Strongest Among the Heavens
Chapter 159: Turning Point

Chapter 159: Turning Point

The twenty members of Spectre 4 had gathered, as did the fifty mages. The longships were forty feet long each and capable of housing thirty people at maximum capacity. To give the players extra space, they decided to put five mages and one Spectre 4 member on each longship.

"One wind mage here?"

"Yes, sir!"

"One wind mage?"

"Here!"

It wasn’t practical to have everyone rowing during battle, so Kazi had to plant one wind-based mage to control the sail and push the ship. As the lead strategist, he accounted for each and every mage. He didn’t have an idea of their abilities but since no one was too anxious he assumed things would be okay. If push came to shove, Kazi himself would hop between ships to make it happen.

Once everything was set-up, it was time to leave. Kazi came to his longship where Noor was. He was an extra, to speak. The Sapphire Order member was a young, short woman by the name of Carla.

"Think you can push this ship?" Kazi joked.

"I’ve mastered all the elements. I’ll be fine," Noor said.

Her friend, Lala, laughed and said, "If she can’t do it, then no one can.."

Everyone took their positions, and the longships slowly began to disengage from the jetty. The rhythmic sound of oars dipping into the water echoed through the harbor as the sails were unfurled, catching the cold breeze.

Noor stood before the sail, pointed her gold staff forward, the purple crystal at the end glistening, and casted, "Breath of Eolus."

They were not ready for the level of speed Noor had unleashed. The longship launched forward with a burst of speed, cutting through the water like an arrow. The crew members, caught off guard by the unexpected acceleration, clung to the ship’s sides to maintain their balance. Lala started to scream as if she was on a roller coaster.

Where Breath of Eulus differed from Gale Burst was range. Gale Burst focused on a single focus, a ball of wind that was barely invisible. Breath of Eulus was a sweeping slash of wind, sacrificing length and thickness for width. An attack intended for multiple opponents now being used to push forward the totality of the sail.

Besides the sail, the side rudder steered the longship. Kazi didn’t mind the speed, it was the best way to leave the waters of the harbour but at some point they had to turn. Since no one else had the strength to control the ship at this speed, it was up to Kazi to steer.

"Okay, I think I went too fast!" Noor shouted.

His black hair whipped back and a big, toothy smile appeared on Kazi’s face. "Let’s enjoy the ride, everyone!’

Laughing, Kazi looked over his shoulder and saw the rest of the small fleet of longships leaving in unison. Slower, yes, but being coordinated gently by the winds of the mages.

A good minute passed before they began to slow down.

"Impressive, Noor, but we definitely overshot. Let’s take a right and get back to where we’re supposed to go." The overshot was admittedly bad. Luckily, Kazi had a physical and mental map on him. As long as they didn’t get nervous, they would arrive on time.

"Uhh, Kazi?"

Noor had approached him, but her eyes were directed at the island ahead of them. Even on land, it had been in view. He tilted his head, puzzled. "What’s up?" he asked.

Noor nudged towards the horizon. He didn’t get it. Her eyes finally met his and she looked a little terrified. "I thought you of all people would sense it."

Sense it? Sense what?

"I can sense magic but I can’t differentiate it. I’m not at that level yet."

That was what she said back on the train. It must have been Magic Sensitivity, a skill that William also shared. Sun-young too if he wasn’t mistaken. Noor was sensing something, but what? No, the better question was how? How did they do it? Think. No, feel. Taste the air. Let the hairs on his arm stand up.

’Ireland’s Eye. It’s an uninhabited island, there’s no need to worry about it. So why? What’s going on? I have to feel what’s on it. Feel. Feel. Feel...’

Simply...breathe....

’Third Eye Meditation.’

He absorbed an influx of magic, filling himself with the sensation of receiving natural magic. Then he extended it outwards, touched what he could, and isolated it. First Noor, then his fellow passengers. One by one, he conjured up a abstract images of them. Blurs of light within the mental projection of his surroundings.

[ New skill learned : Magic Sensitivity! ]

"Ah!"

At that moment of understanding, at that mere instance of transcending into the world of magic, he felt it. He felt Noor and the shieldsman of the Sapphire Order, and then...nothing. Towards the island, he felt...empty.

"You feel that?" Noor swallowed audibly. "The air...it’s strange. I’ve been feeling uneasy ever since we got to Howth. It’s weird. It’s not giving me chills, it’s making me...empty."

He glanced down at her. "You’re right."

’So that’s why she wanted me on her ship.’

Noor wasn’t hiding it either. "Good thing I brought you here. If this is the hidden objective, then it looks tough. I’m pretty confident in my abilities and Lala isn’t a push-off either. We can do this."

Shoot. He should have figured that she wanted something from him—it was this. Whatever this was anyway. ’I have to be there during the ambush. What if Jack goes on a rampage?’ He thought about it again. ’He’s been biding his time, months now, he won’t ruin the very first raid. He’s a former champion, there’s a chance he’ll wait.’

There was a also a chance he would murder everyone.

"It’s right there," Noor said. "Barely a kilometre away. If we’re lucky, we’ll be done in ten minutes flat."

Between gaining levels and a potential new weapon at the hidden objective or joining everyone else...

What should he do?