Strongest Among the Heavens
Chapter 350: Samebito

Chapter 350: Samebito

The fleet pressed on and moved deeper into the fog that surrounded the island. Visibility was low. Shadows were constantly called out and every time, Kazi would tell them to calm down. The random stone towers did their job to an agitating degree. Not only did they physically attack the ships but mentally too. They distracted and confused the paranoid players and fishermen.

Kazi kept everyone in line. Focus ahead. If an attack did come waywards, they had the players to deal with it. Stay confident. For non-soldiers, that concept was difficult to grasp. To trust and stay and not be anxious was not easy in life. He couldn’t blame them.

’Hm. The Samebito...’ Closing his eyes, Kazi focused. Indeed, when standing still and truly connecting with the world, his range increased exponentially. The only issue was the fog and water. If this was open air, he likely could have sensed everything in a five kilometer radius. But with water and fog this heavy, it was muffled. He wasn’t sure how much he could sense.

Ultimately, Kazi could vaguely sense the Samebito’s presence, a persistent threat slipping in and out of his ever growing sensory range.

"Remmy," Kazi said, feeling the nerves from the fisherman. He suspected the same was probably happening with the ships behind them. "Do you mind lighting up our path?"

"I wondered when you were going to ask."

Remmy began illuminating their path with arrows of Fire Dart. The fog absorbed much of the light but it was better than nothing. He kept shooting. He kept lighting it up. For Kazi, it didn’t help at all with his sensing. For his men, it brought a degree of comfort.

Kazi closed his eyes. Focus, focus...

Minutes felt like hours as they ventured further into the thickening mist. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the rhythmic splash of oars and the distant cries of seabirds. Kazi’s focus never wavered, his senses tuned to the slightest disturbance in the water and not in a supernatural way. He didn’t need the future sight or Odin’s Left Eye to navigate these waters. He was a natural sailor. If the Samebito was coming, he would know. He would feel it.

A tremor. In the fog, it might have been impossible to see. But as captain, he could somehow feel it. The tiny shake. The tiny change.

It was coming.

His left eye pulsed.

Suddenly, a massive wave surged at the lead ship. The Samebito was slithering towards them once again, eyes burning with rage. It did not charge recklessly, however. It dived deep, deep down, far out of Kazi’s sensing range. Seconds later, it rose up like lighting and slammed into the side of the boat, causing it to lurch violently. Players and fishermen alike struggled to maintain their balance, with one fishermen losing his grip and falling into the water. A second strike would follow and...

Blank.

That had been a glimpse of the future. Kazi refused to let that future occur.

"Jackson, Kibiwott, Remmy! Prepare to engage on our left!" Kazi shouted. His hands touched his sheathed sqord, flickering with yellow-blue electricity.

Jackson hefted his axe. Kibiwott adjusted his grip on the spear, eyes locked and waiting on the target. Remmy readied his bow, a Fire Dart already glowing at his fingertip.

The wave of the Samebito arrived in the water as he foresaw. It hid in the wave and swam faster and faster. The more it did, the larger the wave became. Remmy did not allow it. Twang! He let go and the Fire Dart arrow slammed into the wave of water, a small explosion rising. That was when the Samebito switched up and gunned right for the sailors rather than the ship itself. Good. That was just what Kazi wanted.

Roaring, the Samebito lunged and climbed onto the ship, tipping it over. Standing ten feet tall, it was a bipedal monster shark with an inky black complexion and green eyes. The shark sought their blood.

Kazi did not need to move an inch.

Kibiwott was already up front, jumping and thrusting his spear into its eye. Blood gushed from his successful strike and the Samebito attempted to flee back into the water but Kibiwott used his weight to drag the bipedal shark backward. Jackson seized the opportunity and swung his axe, aiming for the creature’s scarred neck—its vulnerable neck. The axe bit into the Samebito’s flesh and a roar of pain shook the ship.

Kibiwott followed up with a series of precise spear thrusts. He was a swordsman, not a spearman, but compromises had to be made when their old equipment was not allowed. He focused on speed of his strikes rather than power. Stab, stab, stab. Unlike with the eye, the strikes to the flesh did not cause blood to gush out.

The Samebito roared and grabbed Kibiwott and his spear and threw him aside. Attacking head-on was the wrong choice. Remmy’s Fire Darts were too dangerous this close so he refrained from attacking. Put simply, Jackson and Kibiwott did not have the attack power to put this humanoid shark down. The other six players were about to attack.

Kazi burst forward—

Slash!

...and split its head from its vulnerable neck with his katana.

The sea was suddenly at peace.

The fleet had slowed since his men were recovering from the battle. Kazi rolled his shoulders and flashed everyone a smile. "Remmy, the Samebito has been defeated. Let everyone know."

The body of the shark had been standing still. With a small push, he tipped it over into the sea. Blood rose to the blue surface.

Jackson opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. "Is it dead this time?"

Kazi was already at the prow and scanned the water. He did not receive XP. Must be due to the resurrecting nature of the monsters and their connection to the island. "Very dead. We have to keep moving. It’s still out there, and it will come after us again." He turned back. "Remmy? The Fire Darts?"

"Understood, brother!"

Four Fire Darts signaled the defeat of Samebito.

The journey to the island continued.