Chapter 19: 2.05

Thera 2.05

The ocean currents.

They were the highway of the sea. Marine animals often hitched rides on these surface currents for migration or simply fast travel. But it wasn’t just animals or monsters who took advantage of these natural underwater roads.

Merfolk, Selkies, Sirens, Marvir— a myriad of intelligent undersea creatures also used the ocean currents to get to their destination. Viviane was one such Merfolk. Well, technically she was a Mermaid, although the terminology itself didn’t matter, and she very much cared not about the pedantry behind it.

She swam with the sea current as it ran into the coral reef. The sky blue canvas was painted by an eclectic of vibrant colors: corals of all shapes and sizes mixed with seaweed and sea sponges to create this beautifully diverse waterscape. There were mollusks and crustaceans and echinoderms and fish and even cnidarians.

Raising a hand, the Mermaid smiled and softly brushed her fingers across the bell of a translucent jellyfish. Its body shivered excitedly as she laughed.

“Fancy seeing a Leopard Jellyfish here,” she said as she produced a handful of Arcane Kelp from her Bag of Holding. “Here, have some.”

The Leopard Jellyfish happily accepted the offering, consuming the blue seaweed as its body shimmered with black spots. Viviane waved at it and continued with the sea current, gliding with the waves rather than swimming against it.

Soon, she’d reach the Gulf of Nephlene where the current would lose steam, and she’d have to swim the rest of the way to the city. It was times like these where she wished she owned a Levi Seahorse like her mentor— traveling would be so much easier that way— but unfortunately, as an apprentice [Alchemist], she barely even had the means to support herself.

However, with today’s haul, perhaps soon she’d be able to save up enough for one. Viviane could only hope.

She hummed to herself as she approached the end of the ocean current. Then a dark shadow shot past her. The young Mermaid paused as she heard the rapid squeaking of dolphins.

“Oh no…” She raised her head in terror as two figures descended on her. “Pirates.”

A pair of Mermen rode on dolphin-back as they swung for her with their tridents. Viviane reached into her Bag of Holding and uncorked a vial of inky liquid. The water was instantly blotted by a black cloud— one that even Viviane couldn’t see through.

It was the perfect getaway for her. She sank down silently, hoping to slink away into the coral reef and hide from the pirates. But a glowing trident shot out of the dark cloud, dispelling the ink-like substance as it tracked the Mermaid. She tried to throw herself out of the projectile’s way, but it grazed her shoulder and knocked her to the seabed.

“Urk—” She landed next to a gorgonian as a school of small fish receded into it.

The glowing trident went sailing back to the first pirate as the other swam up to her.

“Well, well, well…” The second pirate grinned as he hopped off his dolphin. “This girlie put up quite a fight, didn’t she?”

“Can’t believe she made me use this trident’s enchantments,” the first pirate said, following after his buddy.

“Waste of an enchantment, ain’t it? Can’t you only use it five times a day?”

“Ten times before it needs to recharge. Still a pain in the tail.”

Viviane glanced between the two sneering Mermen as she clutched her bleeding shoulder. Her hands trembled, and she tried to work her jaw. Reaching for her Bag of Holding, she raised it towards the pirates.

“P-please— spare my life! I’ll give you everything I have on me! Just don’t kill me!” she begged.

They exchanged a look before snickering. The first pirate snatched up the Bag of Holding and peered into its contents. “Nothing the boss would be too happy about.”

“What about a fine young lady?” the second said as he ogled Viviane. “Perhaps we could sell her for some fine gold. I’m sure a few landdwellers would love to keep a Mermaid as a pet.”

The Mermaid backed up, feeling a shiver run from her spine to her tail. Oh she wished she hadn’t handed over her Bag of Holding to them now. She still had a few tricks which she didn’t dare use at that moment, hoping that they’d simply spare her.

It looked like it was going to be a decision she’d regret.

No one was going to save Viviane. The nearby marine life fled as soon as the pirates arrived, and they were too far out from the Gulf of Nephlene for any of the city’s guards to be patrolling around the area. She accepted her fate as the pirates reached for her— and her eyes went round as she caught sight of a figure swimming past them.

“What… is that?” she asked, blinking.

The pirates stupidly paused and turned around to see what it was she was staring at. And they, too, went wide-eyed.

It looked like a turtle. But one Viviane didn’t recognize. It was large— about three-fourths the length of Viviane— with a glinting brass shell. Its skin was green in color and had a leather-like texture. Unlike a leatherback turtle or the like, it had a sleek thin body that wasn’t too bulky for a turtle. It also had a beak-like jaw like that of a bird, and purple eyes that stood out in the blue water.

It was accompanied by a group of yellow fish either orbiting it or hitching a ride on its back. Viviane didn’t know what kind of fish they were either. She expected the Mermen to be as puzzled as her about these mysterious creatures. But, somehow, their eyes lit up.

The second pirate spoke softly. “That’s…”

The first Merman produced a monocle-like object and raised it towards the passing creatures.

“A Mystic Turtle,” he said.

A Mystic Turtle? In her dazed state, Viviane didn’t instantly recognize the name of that legendary creature. And, perhaps, in the excitement of the moment, neither did both pirates.

They exchanged a hungry look and nodded. They moved, rushing back towards the ocean current as the Mystic Turtle and the group of fish slowed. It had been warily eyeing the Merfolk for a solid minute, and now that they were dangerously charging at it, it readied for a fight.

“Renatus, protect the others,” it said in an ethereal voice.

Viviane heard a soft squeak in response as the yellow fish huddled around the Mystic Turtle’s shell. There was a flicker. A golden aura flashed out as the second pirate laughed.

“When we get back, we’re splitting the reward fifty-fifty, got it?”

The first pirate raised his trident, smiling viciously. “The boss is definitely gonna be happy about— this!”

He threw the enchanted weapon forward. It shone as it ripped through the water, leaving behind a trail of bubbles in its wake. Viviane flinched and turned away. She expected the weapon to impale the Mystic Turtle. To skewer it in an instant. But all she saw was a bright light— all she heard was a muffled clank.

A ripple briefly interrupted the ocean current. Blinking, Viviane looked on as the enchanted trident went tumbling, knocked away by the Mystic Turtle’s glowing flippers.

“What…?” She stared in awe.

The first pirate halted in shock too, but the second pirate just roared.

“Take this— [Watershot]!”

He unleashed a flurry of speeding bolts from the top of his trident. The attacks splashed over the Mystic Turtle’s golden aura as it sped forward. He thrusted his trident at it.

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“[Triple—”

But the Mystic Turtle tore straight through him. It ripped through his spine with its barreling body. He fell in two halves, bloodying the clear waters with his spilling innards.

Finally, everything clicked in Viviane’s head.

“That’s right… that’s a Mystic Turtle,” she whispered as she got back up.

She watched as the remaining pirate hurriedly raised his hand, recalling his enchanted trident. The weapon flashed back into his hands just as the Mystic Turtle circled around him.

“The hermit of the sea, creature of legend,” Viviane continued.

The Mystic Turtle avoided the pirate’s frantic swings as he screamed, “No… no! The others weren’t—”

“What kind of an idiot would attack such a monster?”

Closing her eyes, Viviane didn’t look as the Mystic Turtle bit down with its terrible maw once, and the pirate’s screaming went silent.

* * *

It had been over a month since Thera left the glacial waters behind. A month since she found the sea current and the rest of the Lophis eggs hatched. It had been mostly uneventful— not that she was complaining since she was trying to protect the new hatchlings.

In total, there were eleven little Lophis other than Renatus. She’d given each of them a name corresponding to an important member of Brunnholl’s Fleet. Filius, Dux, Gnav, Vigil, Remige, Vit, Vex, Tonsa, Rota, Molarius, and Prae. She’d heard about each of these names in passing from when Mors would often speak of the Xanadians, and she gave it to the Luminant Lophis’ children in her memory. Now, all she had to do was to find refuge for these baby Lophis.

Avoiding small-scale battles in the open ocean was fairly easy compared to being confined to a Dungeon or trapped in a magical storm. The baby Mystic Turtle fought only when necessary, such as when hunting or when attacked by weak but aggressive monsters. Eventually, she reached shallower waters. She was attacked less frequently and could feed on the marine flora growing on the seafloor. It almost looked like she had finally reached safety, then—

She was attacked. By Merfolk, no less.

Mors had told her that these were intelligent creatures. Just like Lobsterkin and just like Marvir, they wouldn’t mindlessly charge her like Phleglings or other such monsters. The Luminant Lophis had been wrong.

Or, conversely, Mors had been right. After all, it was Mors who told Thera to always be wary of strangers, no matter how friendly they might seem, since beneath their warm exterior could be the most callous, cold creature even more dangerous than the depths of the sea.

Whatever the case was, Thera easily dealt with the two Merfolk who rushed her. Renatus and the other Lophis clinging onto her shell cheered as the assailants fell, dead.

“Gnah!” they chorused.

You have leveled up!

[Vanima Testudine (Mystic Turtle) - Level 17 -> [Vanima Testudine (Mystic Turtle) - Level 18]!

“Is everybody ok?” Thera asked as her [Indomitable Soul] vanished. The Lophis pulled away from her back, crowding around her face in excitement instead.

The baby Mystic Turtle smiled, seeing that they were all fine. But a figure approached her, and the small fish immediately backed away. Thera herself tensed as she faced what it was.

[Merfolk]

It was another Merfolk. A… Mermaid. One with light blue scales. A thin and slender tail. She had long black hair— a pair of cerulean eyes. Clutching at her bleeding shoulder, she gestured past Thera.

“S-sorry, I don’t mean you any harm,” the Mermaid said apprehensively.

The Vanima Testudine warily backed away. “Just like your friends did?”

“They… aren’t my friends.” The Mermaid glanced apathetically towards the Mermen corpses. “They’re pirates. They tried to rob me and sell me. You saw them attack me, didn’t you?” She uncovered her wound, showing it to Thera. “They’re the ones who did this to me.”

“That doesn’t prove anything.” The baby Mystic Turtle narrowed her eyes. Or did it prove something? She didn’t actually know. She just remained skeptical.

“Look—” The Mermaid bit her lower lip, looking past Thera towards a bag half-sunk in the sand next to one of the dead pirates. “I just… need to get my Bag of Holding. Please. I’ll leave you alone after that.”

Thera didn’t fully buy into the Mermaid’s words, but she nodded and moved out of the way. “Go and get it, then.” she said.

The Mermaid hesitantly swam forward for the bag. Thera hawkishly watched her every movement. Just as promised, the Mermaid grabbed her belongings and moved out of the way. But just as she was about to leave the area, the baby Mystic Turtle called out.

“Wait,” Thera said.

The Mermaid froze. She looked tensely towards the Vanima Testudine. “W-what is it?”

“Where are you going?”

“Where am I… going?” she repeated after Thera.

Nodding, Thera drew forward as the little Lophis on her back clung on. “Are you going to an… undersea city?”

“To an undersea…?” The Mermaid blinked before catching herself. She straightened and held Thera’s gaze. “Yes.”

“Where is it?”

She answered slowly, “Just beyond this sea current— in the Gulf of Nephlene. There’s a city for us Merfolk called Nephleus. That’s where I’m from.”

“Is it… safe?” the baby Mystic Turtle asked, unsure what her question even meant.

“Safe? As in… for you?” The Mermaid shifted back for a moment. “I think so?”

Thera didn’t immediately respond. Instead, an awkward silence passed as she mulled over it. She raised her head and looked back towards Renatus and the other Lophis, still on her back. Just one look from them convinced her, and she made up her mind.

“Bring me there,” she said, and the Mermaid did.