Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 554: Stormy seas

Chapter 554: Stormy seas

It appeared out of nowhere, catching everyone by surprise like a thief in the night, disrupting the almost three weeks of calmness that the Athena had enjoyed ever since it left the Port of Matamis on its voyage to Henos.

In the distance was a terrifying lightning storm that seemed to connect the sky and seas, presumably what caused the Azure Seas to roar like a wounded lion with tall and terrifying waves.

Perhaps, if not for its steel exterior, the behemoth of a ship would have been hard-pressed to survive the tempest.

Back in the dining hall, the glass chandeliers clinked as they swayed from side to side those present seemed quite alarmed and terrified, with some rushing back to their rooms in need of comfort while others began to pray to the deities they believed in.

Very few were able to remain calm, despite the chaos, indulging in their meals.

Alex could be regarded as one of the last category if not for the fact that he was struggling with seasickness, which left him looking rather constipated.

"What the hell is happening out there?" He questioned with slight annoyance.

Ana replied. "I sense vague vibrations in the aether."

"Wait what?" Alex frowned. "A Mystic?"

"Or a Mutant, there are some powerful enough to cause such upheavals." Ana intoned in an almost disrespectful fashion.

She didn’t even glance up from her food to regard Alex, causing him to let out a sigh.

"Still upset?"

"What do you think?" She shot back.

Shaking his head, Alex decided not to ask any further questions as he concentrated on stopping himself from succumbing to the sickness assailing his senses.

Just then, there was a loud thump, followed by the lights in the dining hall flickering for a moment before stabilizing again.

Alex frowned as he closed his eyes and expanded his senses, exerting his Will as he did so.

He immediately picked up some signatures that left him with a sour look on his face. "The ship is under attack."

"And it seems to have been boarded," Ana added nonchalantly.

Just then, the doors to the dining hall were swung open as a crewmate rushed to whisper something to the captain who was discussing with... wasn’t she the one that claimed to be a relative of an influential figure in Henos?

It didn’t matter much, though, as Vissarion’s expression shifted upon hearing what the deckmate had to say.

"Excuse me, my lady, it would seem I have some urgent matter to attend to."

"Is everything alright?"

"Of course, just a minor issue, I’ll be back shortly."

"Alright then. I’ll wait for your return." The young lady said with a pleasant smile on her face.

It seemed the Captain was successful in getting a new bedmate for the next few months they’d be at sea.

With that, Vissarion quickly rushed out of the hall with the deckmate following closely behind.

"Did you hear what he said?" Alex inquired with Ana snorting.

"Why should I tell you anything?"

"Because I asked nicely?"

Snorting yet again, she replied. "Some mutants have boarded the ship."

"Are they dangerous?"

"How should I know?... This is as much my first voyage as it is yours?"

"Alright, alright, my bad." Alex quickly raised his hands in defeat to avoid a verbal confrontation.

***

Vissarion got to the deck along with his crewmates, just in time for him to watch his first mate down the last of the mutants that had gotten on board the ship.

Due to the tumultuous waves, the deck was constantly being bathed by seawater, with most of those on it completely drenched.

"Captain, you’re here." The first mate remarked in heavily accented Kantoj, one of the twenty-two accepted languages in Henos.

Vissarion questioned. "What the hell is going on?... How did Mutants board our ship?... Is the Goddess statue no longer effective?"

"It is working. I think it’s the storm, it’s scaring the Mutants in our direction."

"Hmm."

"The statue is already doing its best warding away the less powerful ones but there are some that end up washing up on deck or just climb over seeking shelter. As it is, one tried to break into the engine room. Thankfully, the ship is steel, otherwise it would have gotten in."

"Captain, what do we do?" One of the crew mates who had helped the first mate deal with the first wave of mutants questioned.

Vissarion pursed his lips, pondering for a moment before inquiring. "Can we change directions?"

"Impossible." The first mate replied. "Even with the steam engine at full capacity, we won’t get too far and it might force us to exhaust our resources before we get to our destination."

"Then we have no choice. Arm all crew members, we have to fight our way through this. There’s no way this storm will continue for too long. As long as we keep the passengers and important portions of the ship safe, then we have nothing to worry about."

"Understood, captain."

Just as the first mate was about to execute Vissarion’s command, there was a loud bang at the side of the ship, causing it to tilt heavily to the side.

"Captain, help me!"

Vissarion barely managed to keep his balance but unfortunately, the crewmate that had informed him of the situation was not so lucky.

He fell into the sea, never to be seen again.

Vissarion couldn’t even mourn the poor fellow as he questioned. "What was that?"

It didn’t take long for his question to be answered as a tall shadow suddenly appeared, looming dangerously over the Athena, blocking the minute amounts of light from the Lightbringer that managed to escape the ominous veil of the dark clouds above that rained cats and dogs.

Vissarion looked up and felt his heart tighten as he recognized the creature that had made its appearance.

It was called an Umibozo in the Altan language utilized by the Oceanic Enclave but most sailors referred to it as a Sea Serpent, a Cataclysm Type Mutant, the highest rank that a Mutant could receive.

The ridiculously large serpent looked like a cross between a seahorse and an eel with tentacle-like whiskers and a soft and transparent body that crackled with electricity from time to time.