“Sir Rolf! Do we pursue?”

Rolf ground his teeth as he gazed at the wall of verdant flames and the smoldering ships within. It would be a simple task for him to carve a path through, but the same could not be said for the men aboard the remainder of the vessels sailing out of the gulf alongside them.

“Of course we do!” the hot-blooded squire next to him shouted. A storm of anger was brewing behind his dark expression. “This mission will be a complete failure if they manage to bring back help!”

“It’s already a complete failure!” Rolf roared, spittle flying from his mouth as he turned toward the young man.

However, Rhis refused to back down in the face of his wrath. “Exactly! Lord Rhime has had his soul damaged, more than half of our fleet has been lost, and all we have to show for it is a few hundred slaves!”

Rolf had to consciously restrain himself from striking the boy. It was a clear act of insubordination. With Heiros out of the picture for the foreseeable future — he was the highest-ranking templar left on the mission.

Yet, Rhis was still someone he could not afford to casually offend.

The squire was one of the youngest ever to be Anointed in the order. And he was supremely talented with the sword. By all means, he would even be able to surpass Lord Rhime in the future.

‘If he doesn’t get himself killed first,’ Rolf sighed internally. Rhis was much too arrogant and rash. Their knowledge of the realm beyond the Interiorem was expanding rapidly, but as evidenced by Heiros’ loss — they still knew too little of their opponent's capabilities. Only those who were prudent and cautious would see themselves ascend in this new age.

“No. We cut our losses here and head back to the outpost to regroup with the others.” Rolf declared sternly.

“You’re making a mistake!” Rhis shouted as he tore off his helmet and threw it down onto the deck. “Do you really think we can show our faces to the Governor after running from some savages with our tail tucked between our legs?”

The whole ship was silent now as all the men on board observed the argument.

Rolf cursed under his breath and pulled the young man to the side. His tone was low and heavy as he addressed the squire, “I know that your soul is unstable right now, Rhis. And yet you still wish to risk your life for something like this?”

Rhis shook himself out of Rolf’s grasp. “What good is my life if I live without honor. We have an opportunity to salvage the situation! How can we just run like a bunch of cowards?”

“Honor—!” Rolf hissed. “No one gives a damn about honor. That should’ve been made clear to you when we fired upon their homes with our cannons!”

“Of course those savages don’t deserve our respect! They deify false idols; living in homes sculpted from the dirt and eating the bugs that crawl below… I mean to say that we can’t abandon Lord Rhime's efforts. He would have done all he could to prevent their escape!”

Rolf really wanted to strangle the boy now. What gave him so much confidence? There was clearly an experienced Anointed aboard the fleeing ship. How did he expect to contend when his soul had barely entered the juvenile stage!

“Sir Rolf… I have to agree with Master Rhis. Our ship will be able to outpace theirs. The winds are favorable and they will not be able to sustain their current speed for long.”

Rolf’s glare immediately flickered over to the approaching templar, but the man similarly refused to back down.

The three of them were locked in a tense stalemate until Rolf finally broke the silence. “So be it. You all have my permission to hunt them down if you’re able. However, I will hang back and help the rest of our troops safely pass through the flames.”

He had seen the others gathering around as well and knew it was a lost cause. He was sorely outnumbered. The templars only truly respected the strong, and even though he outranked them currently — he was nowhere near reaching the level of Lord Rhime. Plus, they wouldn’t miss out on an opportunity to win the favor of Master Rhis.

Rolf lifted his visor and spat on the deck to rid his mouth of the bitter taste.

“Y-You…” Rhis stuttered, pointing a finger up at Rolf. “...You would abandon your duties?”

“See it how you will.” Rolf shrugged. “Someone needs to stay back.”

A round of discontent grumbles swept through the surrounding men, but no one moved to stop Rolf as the deckhands helped him descend to the water in a rowboat.

“My father will hear of this, Rolf! You’re finished in the order when I return!” Rhis shouted over the railing.

“I apologize, Lord Rhime. But I am not so eager to throw my life away in this godsforsaken place,” Rolf muttered to himself as he flagged down the nearest ship.

***

Sirius looked on pensively as Fera closed her eyes and sat down to meditate. Her breathing was heavy and sweat continuously poured down her forehead.

And as her concentration turned inwards, the powerful wind that had been inflating their sails died in an instant. Slowly, the ship settled into a gentle drift.

Sirius glanced over his shoulder from his position at the rudder. Much to his dismay — he found that their pursuer continued on relentlessly. Caught in the shimmering reflection of the moon, the invader occupied ship appeared like a vengeful specter as it dragged itself across the dark water.

‘How am I the only one worried about this?’ Sirius lamented as he tracked the other’s location through the party system.

Talia was up in the crow’s nest atop the mainmast, gazing up at the dense spattering of stars across the sky...

Roan was hiding below deck reading the nautical charts he’d found...

And even Shadowfire was contentedly soaking up the cool night breeze near the bow...

Admittedly, there wasn’t much else they could do to kill time. But Sirius felt like they were lacking the same sense of urgency that had been eating away at him for the past few hours.

A fight seemed inevitable at this point.

He’d thought them at a massive advantage when the enemy ship had first burst through the towering barrier of Chrennoil fueled flames. After all, Fera’s control of the wind was every sailor's dream.

However, reality had quickly dispelled those notions. The enemy ship proved much faster thanks to its longer hull and more experienced crew.

Fera had some background in sailing, but not with anything similar to a caravel, and while Sirius and the others followed orders as best they could — they were relatively useless. Add on to the fact that the Blackguard also had limited Spirit reserves with which to fuel her Spells, and the result was evident.

Sirius sighed and continued his vigil as Fera’s breathing steadied. It was difficult to gauge the exact distance between the ships, but he felt that they had no more than a few hours left until the enemy was upon them.

“Land! I see land up ahead!” Talia’s excited shout carried down onto the deck.

Fera immediately shot to her feet and dashed toward the bow with Sirius quickly following behind.

He stopped next to Shadowfire who was gazing intently at a hellish gateway in the distance

“What… is that?” Sirius whispered. Land wasn’t exactly an accurate way to describe the two enormous masses of jagged rock that had pierced through the water. They splintered and twisted as they rose higher like the hands of a drowning man trying desperately to grasp at the air. Extending outwards from the clawing arms, sheer cliffs stretched across the horizon — resembling an impenetrable wall.

“That is Aungr’s Folly,” Fera replied. Her bright yellow eyes glowed with interest as she looked ahead. “Once we pass through, we will enter the Stormwind Strait.”

Sirius swallowed the lump of saliva gathered in his throat. He was no longer afraid of dying in the game after experiencing it once, but the foreboding chasm seemed to be inviting him to a fate much worse than death. The darkness of night was unable to conceal the anguish etched deeply into every contortion of the rock.

“Is this truly the only way?” Shadowfire asked, shifting uncomfortably.

“Be at ease,” Fera scoffed. “Nimera would not allow two of her faithful to come to harm in her domain.”

Somehow, Fera’s confidence didn’t do much to inspire Sirius' faith…

***

“Master Rhis… do we follow? It could be a trap.”

“How can you even speak those words after we’ve come this far? The young squire berated the templar behind him. “It won’t be long until we are upon them. Have the men prepare the grappling hooks.”

“By your will.” The man bowed and hurried off to carry out the orders.

Rhis turned his fiery gaze back to the natural archway that now loomed overhead. From his perspective on the water — it looked as if the gnarled fingers were attempting to rip the moon from heavens.

He smiled at the thought.

‘How long will it be… until I am able to bathe this accursed land in the eternal light…?’

***

“Their persistence is impressive!” Fera laughed. An almost sadistic grin spread across her face as her long hair whipped around chaotically in the torrential storm.

As soon as they had passed through the gateway — it was as if they had arrived in an entirely different world.

You have entered the Stormwind Strait!

The potency of all wind and water aspected Spells is increased by 20%!

Sirius glanced back at the system message as he tried to shield his eyes from the heavy downpour of rain that had suddenly assaulted them. The droplets smacked across his exposed skin with surprising force, making him wonder how he had yet to lose any HP.

He could see Shadowfire trying to call out to him from across the deck, but the man’s words were quickly swept away by the howling wind.

With unsteady steps, Sirius moved over to his companions who had gathered under the alcove leading to the captain’s quarters where there was at least some protection from the elements.

“What’s the plan!” he shouted once he arrived within arm’s reach.

“We can’t do much until we know what kind of enemies we’ll be facing,” Shadowfire roared back, maintaining a tight grip on the hood of his cloak. “And neither can Roan and I use most of our [Ritual Circles] without damaging the integrity of the ship!”

“Right! Honestly, I’m hoping Fera will do most of the work! I can’t see shit in this storm!”

As Sirius spoke, they all turned to look at the blurry figure that stood with her arms spread wide in the center of the main deck. The fierce squalls shrieked like a pack of banshees as they swirled around the woman. Even Talia’s eyes flickered with fear at the sight.

“Same here! But I don’t think we can rely on her to look out for us! I get the feeling she doesn’t care much if we live through the journey!”

Sirius grunted his agreement and they lapsed into a cluster of shivers and chattering teeth. The thick clouds above, and the towering, craggy walls on their sides, seemed to almost pass in a blur as they sped down the strait.

After a few minutes of tense silence, Sirius grew impatient and moved out from the cover to check on their surroundings.

Just as he did so, a metal claw suddenly flew past his head from behind and latched itself around the deck’s railing as the rope connected to it was yanked backward

“Fuck! They’re here!” Sirius shouted over his shoulder, his voice already growing hoarse.

Everyone scrambled into action as more grappling hooks tore through the wind and the rain. Many of them missed their mark, but enough connected to allow the invader’s to successfully latch on.

Sirius swept back his matted hair to prevent as much water from dripping into his eyes as possible while adopting a ready stance.

“I’ll leave the squires up to you all…” Fera’s voice drifted into his ear as she shot past him and actually leaped directly up onto the enemy ship.

‘Squires…plural...’ Sirius’ heart sunk as he felt his party gathering at his back. Fighting just one in the caves had already been bad enough.

Soon, five men in gleaming armor emerged, descending from the shadows to land in front of them. For all but one, a bright Lvl 5 hovered above their dark silhouettes

‘It’s him… of course it would be…’ Sirius saw the man clearly as a pale glow surrounded his shield and illuminated his bare face.

Rhis Talwar (Weakened)

Squire, Lvl 6

HP: ?/?

“We need to buy time for Talia to cast her Spells. She is the most powerful among us right now!” Sirius already heard the faint sound of Talia chanting as Shadowfire issued the command.

Fortunately, the knights didn’t immediately charge forward. They bided their time, casting more light around the area with their Spells.

“You—! I saw you die! You are no Anointed! How is it you return to walk amongst the living?" Rhis slowly unsheathed his sword. It was a fine weapon, but it didn’t shine with the same brilliance as his previous. “I will have my answers this time...” His eyes were glued to Sirius as he seethed with anger.

Sirius remained silent, bouncing on the balls of his feet as the knight stepped forward and leveled his sword.

“Scatter!” Talia shouted without warning as she finished her preparations.

Sirius dove to the side as fast as he could, feeling an exceptionally powerful gust graze his back as he rolled onto the deck.

He recovered just in time to see Rhis smash his shield into the oncoming [Wind Barrier] as the squires behind him drew their weapons and braced for impact.

Just as before — the young man was able to shatter her Spell. Rhis smiled triumphantly, but so too did the Toth Priestess.

In the wake of the wind came a gout of frost. It clung to the moisture on the knight’s armor, locking up their movements and dealing a significant amount of damage.

Sirius scrambled to his feet and dove into the enemies with a [Reckless Charge]. Talia had done her job and it was time to do his.

Rhis managed to shake himself loose and only received a glancing blow, but the squire directly behind him ended up taking the brunt of the impact.

Shards of ice scattered through the air as Sirius lifted the man and tossed him over the edge into the raging waters below.

‘Fuck that hurt!’ Sirius cursed. The pain settings were tuned way down, but he felt like he had dislocated his shoulder when he collided with the heavy armor.

Still, it was promising that they managed to level the playing field so quickly.

Shadowfire and Roan hadn’t remained idle either, buffing themselves with [Aspect of the Tortoise] before they fired [Sparks] at the other squires who were struggling to free themselves.

“I will see you shackled like the others!” Rhis roared as he spun around and charged at Sirius.

Sirius was glad to see the man do so. Whether it was a result of the extra threat generated by his [Aura of Might] or simply unadulterated rage that caused it — garnering Rhis’ attention was better than having it directed at the spellcasters.

Sirius smirked as he leaned backwards, dodging a stab that had turned into a diagonal slash. It was the same feint that the squire had used last time.

Rhis continued to hound him wildly, and thanks to the lingering ice and rain layered beneath their feet, the fight quickly developed into a sloppy melee.

A moment later, a particularly off-balance slash was warded off by his chainmail and Sirius took the chance to slip inside the opponent’s guard. He lifted Rhis by the waist and slammed him onto the deck. The wooden planks splintered under their combined weight, but before Sirius had the chance to capitalize, one of the other squires bashed him in the side with an empowered shield and freed Rhis.

Sirius slid backward, eventually smashing into the railing as nearly a quarter of his HP disappeared. He coughed out a mouthful of blood as he struggled back up.

Now it was his turn to be put on the back foot. Rhis and another squire had him cornered while the other two rushed at Talia. Clearly, they had designated her as the most important target aside from himself.

Without any time to waste, Sirius channeled his Rage into both arms and raised his gauntlets to meet the two incoming strikes.

Sparks flew, illuminating the scene in a brief flash of light as the deep crimson energy collided with the swords.

The split [Heavy Strikes] didn’t deal any damage but they were powerful enough to momentarily {Stagger} the two squires and that was all the opportunity Sirius needed.

He kicked Rhis in the gut to create some distance before pivoting to unleash a brutal elbow strike on the other man. It connected successfully and extended the {Stagger} duration.

With a mighty shout, Sirius threw another squire into a watery grave.

Rhis was furious now and lunged toward him with a snarl. The sword in the knight’s grasp suddenly ignited in a holy flame as it seared through the air, unbothered by the pouring rain, and bit deeply into Sirius’ shoulder.

‘Agh—!’ Sirius stifled a groan as he stumbled backward. ‘So much damage…’ Before he had a chance to recover he was forced to dive underneath another flaming slash.

He figured that Rhis wouldn’t be able to maintain the Spell indefinitely, so he scrambled up and leaped forward with a [Reckless Charge] that had just come up off cooldown. For now, he could only escape, because taking another hit would immediately end his life.

But it wasn’t like he was completely out of options either. With some distance between them, Sirius spun around and stomped down hard.

“No—!” Rhis bellowed as his footing suddenly disappeared.

The entire ship quaked as the [Sunder Earth] ripped across the deck. Sirius couldn’t exhibit the Skill's full effects in this environment, but it was enough to send Rhis tumbling down into the hull below.

While basking in his temporary victory, a sudden piercing cry caught his attention.

“Roan!”

Sirius hurried over as fast as he could, but it was already too late.

Talia shrieked and unleashed a [Frigid Breath] upon the squire that stood over Roan’s corpse, nearly catching Shadowfire in the blast. The Spell dealt enough damage to finish the man off, though it was only a small consolation for the price paid.

Sirius was quickly able to piece together what had happened when he saw the depleted health bar of the remaining squire between Shadowfire and Talia. 'Roan must have been left alone to deal with one by himself while the other two tried to quickly finish off their target.'

“Hey! Focus, Talia!” Sirius yelled when he saw her rushing over to Roan’s side. “There are still enemies remaining!”

Rhis was most certainly still alive, and the results of Fera’s battle was completely unknown.

Right on cue, Rhis burst through the cargo latch and emerged on the deck. The holy light coating his sword had died out and they were now fighting him three versus one, but Sirius knew that he still couldn’t be underestimated.

Talia was hysterical, but Shadowfire reacted appropriately and shot a bolt of lightning at the knight.

Rhis easily deflected it with his shield but it gave Sirius a chance to reposition himself, and this time — he would not allow himself to be bested. It was much easier to deal with Rhis in a direct confrontation now that his body was properly protected and his gauntlets could be used to deflect the man’s sword.

Slowly, Sirius gained the upper hand, wearing the squire down with [Heavy Strikes] and dogged blows. Shadowfire chipped in with a [Spark] whenever he saw an opportunity and when one finally caught Rhis directly — Sirius dove in for a grapple and pinned the man down.

He straddled Rhis, grinning broadly as he unleashed a flurry of punches down upon that smug face. Each impact sent a dull shiver up Sirius’ arm as blood flowed freely with the pouring rain.

Rhis’ pale eyes burned into him with unquenchable hatred as he endured the onslaught, but that only made Sirius hit him harder.

When the knight’s health bar was nearly depleted, Sirius grabbed a handful of his hair and lifted him up so that their eyes were level. Then, he spoke softly into the man’s ear, “I’ll send you off to your God so you can ask him for the answers you seek.”

Rhis growled and started to struggle, but Sirius didn’t relent and smashed his head through the deck — emptying out the last sliver of HP.

"Well... That was a bit brutal, don't you think?" Shadowfire chuckled as he staggered over

"Ehhh, he was a prick" Sirius laughed, collapsing back onto his hands as the warm and brilliant glow of a level up embraced him.