all the clenching and his hands were starting to peel off under all the crushing force.
“AAAAAGHH!!!”
*CRACK*
The ship shook and rumbled as the cracks spread everywhere and it started sinking visibly. The weight of the hand was pushing it further and further down even when Arthur was stopping it.
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Looking down, Arthur saw that his body was halfway under the floor. There was no wiggle room or even a chance to walk out of there.
The realization of that hit him hard and made him click his tongue. ‘I guess this is it… I can’t do much else.’
Looking up, Arthur felt a really bitter taste in his mouth. He really didn’t wish to die there as all his items and a good chunk of his levels would be gone. But, was there anything he could do that he didn’t do? He was bound to drown or die one way or the other. The fact that he survived for this long was a miracle that only he could pull off.
But, there was a limit, and that limit was now right before his eyes. He was beyond his limits. Slowly, his eyes shifted to the side and that was when he saw in the distance the seductive woman watching him with a smile on her face. She was watching the scene as if it was the best show ever.
With wide eyes and gritted teeth, Arthur locked eyes with the woman, and all his anger and coldness were conveyed through that mere glance. The woman smiled widely at him, almost to a terrifying degree.
Then, out of nowhere, she parted her lips and muttered something that made Arthur’s eyes widen even more. It didn’t take him a split second to realize what she did… or said.
‘Fare… well?’ He muttered that word in his head as he realized something horrifying. The woman… had spoken.
The moment that realization came to be, Arthur lost all strength, and the hand finally smashed down on him, sending him down. The entire ship split in half under the strong might of the stone hand.
*BOOOOOM*
The two halves of the ship separated in the middle as they started sinking down. Wood planks flew everywhere as the fire continued burning. In the darkness of the world, the wooden ship slowly drowned while the stone hand pushed it down relentlessly.
Meanwhile, all traces of Arthur were… gone. The only thing left was pure darkness and an eerie silence.
The battle was over.
***
“Huh?” Isla snapped out of her daze as she looked up to the sky. For some reason, she felt a chill run down her spine out of nowhere. She examined the area around her and yet she couldn’t find anything interesting.
The world outside was dark and the wind was picking up pace. The world outside seemed to be growing even more unstable for some reason.
Deka was sitting inside the cabin near the port. After receiving that message from Arthur, she immediately gathered herself and a group of mercenaries to go there. She told them that the group was arriving on a ship through the river.
However, when she saw their expressions change upon hearing that, she realized that this wasn’t as simple as she thought it was. Then, she heard all about the Great Akora River and all her hope came to a sudden halt.
She didn’t realize that this trip wasn’t going to be a smooth sail after all and that it was very well prone to disaster.
Two hours passed and there was no trace of Arthur so far. That was when she started to worry about Arthur. Waiting there, every minute counted and there was no reply from Arthur even though she sent him another message.
Looking through the window, Isla frowned deeply. The river was calm and there were no signs of a ship approaching.
“Where are you, Arthur?” She muttered under her breath.
“Is everything good, miss?”
Looking back inside the cabine, there were several mercenaries, men, and women sitting around as they waited for the ship. They were all on the edge as they knew the disaster that could happen if the ship didn’t arrive.
But, they tried to keep their composure so as not to make the situation even worse than it already was.
“How long does it usually take to travel this river?” Isla asked coldly as she crossed her arms.
“Mmmm… We don’t know for sure since it has been ages since the last time a group of people sailed through the river. But, it should only take half a day at most.”
“… Half a day, huh?” The girl whispered before she looked up again. ‘It has been way more than half a day…’
As Isla expected, the situation wasn’t going to be that simple. Her heart grew more and more uneasy.
“… I’m going out to see for myself if the ship is anywhere close to here?” She decided after a moment.
“What? Please reconsider, Miss! The weather outside is-“
“Cold?” Isla cut the woman off as she looked over her shoulder. That simple glance made the mercenary gulp as she completely stopped any intention to speak.
“Cold doesn’t bother me. Stay alert in case I find anything.”
After that, Isla opened the door and left the cabine heading down to the port. The wind blew against her face making her vision a little obstructed. But, Isla still focused on the path till she stopped near the river bed. Then, she looked to the side where the ship was supposed to come from.
The darkness engulfed a good part of the river but its bright nature worked magically to reveal what could be hiding in the distance.
‘I know Arthur can handle himself well… But… It’s… Why am I feeling unease?’ Isla clenched her fists. That moment of chill she experienced a few minutes ago was rather odd and she couldn’t get it out of her head.
Many possibilities passed through her head that made her even more urgent. Time was ticking at her disadvantage.
‘We agreed to talk… That will solve the problem. I don’t need to worry. Arthur is very smart, he will figure out a way to any problem. He had never been stuck or trapped.’ Exhaling a small breath, Isla was about to turn around, only for her eyes to catch something approaching her from a distance.
Halting, she turned around again and looked at the object before her eyes finally lit up. There was a ship approaching the port.
“Come out! A ship is arriving!” She called for the other mercenaries who quickly gathered themselves and rushed to the scene. They all were delighted beyond words to see the vessel they had been waiting patiently for.
They were hellish days they experienced, swaying between grief and hope. Now, they were finally going to be able to see their friends and comrades again.
As they waited, the ship slowly moved toward them in a rather eerie silence. It looked completely intact so nobody was suspicious at first. But, when it got close enough and they didn’t see nor hear the voices of their comrades, they started getting a weird feeling.
“HEY!!!! WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?!!! You are here!! Come out!!”
“Deka!! Sergi!! Fangs!! Where are you, old bastards?!!”
They called for them but no answer came back. The ship was silent as ever except for the occasional creaking and moaning from the old wood structure.
Isla’s expression slowly changed as the ship got closer and closer with no intention of stopping.
Something very wrong was going on.
A//N: Thank you all for the gifts, golden tickets, and PS. Let’s keep it up!