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“Naki,” Riki muttered, chewing the name. “What do you want now?”

“You know exactly what I want, boy. It’s time to pay up.”

Riki frowned and his face contorted with anger. “I paid all my dues!” he shouted. “I even sold my ship for that. What more do you want from me?”

“You are mistaken, dear boy. You have not paid off all your dues. When you borrow money, it’s only right that there would be interest.”

“I paid those interest, exorbitant as they may have been.”

“Not entirely.” The woman tittered. “You see, you were let off with only a quarter of the original interest because Mister Rhys was being considerate of your, shall we say, unfortunate circumstances. But clearly, you are faring better now.”

“This is bollocks,” Riki snarled. “This was not in the agreement.”

“By agreement, you are referring to that flimsy paper of a document.” Naki laughed. “Boy oh boy, surely you are not that naive, are you? Do you think a mere paper can get you out of the mess you put yourself in?”

“This is absurd…”

“What’s absurd is that you shy away from paying the full interest like everybody else because pity was taken on you. Are you aware of how that would make us look in the eyes of our other customers?”

“That is your mistake, not mine. I am not giving you any more than I already had.”

“Boy, this is not a choice or a request. This is a demand. Surely you can afford it now seeing as how you already have some lavish clients.”

Erin wore a passive expression but deep down she wanted nothing more than to sock this woman in the face even if she didn’t know the whole context. This woman was simply that irritating.

The woman named Naki's personality was as brazen as her choice of wardrobe, much more brazen than Amyra's. She wore a gown that left little to one’s imagination of her bare body. The skirt of the gown had a deep slit that revealed her full hips and the upper fabrics were scant to the point that only a thin strip ran across her ample bosom, covering only her teats and a little bit more.

“Pardon me, Riki,” Siv spoke up. “Who is this woman that is dressed more scandalous than a common whore?”

Nakie heard Siv’s words and veins began bulging on her forehead. “A common whore, you say? Who are you to judge me as such, you damn beast?!”

“Crude tongue and crude preferences,” Amyra scoffed. “May I get rid of this whore?”

Erin cast a side-eye glance at Amyra, astonished by the Augur’s hypocrisy.

“This beast is a friend of ours, wench,” Lilian said as she stepped forward. “You do well to show her and the boy the proper respect.”

Instead of backing off, Naki only pressed on with her verbal assault. “What’s the boy to you, Lady Fae? Have you perhaps already bought his service? If so, I have to inform you that you have made a grave mistake in purchasing his servitude. I have seen the miracle and generosity you have bestowed upon this boy but I can assure you that your goodwill has only gone to waste.”

“I don’t like this woman,” Aera said, her fist clenching. Her hatred for this woman went beyond just some mere dislike as this woman reminded her of her father a lot. The way Naki spoke and carried herself was a splitting image of the accursed man.

“Look, I don’t wish to get into a quarrel with the Fae but could you please leave me be with this boy? I would be extremely grateful if you would respect the private nature of this… transaction between me and the boy.”

Nivia stared at the woman with a frown. “Is this woman messing with us or is she truly that oblivious?”

“I am not oblivious, Lady Fae. I simply don’t see your attachment to the boy. Are you all perhaps intimately acquainted with this boy?”

“I am,” Siv answered. “Riki is a friend and you are clearly his enemy.”

“An enemy?” Naki snorted. “I am not. I’m merely a businesswoman chasing after a debt.”

“A businesswoman who neglects the importance of an officiated document is merely a woman. You are nothing but a thug who is simply seeking to extort those who are incapable of fighting back.”

“You know nothing, beastie. Do you know who I am?”

“No,” Erin answered as she finally took a step forward. “But do you know who I am?” Erin never thought she would have to resort to such a sentence that one would usually only hear from grunts.

“I have no doubt of your impressive standing but you are in Port Ikon where the only one who truly mattered is Mister Rhys.”

Aedan, who was standing at the back of the group, finally let out a sigh. “Alright, you have my permission, Amyra. Gut this bitch.”

Amyra smirked. “Gladly,” she said and began walking towards the harlot.

“Y-you…” Naki was stunned by Aedan’s bold command. Even nobles wouldn’t dare to give out such a command unless they were assured of their standing in a territory. “Do you know who I am?! Do you know what would happen if you—”

Before Naki could complete her warning of a threat, she was silenced, permanently, by a sword that slid across her neck. Essentially, she was decapitated and the one responsible for it was a figure donned in a black cloak over a slim robe.

The figure was obviously a woman given how her body shape was accentuated by the slim robe. She was wielding a sword with a thin single-edge blade that was still dripping with the late Naki’s fresh blood.

Behind the cloaked woman was a man, dressed in garments that made him look no different than the commoners of this town. However, the way he carried himself was enough to distinguish himself from everyone else.

“My apologies, Lady Erynthea, Lady Aera,” the man said with a bow. “It would seem that my employee had overstepped her boundaries.”

Hearing how the man addressed her, Aera stood closer to Erin and hid behind her.

Erin narrowed her gaze at the man. “Mister Rhys, I presumed.”

The man nodded.

“I think you owe us an explanation for this,” Erin demanded without going through any hoops. “Why have you been helping us?”

Rhys smiled. “Because I know who you are, dear Apostle of Nyx.”

That revelation alone caused the entire group to cease their breaths for a split moment, except for Aedan. Not that he wasn’t surprised but he was simply the type that seldom physically reacts to wonders.

“Who are you?” Erin asked. Mana was gathering at the tips of her fingers.

“I am an Acolyte of Nyx, you can say. The one I follow is the Apostle of Greed. It is an honour to finally meet another Apostle of Nyx, two Apostles even.”

Erin frowned and cast her senses on the entire port but she sensed no one that might indicate they were her kin in faith.

“Spare your effort, Lady Erynthea. The Apostle of Greed is not here.”

“Then where is he?”

“In the capital city.”

“What is he doing there?”

“Personal business, I assume. If it wasn’t personal, I reckon he would have told me. Anyway, you can rest assured, Lady Erynthea. You would have safe passage to your destination. Well, at least safe from my fellow underlings but I can’t make any guarantees on the other threats.”

“Other threats such as?”

“The waters have been ferocious and voracious as of late. It had already claimed the lives of many experienced sailors.”

“Wyrms?”

“It’s a possibility but among many others. We have no way of confirming the threat. We tried but we never succeeded. Just be careful out in the waters and be prepared for anything.”

“Will do. Thanks for the information.”

“You are most welcome, my lady. If that is all, then my work here is done, Lady Erynthea, Lady Aera. I wish you two a safe journey ahead and good fortune. Until we meet again.”

Rhys for a response and took his leave along with the cloaked figure, leaving behind the decapitated corpse of Naki.

“We should leave as soon as possible,” Lyra suggested.

And everyone agreed.

Since everyone had their luggage stored in Infinite Pouches, they were able to depart immediately as soon as Riki finished his inspection of the ship which was just a shabby boat minutes ago.

Before long, they were able to leave Port Ikon and began their voyage up the stream.

****

A single hour of peace and tranquillity passed by. They encountered no threats or any form of hostility on the river. The only encounters were the friendly greetings with the passing vessels.

At present, Aera, Erin, and Siv were the only ones on the deck, aside from Riki who was manning the ship. The others were below deck, taking their rest or simply avoiding the sun. It was not often that they got to travel while taking a rest or travel without suffering the heat of the sun.

Erin and Siv didn’t mind the sun. Erin was not affected by the glaring heat and light due to level and her high aptitude with the Spirits. Siv was accustomed to the sun’s scorching heat as she was born and raised in such an environment.

As for Aera, she was revelling in the novel experience of being on a ship. This was her first time, after all. Her gaze kept wandering around in glee and excitement as the ship sailed gently along the river.

As the ship travelled for another mile, the waters started turning rough and the waves began to rock the ship. Aera nearly fell off the ship but her training with Amyra paid off, preventing her from falling overboard.

Still, her nerves were shaken and she distanced herself from the bulwark. “Was that normal?” she asked, her shoulders shivering. “Are the waves supposed to be this strong?”

“No,” Siv answered. “Storm’s approaching or we have opposition.”

“Ripples off the port bow!” Riki shouted from the quarter-deck.

Erin and Siv immediately towards the left side of the ship, peering into the waters, while Aera was left wondering what Riki meant by “port bow”.

The ripples Riki spotted were no simple ripples. Each ripple was a third of the ship’s size. Erin didn’t need to use Life Sense or any of her skills to know something big was lurking in the depths of the river, but she did it anyway.

Once she did, a frown appeared on her face.

“Is it a Wyrm?” Siv asked.

“No,” Erin answered. She used Appraisal on the water but only the river was appraised.

The ripples stopped and Erin instantly ran to the other side of the ship, where the ripples continued to form.

“Incoming!” Erin bellowed.

A second later, the water surface burst and a creature shot out of it.

Without even getting a good glimpse at the creature, Erin brandished her sword and swung at the creature, who was wielding a three-pronged spear.

The creature saw Erin’s sword coming and raised its weapon in defence. However, Erin’s blade sliced right through its weapon and carved right into its flesh with ease. As the mist from the water spout cleared, the face of the creature came into view.

“A Naga,” Erin muttered.

The creature was pale blue and it had a humanoid upper body but a serpent-like lower body. It had a shocked look on its face, perhaps it came from the disbelief of its quick and sudden death.

The two halves of the Naga corpse splayed across the deck, eliciting a yelp from Aera.

“What in the divine’s name is that?” Aera gasped.

“A Naga,” it was Siv who answered.

By now, the rest of the group had appeared on the deck in a rush.

“So much for a peaceful journey,” Lyra grumbled. She was still slightly groggy from her nap.

“Never expected one in the first place,” Amyra said as stretched her body along with a string of moans. “But this is just right on cue. I’m itching for a fight after a good nap.”