Maritime Peril

I didn't get to witness the magnificent sight of the sunrise over the sea, but the sunset in the evening was no less impressive.

The horizon, which had been a seamless line where sea and sky met, was violently torn open by a red rift. The circling seabirds gradually disappeared, and the noisy people had all returned to their cabins for dinner. At this moment, only nature was painting the most moving scene.

I'm very grateful for Poppy's company; otherwise, I would have been extremely flustered. Now I feel much better and have a goal. Let's find the great hero she mentioned and see if he has a way to defeat LeBlanc.

This is a luxurious cruise ship. The opulent scenery inside the cabins is no less grand than the palaces on land. The restaurants and dance halls within are filled with an air of nobility. Most of the people coming and going are elegantly dressed socialites. At this moment, I, wearing tattered armor, stand out like a sore thumb among them.

"I didn't realize you were quite wealthy," I said, seeing Poppy's plain attire and yet her staying in such a luxurious place.

"I don't have money. I can't even afford the ordinary cabin in the back. Someone hired me as a bodyguard, which is how I got here."

"You're quite idle for a bodyguard."

"They don't like Yordles, so they don't like being around me."

"Then why hire you?"

"Perhaps out of fear, or perhaps because it's too much trouble. Some Yordles come to this world for their own amusement, causing destruction and mischief, leaving a very bad reputation. So, even though they hired me, they don't want to be seen with me."

"I see. Then can you find me a job too? I still need to eat."

"Let's try."

Poppy introduced me to her employer. My large frame and solid muscles were immediately welcomed.

As I turned to leave, the employer called me back. He noticed the dagger at my waist:

"If I'm not mistaken, this was crafted by a master blacksmith from Demacia. Where did you get it?"

"I had the honor of crossing blades with Lord Fiora of Demacia. This weapon was a gift from her."

The employer frowned, then opened his coat to reveal a crest on his chest, engraved with a broken axe. It was the crest of the House of Dali, one of Demacia's five great families.

"Do you recognize this crest?"

"I'm sorry, sir, I'm not familiar with it." I pretended to look closely, then shook my head.

"Oh, right. As an Ionian, you probably wouldn't know. My name is Witt. I'm from the House of Dali in Demacia and have met Lord Fiora a few times. It seems our meeting is fate. Go rest, and I'll call you if anything comes up."

"Yes, Lord Dali."

I never expected to encounter someone from the House of Dali here, and apparently, they hold a high position. I recall Jon, who proposed to Fiora in the past, was also from this family. I wonder what their relationship is, but his temperament is much better than Jon's.

I disliked the decadent atmosphere of the ship's cabins. After dinner, Poppy and I went for a walk.

The night sea wasn't as beautiful as I'd imagined. Even with the sky full of stars, it was frighteningly dark. The lights cast by the ship were swallowed by the darkness after only a short distance. The only thing that remained unchanged was the sound of the waves breaking against the hull.

We didn't return to rest until the lights in the cabins gradually disappeared. Since there weren't enough rooms, Poppy and I made do with sharing one.

After an unknown amount of time, I was awakened by the noise outside. Poppy also woke up, rubbing her big eyes. "What's happening?"

I opened the window and found that it was already dawn. However, everything outside was a milky white blur, and I couldn't see anything clearly. I could only hear people rushing back and forth on the deck.

"I don't know. Let's go see."

Our lodging was quite high up, so it took us a great deal of effort to push our way down the stairs through the chaotic crowd. When we got outside, we found the fog was even thicker.

Strangely, fog should be damp and cool, but this place gave off a warm and comfortable feeling.

"Shhh... listen."

Poppy made a shushing gesture and put her hand to her ear. I concentrated and heard a beautiful maiden's voice.

Her voice was ethereal and captivating. At first, she was just humming a tune softly, like a whisper from nature. Slowly, she began to sing in a low, melodious voice, her enchanting song weaving the purest dreams and soothing the deepest fatigue within.

Later, her voice gradually grew louder, becoming clear and distinct to my ears. Her sweet singing was like heavenly music, making one fall into a trance.

Then, various light and beautiful accompaniments began to play, transforming the initial a cappella into a full performance. Anyone hearing this voice would surely fall in love with it.

I tried to find the source, but the singing seemed to come from all directions simultaneously, making it impossible to tell where the singer was. But it didn't matter. Immersed in this warm fog and listening to such a moving song, wasn't that a form of enjoyment in itself?

Soon, the fog suddenly thinned, and there were fewer people on the deck. At this moment, I saw someone walking towards me from not far ahead. They had dark skin and white hair – it was Riven!

"Riven, what are you doing here!"

"I heard that the rebels of the Immortal Fortress failed and most of them were killed. I saw you hadn't returned, so I came to find you, but LeBlanc teleported me here. But I'm so glad you're okay!"

Riven walked slowly towards me, smiling happily. Just as she was about to hug me, I pushed her away and drew the dagger from my waist:

"Stay away from me!"

"What are you doing?"

"You're not Riven. She doesn't know LeBlanc. She wouldn't have walked so slowly or smiled so happily upon seeing me. Who are you!"

Seeing that I had exposed her, the person who looked like Riven lunged at me. Several times I swung my dagger, but I couldn't bring myself to strike her face. Finally, I was forced to stab her arm.

With this seemingly insignificant attack, she collapsed to the ground, turning into a pile of white bones! Immediately, the beautiful singing stopped, replaced by a chaotic din!

At this moment, I saw that the surrounding sea was still shrouded in mist, and the ship was littered with bones. Many passengers on deck were embracing skeletal soldiers, their eyes vacant, muttering different names. It seemed I had almost suffered the same fate.

I charged towards the enchanting skeleton soldiers, wielding my dagger. They looked terrifying but were actually quite weak. A single stab from me would scatter them into a pile of bones.

However, most of the passengers on the ship were bewitched. My efforts to rescue them alone were too slow. Just then, Poppy charged forward, swinging her great hammer. In her other hand, she held my spear. Both weapons were half a head taller than her:

"Finally found you, here's your weapon. Let's go to the captain's side and hold off the skeleton army."

"What about these people?"

"There's nothing we can do. We can't waste any more time here."

Poppy and I rushed to the ship's bow and found the captain struggling against the enemy with his subordinates. I charged into the pile of skeletons and began to fight, taking down a swath with every swing. Poppy's Warhammer was no less effective.

The captain was overjoyed to see us. "I never expected to have two warriors like you on board. This is wonderful!"

We fought for a while, but the skeleton soldiers from the mist continued to pour in relentlessly. The captain pointed to a tall tower not far away and instructed everyone to gather there.

We abandoned the ship's bow and began to retreat towards the tower. We soon reached the entrance, and the captain opened the tower gate to let everyone take shelter inside, while those with stronger combat abilities stayed outside to defend.

Because the entrance to the turret was very small, it took a long time for everyone to get inside. Just then, I saw a group of people approaching from not too far away. It was Witt and his men. I quickly went to meet them, and after a lot of effort, I managed to bring them over.

"Thank you, Ionian. It seems hiring you was the right choice, Lord Dally."

"You're welcome, Lord Dally. Please hurry inside."

After Witt went inside, the captain stopped me from rescuing more people. "Instead of saving them now, it's better to close the gate and make them give up hope."

"Aren't these people your guests? They chose you because they trusted you, and they paid a lot of money. Are you just going to abandon them?"

"With your strength, you might be able to save a few, but such an action would cause the survivors to rush to you for help. Do you think you can save so many people at once? It's better to make them give up hope. They might survive if they hide in some corner."

I couldn't refute the captain's words because he was right. The few of us couldn't save everyone. Sometimes, trying too hard to save people could have the opposite effect.

After the last passenger entered the turret, we closed the gate. The captain took a headcount: there were ninety-eight people inside, less than a tenth of the total number.

I ran to the top of the tower and looked down. The entire ship was submerged by the skeleton army, a sea of white everywhere.

"What exactly are these skeleton soldiers? And what about the singing and illusions?" I asked the captain.

"These skeleton soldiers are the minions of the Sea Demon. I saw them once when I was a child with my father on a long voyage. There were only a few dozen skeletons then, and we quickly repelled them. I don't know why so many have appeared this time."

The captain recalled the past, his face filled with pain.

"After that voyage, my father handed the ship over to my uncle and went off to travel for many years. Later, in Bilgewater, he learned some secrets. No one knows what the Sea Demon truly is. Every time it appears, there is enchanting singing, and if you're not careful, you'll fall into an illusion. These skeleton soldiers are driven by the singing, and they absorb the life force of the living."

"So that's how it is. It seems people see those they miss in the illusions and become lost in them," I said, based on my recent experience.

"Yes, after sailing at sea for a long time, people miss certain individuals or their homeland. This is the perfect opportunity for them to exploit our weaknesses. That's why my crew undergoes rigorous training before embarking on long voyages, yet still, many have lost their lives."

We stayed in the turret, chatting. Some people were relatively calm, others were on the verge of collapse, and some were even crying.

At night, we arranged for people to stand guard, and the rest were to rest. However, I doubted anyone could sleep soundly under these circumstances.

I followed the captain's advice and got some sleep, otherwise, I wouldn't have the energy to deal with any unexpected situations.