Cain lay on his back for some time...
Not by choice, but because he truly couldn't move.
His body shivered lightly, and his eyes, left wide open, were bloodshot.
'I... I almost died there.'
The chill from that spirit was much different than any other he had ever felt.
There was no special divine property, nor did it feel ancient or mystical.
No...
The difference, was that it was just much, much colder.
It was so cold, Cain believed it could even freeze a flame.
Not that he was keen on trying it out.
He raised his hand. Looking at his purple fingers, he smiled bitterly.
Although they were gradually healing, of he had been a normal human, his fingers, and perhaps his entire hand, would have had to be amputated.
It was terrifying to think about.
Once his body had recovered, he slowly rose to his feet.
He jolted back in surprise when he caught a glimpse of something at the door to his cabin.
He turned around, then he breathed a sigh of relief,
"Oh... It's just you."
The ghost of Gwendolyn...
This strange apparition was tied to the existence of the ship, and while it was scary, as the master of the ship, it would do him no harm.
Or at least, that is what he tried to believe.
But then again, the previous owner had suffered a brutal death, so maybe his safety wasn't so sure.
He sighed.
The floating apparition swam through the air eeriely, appearing before him in a split second.
It spoke to him, its voice strange and hard to make out.
"Your grace is still plentiful. How unfortunate." She said.
Cain chuckled wryly.
He couldn't help but remember the words this scary ghost had spoken to him on the day he had taken this vessel for himself...
"Mortal creature... Ownership of this vessel has been passed onto you. I shall serve you for a time... Once your grace has reached its limit, I will collect what I am owed."
Judging from what she said, he was supposed to feel relieved. However, he just felt even more anxious. For one, he had no idea how or when his 'grace' would end up exhausted.
Once it did, what kind of brutal demise would await him, he wondered.
'I can worry about that later.'
He stared at the Ghost of Gwendolyn with raised brows,
"Is there something you want to tell me?"
The ghost went silent.
It seemed to hesitate for a moment, so much so, Cain thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
"The attacks on my ship have grown frequent. It is becoming more costly to protect it."
'I must have been imagining it.'
He hummed thoughtfully,
"Is that so... Then, we will need to relocate the ship. But I have no idea where. The coastline is brimming with all sorts of strange creatures. There is absolutely nowhere safe."
He paused...
"No, there is one place I can think of."
***
Steve frowned and turned to the side. His brows furrowed,
"Appearing and disappearing as you wish are all telltale signs of a potential tyrant, you know."
Cain snorted,
"What on Urbus are you on about?"
Steve shrugged, then shook his head,
"No, it's nothing. Preparations are almost done. Floki and Luke are finally here as well."
Cain nodded,
'Then, that means those guys are safe.' He felt a bit relieved hearing this.
He looked around. This portion of the city was more of a wasteland than anything else. Trying to find any structure that was still upright was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
He didn't have to look long too before he found where everyone was gathered.
They had made camp around a huge protrusion of stone that arched over the edge of the left chasm.
There were dozens of rangers perched on the curving spire, their keen eyes monitoring the situation on the other side.
He glanced down at Steve.
"Things have been progressing smoothly so far."
Steve nodded,
"More or less. Once we make the first move, the Devils can b reassured that we do not have any plans to sabotage the land bridge. They will certainly advance. That is where you come in. This entire plan hinges solely on you." Steve said grimly.
Cain sighed,
"That's quite a heavy burden to place on me alone, isn't it?"
Steve chuckled, then shrugged,
"We don't have a choice but to rely on you. You are the only one capable of something like that. If you are worried about failing, the be rest assured that no one would blame you. We would all be way too dead to do any blaming either way."
Cain chuckled bitterly,
"That didn't help make me feel better, you idiot."
Steve cackled,
"That's the whole point."
He went silent for a moment, then looked up at Cain,
"Whenever you are ready..."
Cain nodded. Then he paused for a moment,
"By the way, did any strange... creature come with Floki and the others?"
Steve grimaced,
"You mean that weird Iron statue? Julio said you both made friends with it on your journey. That must have been quite an exciting journey."
Cain chuckled dryly,
"You have no idea."
He sighed, then turned around,
"We attack in an hour."
Then he walked away towards the humans and Beastkin gathered at the foot of the arching spire.
"By the way..." Steve suddenly said, forcing him to stop in his tracks.
He turned and raised a brow.
Steve threw something at him. He reached into the air and grabbed it.
'A charm?'
It was a small amulet emitting a vibrant turquoise hue.
Like the color of ocean. Sёarᴄh the NovelZone.fun website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
It was beautiful.
At its center was a set of small runic engravings.
"What is this for?" He asked.
Steve grinned,
"To negate the effects of the crimson moonlight a bit. Since it is difficult to fight the power of a Celestial magic, why not inhibit the victim instead?"
Cain raised a brow. Then he studied the runes on the surface of the amulet,
"This reduces the amount of vitality that can leave the body..." He muttered after staring at it for a bit.
Steve nodded,
"It is like gauze and bandages over a wound. To quite literally 'stop the bleeding'. However, it is only a temporary solution. Once the crystal breaks, it has up be replaced."
Cain paused.
He had heard Steve had created of a solution, but he had no idea it would be this effective.
"It's good."
Steve sighed, "Of course it is. But there's only so much I can do alone. Most of them were created by Haru and the other Craftsmen. But even then, they can't keep up."
Cain nodded,
"I will have those from the Dome of Sands work on it as well."
He placed the amulet around his neck and tucked it into his clothes.
"Thanks."
Steve grinned,
"Don't mention it."
Cain nodded then turned back around.
He paused for a moment again,
"By the way, what are you doing here all by yourself?"
Steve was silent for a moment.
"I am appreciating the beautiful of our world..."
Cain raised a brow.
He looked around.
The entire world was in chaos. The skies were dark and devoid of stars, alit only with the wicked light of the crimson moon.
The soup and earth had broken and fractured everywhere.
The buildings and architecture had crumpled down and turned to ruins.
The oceans, teeming with dangerous life was spilling over its edges.
And to crown it all up, a shadow of deep, death-bringing darkness hung over the land.
It was pure chaos.
But then again...
"There is a beauty in chaos."
It was not obvious at the first glance though.
Steve couldn't help but laugh a bit,
"I guess so. Now run along. You are interrupting my alone time."
Cain sighed then continued walking, leaving Steve behind.
As he walked, he couldn't help but feel the weight of the life force being drained from his body reduce drastically.
He looked up.
The blood moon lit up the Evernight sky with a wicked scourge.
Nothing was safe from it, especially in this desolate wasteland of a place.
The burden on their shoulders was lifted a bit.
As he approached, those gathered there noticed him as well.
"Over here." He noticed Ignis signalling him over.
He picked up his pace.
Ignis wore a strange look on her face,
"That thing is asking for you." She muttered.
Cain laughed nervously,
"Is it, now..."
"An Elemental... where did you find something like that?" She asked, looking a bit perplexed.
Cain hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should lie or not.
"It chased me down, but he reached an agreement, I guess." Cain said. He decided it was best not to tell the whole story.
Ignis frowned,
"It is quite odd. There are no places to h with the metal element in the city from what I can tell. So where did this one come from?"
Cain patted her shoulders,
"Let's leave those questions for later. Where is it?"
She gestured behind her,
"Luke is keeping an eye on it. Let's go."
With a sigh, Cain followed her.