**Chapter 25: The Storm Approaches**
The sky had just cleared for a day.
The following day, dark clouds loomed again, seemingly signaling another impending rain.
Soren stood atop the mast of The Requiem, gazing at the churning sea ahead. Beside the ghost ship was a massive shadow, rising and falling with the waves, appearing only as a vague silhouette. He silently watched the horizon, as if waiting for something. Soren had always been a patient person, so he waited very calmly, occasionally lifting his gaze to the sky.
Rumbling!
A thunderclap tore through the sky.
Accompanied by the booming thunder, raindrops began to fall; at first, it was a light drizzle, but it quickly transformed into a torrential downpour.
“Deep-sea dive!”
A faint smile, cold and merciless, appeared at the corners of Soren’s mouth. He gently waved his hand, and the undead on deck sprang into action. Under the eerie whispers of the ghostly sea sirens, The Requiem began to descend, gradually sinking beneath the waves. The surrounding seawater swelled onto the deck as Soren lightly leaped to the helm, letting the incoming water fully submerge him. The seawater poured into the ship, and as Soren’s hair spread out in the water, he looked up one last time at the sky. The wind and waves on the surface had increased, and a stunning flash of lightning cut across the horizon.
Rumbling!
The raging storm enveloped the sea, with streaks of lightning flashing across the sky, as if the storm was merely pausing; it seemed that it had only just begun.
While the surface foamed with waves, the seabed remained remarkably calm.
The pitch-black depths of the ocean did not hinder Soren’s sight; The Requiem was diving hundreds of meters down, calculating the enemy’s location. Before departing, he had gathered a wealth of intelligence.
With his current reputation as the Pirate King of the Southern Coast, the Thieves’ Guild would sooner offend the Southern Islands than cross him.
“Ascend 300 meters!”
Soren observed his surroundings. Ahead of him, a reef emerged, along with some fish, though, due to the death energy, they were reluctant to approach The Requiem. Mutated orcas provided an escort; while the North Coast was not as treacherous as the Southern Coast, there were still some deep-sea behemoths. Moreover, these deep-sea monsters seemed uninterested in the blessings of the Ocean Goddess. This was unavoidable; there were other deities in the world associated with the marine realm, such as the Viking deity, who connected the pirate domain to the ocean.
The Vikings worshipped a barbaric god.
He was likely the only deity related to “pirate clergy,” one of his domains being “the god of Viking pirates,” but very few other pirates actually worshiped him.
The creation of this clergy came from the Vikings being inherent pirates, living off plundering merchant ships.
“Ascend 100 meters!”
Soren continued to survey his environment while monitoring the activity on the sea’s surface. After presumably reaching a height where the sea was faintly visible, a cold light flickered in his eyes, and he commanded in a deep voice, “Summon the mist!”
“Undead, sink their warship!”
In the pitch-black waters.
A group of fearsome undead appeared, wielding ship-sinking tools as they moved slowly upwards, gradually approaching the surface.
………………
Rumbling!
A bolt of lightning struck the sky, causing the ship to sway slightly.
“Damn it!”
A middle-aged man in naval attire cursed, grabbing hold of the ship’s edge as he shouted, “Put in some effort! When we get back to port, I’ll buy you all drinks!…”
“This damn weather.”
“I said the storm wouldn’t end so soon. In weather like this, why should the fleet even go to sea? There’s no need to dispatch us for patrol.”
A wave crashed on board.
The warship rocked, the seawater spilling onto the deck knocked a naval sailor off his feet, but he wasn’t seriously hurt, just wincing and trembling in pain.
“Where is the South Sea?”
The middle-aged man looked around. He didn’t know when the fog had suddenly risen around them, and he couldn’t help cursing again, “This cursed weather! It’s still storming and now we’ve got fog!”
“Someone!”
“Light the torches; don’t get separated from the escort fleet.”
A bizarre weather phenomenon.
Logically, there shouldn’t be fog during such a storm, so the middle-aged officer, who had spent years at sea, sensed something was wrong and shouted, “Stay alert! This fog is suspicious! We might be encountering a sea monster!”
“Ah!!!”
As soon as his words fell, a naval sailor screamed in fright.
Hearing his voice, everyone else jumped in alarm, and the middle-aged officer barked, “What are you screaming about? What did you see?”
Boom!
The ship suddenly shook, causing many on deck to lose their balance and fall. One sailor almost slipped off the ship but was fortunate to have his ankle caught by a rope.
“Black… shadow!…”
The sailor who first cried out looked terrified and stammered, “A huge black shadow! … Bigger than the ship! … It’s! … Under the water! … I didn’t see what it was! … But there’s something down there! …”
The middle-aged officer felt a jolt in his heart, his expression turning fearful as he murmured, “Could we be unlucky enough to encounter a sea monster?”
Rumbling!
The ship shook again.
Everyone saw it now, a gigantic shadow prowling in the fog. The ship rocked because it had been struck by it.
“No! … This is bad! …”
Another cry rang out, and a drenched naval sailor rushed forward, shouting, “The hold! … Water is flooding below decks! …”
Rumbling!
The ship rocked yet again, as a sailor was thrown overboard, screaming in agony, vanishing into the rolling waves.
Buzz!
Rumbling!
The storm seemed to grow even fiercer, with the warship bobbing perilously in the waves, the splashes making it seem like a small boat that could capsize at any moment.
Crack!
A sound like splintering bones echoed from the ship, and then the warship jolted violently, ultimately flipping over in a massive wave, sinking bit by bit to the seabed.
On the surface.
Sharp, numerous bone spikes emerged, and the massive dark shape glided through the water. Amongst the waves, a shadowy outline of a black warship became faintly visible beneath the surface.
“Help! …”
“Help! …”
“Someone save me! …”
The sinking warship did not instantly kill the navy sailors; in fact, many of them were low-tier professionists, and their tenacious life force allowed them to swim up even after sinking. However, at that moment, dark ropes shot out from the depths, the submerged black hull becoming clearer. The ropes ensnared the fallen sailors tightly, dragging them towards deeper waters. Faintly visible nearby were humanoid monsters covered in seaweed, grinning maliciously as they pounced on the helpless survivors with ruthless slaughter.
………………
Dragon Bone Island.
This is an island occupied by the Víkings, said to have once been home to a giant dragon, hence its name, Dragon Bone Island.
The island is not very large, likely smaller than Snake Island, but it features a semi-natural harbor, shielded from the howling sea winds by a steep cliff. On this island stands a lighthouse; virtually every port city has a landmark lighthouse to guide sailing vessels. In some places, the lighthouse can even help ships avoid reefs, greatly enhancing the safety of a fleet’s night navigation.
“Why haven’t they returned yet?”
Above the lighthouse, a young man dressed as a typical noble frowned as he stared into the distance, murmuring, “According to the schedule, they should have been back by now.”
Rumbling.
A lightning bolt struck across the sky.
The lightning illuminated the distant sea, revealing that the waves were growing larger.
“Your Highness,”
Behind the young man stood an elderly man with a white beard, dressed in an exquisite robe. He said solemnly, “Given the circumstances, their delay likely means they’ve run into some trouble!”
Upon hearing this, Prince Hans’s expression darkened considerably. His face turned iron-gray as he replied, “A standard patrol fleet, one large warship, and three escort ships. How could not a single one of them return if they encountered trouble? Could it be that Arendelle’s fleet attacked them?”
“Not possible!”
“We only recently joined forces with the Víkings to deal a heavy blow to Arendelle’s navy; they probably lack the ability to set sail now.”
This was one of his most prideful victories.
First, he had the Víkings attract the attention of Arendelle’s navy, leading them to believe that it was merely pirates coming to plunder, then brazenly assembling a fleet to handle those Viking pirates. However, they had not anticipated that near Dragon Bone Island, they would also run into the main navy of the Southern Islands, led by Prince Hans.
The outcome of the battle goes without saying; facing an enemy nearly double in numbers, Arendelle’s navy was almost entirely annihilated.
Having suffered such heavy losses, Arendelle would find it difficult to regroup a fleet to set sail again.
Near the harbor.
With wave after wave crashing, a shattered deck gradually floated to the edge of the port. The nearby defenders seemed to notice it and quickly called out loudly.
Even more broken wood was swept close by the waves.
Rumbling!
Another bolt of lightning struck the sky.
Under the dark clouds, the waves on the sea grew even more tumultuous, and in the deep night, it seemed a terrifying beast lurked, watching this island, ready to devour everything upon it.
………………
(PS: That’s all for today.) (To Be Continued ~^~)
