B6 Chapter 13: Returning to the Island

Gadoor smiled through a well-manicured beard. The enchanted hat covering his head deflected the sun and absorbed minuscule amounts of mana from the air, funneling it into a very basic maintenance rune. Another rune on the side was directly powered by a thin stream of mana coming from the man himself, conjuring a weak cold enchantment over his skin.

I whistled as I shook his hand. “You’re doing well for yourself if you can afford to wear such clothing.”

His eyes widened, but he only shook his head with a smile. “You were always perceptive, aye?  And we are! Our boating business has expanded greatly since you last saw us. Been what? A year? A year ago, I would have wrung my own neck spending money on something as frivolous as this hat.”

“But now?”

“Now?” he chuckled. “Now, I would tell old me to stuff it! This hat is the third-best investment I've ever made! I don’t feel like a wrinkled kelepep by the end of the day!”

I had no idea what a Kelepep was, but it sounded gross. Taking another look at the man, there was more to the story than some enchanted clothes. His figure was rounder, fuller even.

My senses probed deeper, and as I expected, he had more mana in his body. It meant he managed to rank up despite not adventuring.

Gadoor bowed toward Sereza and gave Khrem a pat on the shoulder. When he saw Zog, he hesitated, but the brute politely bowed. Gadoor shrugged and led us down the newly built pier. When he stopped, it was next to a full-sized boat, one twice as large as the one that carried me and the others a year ago.

“I call her, Tidestrider! Ain’t she beautiful?” Gadoor exclaimed.

It still looked like a normal, underdocumented boat. Just a boat bigger than his last one.

I stepped on and found it surprisingly steady. Enchantments were carved underneath and around the wood, helping stabilize the vessel. Once we all settled in, I joined Gadoor near the back, where he was channeling his skills into a small pillar of metal jutting from the floor.

“So where’s Gawinn?” I asked.

“My boy?” Gadoor scratched his chin with an amused scowl. “He’s off manning his own vehicle. Part of our company, but we managed to get him the appropriate skills to help ferry people on his own. You and Broken Tower did well by us; that extra gold you gave went a long way. With the city having expanded the way it did, the need for travel and trade increased with it. We made some good money, we did. Got in early and helped invest in the market before others did!”

“How many boats are you running now?” Khrem asked.

“Nine! Constantly to and fro. Whether it be a swift trip to the newer sub-islands or back to the mainland, we are always busy!”

Even his laugh is more jovial. Who knew the power of money saves the day?

The trip to the island was uneventful; the boat and the captain made the trip smooth sailing. However, trouble did come when we neared the midway point, and I wasn’t the first to sense it.

Zog stood up. “Incoming.”

I cast my senses outward and found four blips radiating below the surface. They swam fast, approaching from the east. 

Sereza stood up and readied her daggers, but wasn’t too bothered by the sudden danger. She glanced between me and Zog. “Dangerous?”

In response, I turned to Zog. “Do you mind if I take this?”

“You sure?” he asked.

“Yep.”

He looked disappointed but sat down. I channeled mana into Storm King’s Tempest and cojured Sturmrorex while also channeling mana into Spirit Lord’s Invocation.

Electric-blue scales grew over my arms and body, while electricity danced off my horns. Sturmrorex roared in the back of my mind, his disdain for the monsters bleeding into my mana.

Khrem pulled out a journal. “Are you trying the one attack?”

“Hopefully.”

They were getting closer, travelling like an arrow but circling. I had at most a few seconds before they split off, and it’d make what I wanted to do harder.

Raising my hands, I conjured a piece of metal, one that was highly conductive. It was shaped like a rough arrowhead and was rather plain. 

Picturing what I wanted, I sent a stream of electricity into the metal, and then let Sturmrorex control the output as I pictured a rune. Once it formed, I felt another skillwisp in my soul resonate, pulling mana into itself freely without my input. 

“Uh, Cyrus. Is this safe?” Gadoor asked, hesitantly. 

I ignored him as I carefully shoved a chunk of mana into the metal. The metal warped, the edges of the arrow turning sharp as a buzzing sound erupted from the piece. I breathed in and fired.

Sever!

The arrowhead exploded into five streaks of blue, shaped like blades without a handle. They rose into the air and zipped across the waters, each one controlled through my will as they sought the blips of mana.

Three zipped down, releasing a jet of steam as the electricity carved through the waves. Pools of pink rose to the surface but the last blip avoided the first projectile. When it rose, blue scales of an enormous fish cut through the wave and a jet of water sliced through my cheek. 

The final bolt under my control wavered, the edges losing their shape before a roar in my mind clamped its mental teeth. When the fish dived, the bolt followed chasing it under. The fish was fast, and in half a second it nearly reached the boat.

When it surfaced next, a hissing bubble expanded in front of the fish’s nose, bubbling outward like pointed stars. Sereza raised her blades, but then a jagged edge of cyan flashed across the fish’s head. 

The hissing bubble exploded, returning to the lake as the fish joined it, split in two.

Behind me, Gadoor sighed and wiped his brow. 

“By the goddess, that was scary,” he tugged at his hat and shook his head. “Ive only ever encountered Glypul packs thrice in my life. Two of those encounters were when I was escorting you to the island. Are you sure you’re not attracting them somehow?”

“Are you calling me tasty?” I asked, deadpanned.

“No! Not at all! I’m just–”

“Maybe they are attracted to your mana?” Sereza asked.

Khrem shook his head. “They actually have poor mana senses. It’s why the young ones tend not to survive unless led by an older glypul.”

“Perhaps they sensed a challenge?”

“They are not that crazy,” Sereza groaned.

The three playfully bickered while Sereza and Khrem threw light jabs at my expense. Sereza was more obvious with it, playing up the teasing to help settle Gadoor, who was still sending me glances every now and then. 

Khrem’s was more subtle, and spoken earnestly in a way that if you didn’t know him, you’d believe he truly meant everything he said. 

As for Zog… Well, he was blunt, like a hammer, a bumpy, heavy hammer.

We collected the fish and Chomperz swallowed them for later. I had cooked the meat, so the bodies weren’t really salvageable for anything other then using my looting skill.

Still, I thought back to the first time I arrived at the island and found myself smiling.

I did it guys… 

The smile faded and I settled in for a thankfully uneventful ride to the island.

***

Gadoor docked the boat and waved at a female beastkin. Her scales glinted in the sunlight as she bowed in our direction. 

“Greetings, have you visited Skyennja before?” 

“Skyennja?” I asked.

“Oh, they finally settled on a name, then,” he said while nodding toward the greeter.

“Indeed, we had our naming festival two months ago. You look familiar…”

“Alchemist. I work with the adventurer’s guild,” Khrem offered.

Recognition flashed in the woman’s bright orange irises. Surprise quickly morphed into fear as she flinched. 

“The mad experimenter… You must be Khrem. My apologies, welcome home kinling.”

Khrem sighed and remained quiet as we stated our names. When we were done, the woman summoned a journal and penned something down before snapping it shut.

She let us unboard but remained as far away from Khrem as she could. “That’ll be all. Please enjoy your time in the city. It goes without saying but yet I must, do avoid causing trouble, and please respect the sacred land of our goddess. Do not pollute the waters and decimated the local wildlife.”

“Does that happen?” Sereza asked.

“More then you’d think.” The woman paused and looked me up and down. I had slipped on my mask before we docked, and she didn’t ask me to remove it. “There’s only ever been one Cyrus I’ve come across in my time here, that is if you don’t count the dozen or so children born last year with that name.”

I flinched. Being talked about was bad enough, but naming a child? That was… 

Ugh.

“I’m sure it’s not that uncommon,” I said with a shrug.

She smirked and started walking back to a small building attached to the wall leading into the city. “Maybe. But the city remembers the one who returned to us our kin and divine. Enjoy your stay, hero.”

When she left only the swells of the waves around us and the caws of birds could be heard. 

“Welp, I want to run away,” I said.

“I warned you not to be surprised. Sir Callen was always ready to spread stories of your bravery. Yours as well, Sereza.”

This time, Sereza involuntarily shivered. “No, thank you.”

I scoffed. “You kept teasing me about accepting the fame and using the popularity for good. What happened to all that? Reality settle in?”

“Haaa haaa.”

I turned to Gadoor and summoned a sack of coins. His eyes widened and he started to protest, but I shoved the pouch into his hand. “Just think of it as an investment. I’ll probably need a ride in the future, and this way you can expand your growing empire.”

“I-I… Haaah.”  He wilted and gave the sack a shake, feeling its weight. “Are you sure? That’s a lot of money, Cyrus.”

I patted his shoulder and moved past him. The others followed, leaving the man behind. He waved us off and I saw a tear drop from the corner of his eye.

“You are kinder than you believe yourself to be,” Zog said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I scowled.

“It means you are a good man,” he said as he thumped me on the back.

I stumbled forward and caught myself, coming to a stop at the entrance to the city.  At once, the noise erupted as I passed through a thin barrier. 

My tail hooked into the ground and I started to turn before a shadow covered mine. A wet feeling hit the air. Mana began to radiate outward.

I looked up and stared into the pearly whites of a large man with bright blue eyes. 

Gods damnit–

He swept me into a bone-creaking hug and spun me around as I was forced against the man’s muscular chest.