Page 438

Late Morning - Late Winter - Year 24 : Merchant Vessel "Styx's Fang" | 600km Southeast of Ampelos

-----

- Captain Ofis Gloiódis ~

*Crack... Pop...* Hearing the quiet snaps of expanding wood echoing through the ship as it gently shifted with the current, I laaned my head back, swirling the amber liquor in my glass and letting the scent of salt and old varnish flood my senses.

Today should have been one of those rare, perfect days—the kind where I could disappear into a hammock and let the waves cradle me like a mother with her child. It was a rare comfort, sailing on the most treacherous waters in the world.

But despite the tranquil sea and crisp, briny breeze wafting through the open windows of my cabin, there was no peace to be had...

*Creeaaakkk* Hearing the hull groan beneath me with every swell, echoing my thoughts in long, drawn-out sighs of aged timber, I reached up and pulled over one of the many pieces of parchment littering my desk.

It was our commission—a letter signed with no name or seal, just a set of coordinates drawn in acid-etched ink and a series of obsessively detailed instructions.

But despite the handwriting being unmistakable, belonging to our most consistent and well-paying client offer the last decade, and yet as I read it, a chill crawled through me.

It wasn't the anonymity or secrecy that bothered me; after centuries of sailing across the Death's Gape and mediating illegal trade between humans and dragons, I'd grown more than accustomed to it.. in this line of work, it was expected.

But the tone...

The tone was different from usual—meticulous and clinical.. like someone else's voice was being whispered behind the pen, be it a researcher or an official attempting to mimic it.

But the provided supplies were all too real. With a dozen large black stone boxes buried inside a massive crates of gold and jewels worth more than entire commissions, we had no choice but to trust it wasn't a setup.

Authorities would never risk such wealth for something as simple as a sting.

But even so.. something about the instructions gnawed at me.

Reading through exactly how we were instructed to handle the cargo we'd receive, being a nameless, silvery ore, I felt like I was about to have to dive into murky water. -Do they think I’m a bloody alchemist?- My tail twitched.

It wasn’t just a red flag. It was a field of them burning.

And yet, I’d accepted. A hundred and fifteen platinum.

It was a commission worth a decade of work, how could I not force myself past my own speculations?

Taking another sip of liquor, letting the burn roll through me as I got up and walked to the windows at the back of the cabin, I did what I could to ease my nerves. For the first time in a while, I felt like I had lost myself in stress. -How long has it been since we took a job of this level...-

The destination was a port in the heart of the Holy Kingdom—a region I’d found myself frequenting more and more as time went on and my already shoddy allegiance to Bahamut wavered.

But whatever the reason a noble wished to work with them, it was none my business. -All I need to do is bring material from point A to point B, and not question a damn thing...-

And that was the plan...

...Until it wasn’t.

As detailed in the letter, we were to wait for a signal at first light—a single shockwave from the west, far over the horizon. But despite the commission explicitly detailing it would only be one, we felt two, and after waiting for some time, the so-called 'connection' was still nowhere to be seen.

"Haah..." -What a pain...- Lowering my gaze, I folded the parchment with deliberate delicacy, my fingers lingering on its edges as if hoping a decision would manifest itself in my mind.

Yet it never came—only vague assurances wrapped in the assumption we could fibb our way out of things if authorities found us.

-If this wasn't the handwriting of our best customer, my ship wouldn't be sitting here like a bobber dangling bait over a gorge. ..-

But as I picked my liquor up off the window sill and made my way back to my desk, a firm knock on the cabin door pulled me from my bitter musings. "Captain?"

"Come in," I replied gruffly, tossing the commission back onto the desk as I sat down.

*Creaaak* Opening the old wood door with a squeak was Nico, a younger Elder who was quick-witted and sharp, sneaking inside before shutting the door behind him with some caution. He was young, at least compared to me, with his humanoid form lean and sharp, and his eyes ever-keen.

Still, I could see the strain etched into them like claw marks in the side of a hull.

"Captain, the crew's getting restless." He spoke somewhat plainly with his thick western accent.

"The crew believes the two separate shockwaves indicate something went wrong.

There is a chance that whoever the connection is could have gotten caught up in trouble. If it's the authorities..."

I quickly gave a slow, troubled nod, understanding it wasn't just me that was unsettled.

"Those are my thoughts as well, but this commissioner wouldn't send someone who'd cave before we have time to leave." Leaning back, I propped my feet on the desk. "You’ve seen the crates. That’s not hush money, it’s insurance—enough to buy loyalty. "

He paused, glancing toward the windows anxiously, as if worried something would manifest itself on the horizon if he mentioned it. "And if the authorities do find us?"

"Then we comply. Act like any normal merchant would.

Nothing we have on board is illegal, so it'd be hard to jail us on suspicion.

" *Scratch* Opening an old drawer, I swiftly pulled out a stack of letters detailing countless legal trades we made between Bahamut and Siratha over recent years—a formal merchant's log.

"Since when did you stop trusting me, Nico? "

He quickly exhaled, visibly relieved that I'd thought through everything and acknowledged what had been festering in everyone else's thoughts. "I apologize, Captain."

Smiling as the nostalgic memory of him first joining the crew as a young adult flashed in my mind, I pulled my feet off my desk and refilled my glass. "In any case, start preparing the men. If our contact doesn't appear by midday, we sail out. Go ahead and inform the others."

"Aye, Captain." Turning swiftly, he exited as quickly as he'd entered, leaving me alone with my thoughts once more.

But thanks to him, my nerves had eased.

Laying back in my chair and closing my eyes, I let out a deep, relaxed breath. "Haah..." I had my bases covered, so I needed to relax. -The more tense I am, the more suspicious I'll look...-

However, the moment the silence settled back over the room, a sudden, muffled thud resonated through the ship. *Thump*

My eyes snapped open in an instant.

It was a dull, wet noise—not the ship's usual creaking or the sound of loose cargo shifting in the lower decks, no...

This sound came from the bars on the port side, a ladder for dragons to climb.

But it wasn't my crew.

Slowly setting the glass down, I stood and pushed my aura through the cracks in the hull, finding the unfamiliar presence of an ancient outside, gently shivering, trying to calm herself down. -Looks like something went awry after all...-

*Creaaaaaak* Feeling the ship finally list and rock as she reached the deck, I walked around my desk, grabbing my coat and sword—not to wield it, but to keep up appearances. With connections like these, one wrong move and our ship would find itself on the bottom of the ocean.

But I didn't even make it to the door.

Feeling the briny breeze from the back windows suddenly stop, I froze.

My breath was caught, the hair along my arms bristled instinctively, and I found myself rooted beside my desk—coat half-slid over one shoulder, sword dangling at my hip.

Slowly turning my head, I felt it—a pressure descending over the ship, subtle at first, but growing heavier with every beat of my heart.

It was the kind of weight only a dragon who'd been at ocean for a millennia could perceive, the sensation of dread that could only result from a predator's gaze from the depths.

It wasn't officials.. it couldn't have even been a dragon.

No.. the presence brushing the hull like the tide against a reef was not trembling or restrained, but rather calculated, cold, and impossibly vast...

So vast it felt like the ocean had developed a heartbeat of its own. -Someone.. no... Something followed her...-

*Thump-Thump* Hearing the client drop her steaming bags of ore on the deck, the heavy thumps echoed into the water as if announcing the ship's presence to the depths.

But as I counted, waiting for the echo of the thump off the bottom of the ocean, time just ticked by.. and the time I knew to expect it came and went.

The chill that passed down my spine in that moment was unlike anything I had ever felt, a primal horror that dug into my bones.

"Everyone, stop moving..." Using some wind magic to make sure everyone heard my hushed whisper, the rapid patter of movement outside ceased, and an eerie silence overtook everything.

Surrounding the entire ship with a ring of silencing magic, hoping to silence the natural creaking of our vessel, we all remained frozen, holding our breaths, waiting for my command.

But just as I was about to start slowly releasing people and get the ship moving, the subtle rustle of papers greeted my ears like the scythe of the grim reaper curling around my throat.

*Rustle...* That sound, barely more than the brush of parchment shifting in the air that no longer moved, cut through the silence of the ship like a scream.

And with it, my blood turned to ice.

Slowly—so slowly—I turned my head toward my desk, only to find that nothing had moved. The papers I'd left scattered were undisturbed, the drawer I'd opened was still half ajar, and the glass of liquor remained half full, glistening like a crystal as the sun peered through the back windows...

But something was different... Something had shifted...

Not physically.. or visibly.. but my senses couldn't ignore it.

It felt as if something was in the room.. watching me—an infinite array of eyes staring at me from every angle, creeping through everything.

*tap...* *tap...* Feeling a distinct vibration greet my boots like a warning, I froze.

The pressure outside hadn't just grown stronger—it had shifted directions.. no longer just surrounding the ship, but flowing into it...

Every instinct I had, every sense honed over a thousand years, screamed the same truth.

Something was looking at us.. and not just from a distance.

The ship no longer rocked. It settled—as if the ocean itself and gone still in deference to something greater.

*Crack* Jolting as of the ceiling beams shifted, contracting from the cold, a breeze blew through the ship despite the air remaining still. The shadows moved, but the light didn’t change.

Then, a voice, not spoken or heard, was pressed into the depths of my soul. "~So this is what treason buys you...~"

Watching the papers on my desk begin to shift around as if by a breeze I couldn't feel, my legs grew weak.

It wasn’t fury or malice.. no raised voice or righteous anger.

It was disappointment.

Cold, ancient, unfathomable disappointment. Like a god watching a child sell their blood for copper. "~I'd hoped you would know more...~"

Despite unknowingly releasing my silencing magic outside, I could hear nothing. Not even the ocean or gulls.

Just my heartbeat, thundering in my ears like war drums.

Opening my mouth, I wanted to plead or shout, but no words ever came. My breath caught in my throat as if my lungs no longer belonged to me.

Until finally, it ceased.

The invisible energy creeping through the ship disappeared, and as if it were just an illusion, the woman left, and crew constantly bugged me about what happened.

But I didn't have an answer. By the time we all returned to our senses, it was like we were all knocked out. The leather bags of ore still laid on the deck were empty, and the crates in the hull were full and sealed.

It was as if the moment the connection arrived was blurred into a dream, a reality that never came to light.

As weeks passed, and we sailed back to the Holy Kingdom with our cargo, trusting a few crewmates' words saying we put away the ore before setting off an artifact that knocked us all out, we made it all the way to port, troubled, still wondering if the countless different stories the rest of the crew had were really dreams.. .

And if what I experienced was just a nightmare...

*Creaaaaak* Finally docking in one of the largest ports in the Holy Kingdom, dozens of church-robed attendants were already waiting on the dock—silent, veiled, moving like a school of shadows drifting over stone.

"Sorry for the late delivery, Priestess." I spoke formally with a bow. "We had a hiccup at sea."

The woman standing nearest to the ramp inclined her head with a faint, unreadable smile.

Her robe shimmered like oil on water... A human.

“Please, Captain,” she replied gently, stepping onto the gangplank with grace that made the sea look clumsy.

“You still delivered within the window. Your reward will be sent, in full—and then some.”

Lowering my gaze to the lower levels of the dock where people from the churching were running into the ship, going straight to the cargo hold, I straightened up with a slightly forced smile. "That’s… wonderful. I hope"

*Clunk* The sound of a crate’s lid being pried open cut me off. Then—silence.. not from a lack of sound, but from time itself freezing.

The next thing I knew, a wave of heat erupted from the cargo hold, a pulse of energy so hot.. so dense it didn't feel like a flame.. but like reality itself had caught fire.

I had no time to scream, blink, or run... The entire galleon was vaporized in an instant.

My body, just as the priestess next to me, was reduced to cinders in a fraction of an instant, like fur brushed too close to a forge.

But despite her being reduced to vapor in an instant, my bones flaked into glass, my scales were reduced to liquid, and the heat penetrated into my soul.

By the time I tried to throw up a barrier, it was too late.

Half of me was gone, my nerves were reduced to ash, and my thoughts evaporated as the shockwave reduced my brain to mush.

And as the docks followed, as ships a hundred meters away detonated into flame and charred wind, I finally understood what that whisper meant.

It wasn’t a nightmare.

It wasn't a warning.

It was a judge delivering a sentence...

-So this is what treason buys you...-