"Crack... hiss..."
The entire passenger ship let out a teeth-grating groan, and the deck buckled into a terrifying curve beneath Lorne's feet.
The porthole at the end of the corridor shattered with a sharp pop, and fierce winds swept briny seawater into the cabin.
"Meow!" Lucky's fur stood on end, her amber pupils suddenly contracting.
As a cat, she had a fear of water etched into her genes. Even being an Assassin did nothing to change that.
"Lucky, calm down."
"It's all right..." Lorne reassured her.
Despite his words, Lorne felt helpless in the face of the crisis before him. This was his first shipwreck.
Damn it... I'm not a Sailor.
If he was dragged into a whirlpool of this size, even a Beyonder like him would have practically no chance of survival.
"The lifeboats..." Something suddenly occurred to Lorne.
"The lifeboats are on the aft deck..."
He had to leave before the ship sank. If he got caught in the whirlpool, he was finished. Hugging Orange Cat tightly, Lorne quickened his pace toward the aft deck.
He had barely taken two steps when he sensed something was wrong.
"This is bad. The ship can't hold out much longer."
Violent tremors reverberated around him. Suddenly, a deafening tearing sound erupted throughout the ship.
The floor beneath him abruptly collapsed. As he fell, Lorne flung Orange Cat toward the relatively intact corridor on the left.
"Mrow-!"
With an earth-shattering crack, the passenger liner broke in half.
Amid the flying splinters, Lorne caught a dangling rope and barely managed to steady himself.
"Ah... where am I...?"
"My head hurts."
Violent rocking jolted a certain unlucky Calamity Priest awake.
He looked down at his soaked body, utterly bewildered.
"Wait, my potion seems to have completely digested..."
Clang!
Before he could celebrate, a