May also maintained her position behind the wheel, though she seemed greatly irritated every time an arrow hit her in this place or that. Most of the enemies were aiming for her, specifically her face. In anger, she picked up one of the spirit stones that were currently powering the ship and hurled it across the way at the opposing deck, where it caused a young girl’s head to snap back after punching through her forehead and exploding out of the backside of her skull. A momentary nervousness overtook the disciples, though they were urged to continue by a short, long-haired man in his mid-fifties, an evident elder of the sect that looked upon May with palpable disappointment.

As the white-haired woman glanced at Nolan with an exasperated gaze that seemed to ask him whether or not he was going to order her to deal with their attackers, he waved her off and pulled out a barrel of gunpowder. Without wasting any more time, he sealed some Origin Energy inside of it and then activated the snapfire bean within, before he abandoned his cover and tossed it into the crowd of bow-wielding disciples.

He dove behind the crates where Ian and Lyra were currently huddled, the ship rocking as a powerful explosion blasted apart a large area of the opposing deck, shredding dozens of bodies in the process. Throughout most of his life, such a scene would have traumatized Nolan to the point of changing his character, but he had long since been desensitized to witnessing death and destruction. Take today, for instance. Not only had he seen thousands of dead people, but many of them had died because of him. Most of those he’d killed were around his age, something that would surely have been considered a tragedy back on Earth.

May took the opportunity to steer the ship away from their flustered pursuers, heading rightward at a steady pace as a stream of shouts rose up from those on their left. The sect members and their transport were quickly swallowed up by the ocean of mist, much of which had been disturbed by the recent blast.

“Oh yeah.” Nearby, Sean took out a barrel of his own and placed it beside him in case he needed it at a moment’s notice. “They don’t have any cannons or anything, but we’ve got these. What can they even do to us?”

An arrow embedded itself into the crate behind him as their ship nearly collided with a second vessel of the Falling Rain Sect, which wasn’t contributing to the sounds of bells in the background. “What the…?” Sean trailed off and then grinded his teeth in anger, snatching up the barrel and throwing it at a small group of disciples, the only ones within eyeshot. “Sneaky bastards, trying to snipe me like—”

He was cut off by an ear-splitting explosion that killed the five youths that had rushed over to the railings to bear their bows against him. This ship was slightly smaller than the last one, and didn’t hold up as well against the force of such a blast. Much of the prow was damaged, and one of the masts had been downed. In response, the ship immediately veered away and soon disappeared from sight, in a state that said that it wouldn’t be long before it was completely submerged.

“I’m basically admiral Ye,” snickered Sean, who threw a second barrel at the retreating smoke cloud, which had quickly mingled with the mist.

The second explosion dispersed enough mist to reveal the ship’s battered silhouette as it began to sink even faster, leaving four bodies and many pieces of broken, smoldering wood to float in its wake. At least forty disciples were frantically swimming away from their sinking ship, which was soon submerged as if it had never been there to begin with.

“Who’s admiral Ye?”

“It’s a Korean thing.”

As Sean stood proudly in place, Nyla walked over and sighed. “It was a waste to throw that second barrel. They were already leaving.”

“Well, I already threw it.”

“I’m just saying, maybe conserve them for now.”

“Mm, I’ve got seven more. Let’s just hope we won’t have to use them.”

Nolan gave everyone a barrel so that the group would be more well-equipped as a whole. While everyone kept an eye out for any other unsuspecting guests, Nolan asked Uncle Grey how many ships were currently in the area.

I don’t know. I’m also affected by this fog, so my senses are basically on the same level as yours at the moment.

Most of the bell tolls were becoming more distant, so Nolan boldly strode over to the left side of the ship and leaned over the railing.

Any idea why the water is so calm now?

I can’t say for certain, but it looks like the sect’s formation has stolen a lot of the regions energies to power itself. It’s similar to how that tower absorbs the vitality of this Northern Wilderness area and leaves everything so destitute.

Nolan had almost forgotten that the landscapes outside of the Grand Isle of Weston were completely bleak and largely uninhabited. Pinching his chin in thought, he calmly watched a growing ripple in the water precede the protrusion of a large, scarred shark fin, the sleek skin the colour of milky mud. It was about two metres tall, and just as quickly as it came the fin silently dipped back beneath the water and disappeared into the silence.

“Is it just me,” said Esteban, “or is the fog getting thicker?”

When they had first boarded the ship they had only been able see about twenty metres in any direction, which meant that much of the ship was obscured by the lingering elements. Now, visibility had receded to about fifteen metres.

Morning had long since set in, which painted the backdrop in a pervasive, opaque whiteness that made it seem as if they were sailing through a heavy cloud. Nolan suddenly felt a pang of uneasiness within his gut, which prompted him to walk over to the white-haired woman and ask her if she had any sound transference talismans.

“So these can only be used by people at the Genesis stage? What’s their range?”

“A hundred leagues.”

“If we somehow get separated again, then your priority is to protect my friends. Keep this on you, just in case.”

Nolan left one of the talismans with her, and then brought the other over to May.

“She’s the last person I want to keep in contact with,” she muttered, though she stowed the talisman away all the same. “I’m only doing this for you and your friends, okay?”

He gave a slight grin.

Seeing the look on his face, she jabbed a long-nailed finger at his chest. “Don’t forget that you owe me. When all this is behind us, you’d better not forget.”

“Trust me, I won’t.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” she smiled, holding the wooden steering wheel in place with an absentminded hand. “You know, I’m quite looking forward to leaving this region behind. I don’t have many fond memories here.”

“That’s the beauty of life. Nothing can stop you from up and leaving somewhere else if you really want to.”

She stifled a laugh, a bit of amusement replacing the unease that had lingered in her hazel eyes thus far through the trip. “You make it sound as if I’m not being hunted down by a sect that I betrayed.”

The distant sounds of bells had all but disappeared, though occasionally some would sound from nearby, their sources unseen.

“Fuck ‘em, is what I think.” He pulled out a barrel of gunpowder and hopped up to use it as a seat. “This world’s dangerous no matter where you go, so it doesn’t really make a difference if you stay in one place or not.”

“You’re not wrong.” Her pretty face became a portrait of melancholy. “Sometimes I just wish I could feel what it’s like to have a home again. It’s hard to grow attached to a place that you planned to betray, after all.”

He almost casually threw out the corny line, ‘home is where the heart is,’ but he got the feeling that she wasn’t in any mood for jokes. Instead, he drummed his fingers against the side of the barrel and looked out at the fog. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not really the type of person to stay in one place for long.”

“Have you travelled around a lot? I’ve never left the Northern Wilderness, and I hardly ever left Weston.”