A New Adventure
I drew my sword with a frown. I had expected our voyage to remain a pleasant stretch of new acquaintances and easy sailing — but reality had other plans.
"Everyone, defend the ship!"
About a week into the voyage, rough waves and winds began battering us without warning, and from time to time marine monsters launched their assaults.
Kieeek—
They looked like some grotesque halfway mix of fish and goblin. The hideous creatures scrambled wildly across the deck. By the time we noticed the intrusion, they had already seized control of the ship.
"Haaah!"
With a sharp battle cry I swung my blade and cut down the one that had come closest. The deck was slick with rain and seawater, but my sword flew true and punched straight through the unidentifiable fish-man.
I narrowed my eyes and glanced at the other expedition members. They carved through the monsters in grim silence, their faces barely changing — as if this kind of attack were nothing new.
In that instant the sea surged upward and a colossal wave rose. My vision lurched wildly as the thrashing water crashed over everything. The force of it sent people tumbling against the ship's railings one after another.
Monster cries and human shouts tangled together. I clung to the railing myself, waiting for the wave's impact to pass.
Then the thing that had erupted from beneath the sea came fully into view. Murky storm clouds and rain falling in sheets tried to blot it out, but nothing could hide a body that size.
What had revealed itself was an enormous serpent. Rainwater streamed down the black scales covering its entire body.
I was still standing there with my mouth open at the sudden appearance of such a massive monster when a woman burst out from among the expedition members.
Her rain-soaked clothes clung tightly to her body, outlining every attractive curve — yet not a single person dared look at her with anything but respect.
"Celion…?"
It was Celion, running across the pitching deck as if the waves meant nothing. A thick rope was tied around her waist, the other end secured firmly to the mainmast — the tallest spar on the ship.
Without hesitation, without so much as a wobble, Celion sprinted toward the figurehead. With every step the moisture beneath her feet seemed to evaporate, and pale steam actually rose from her body.
The moment she planted a foot on the great figurehead, her body launched into the air. Her red hair billowed like living flame, and the instant her sword swept through, the giant serpent's head came off with a clean shhk—.
Celion plunged into the sea along with the head she had severed. Even a swordsman of her caliber couldn't swim in those violent waves — she never broke the surface again.
When the serpent's massive body began to collapse, another savage wave rose. The ship heaved violently, and the bizarre fish-man monsters still scampering across the deck were swept clean overboard.
Kieeek—
Their dying screams scattered into the background. Spitting out the seawater that had flooded my mouth, I ran for the mast.
I wasn't the only one racing to help Celion. About five other expedition members dashed to the mast with me and hauled on the thick rope, and together we managed to drag her up from the depths.
"Celion!"
"Cough…!"
Her body was covered in wounds — she must have been attacked by monsters underwater. She lay face-down on the deck, coughing up seawater again and again.
"I-I'm fine. Check inside the ship… those fish-men might have gotten in."
"Ah — yes!"
At her words I turned and headed below. No wonder the door to the cabins had been standing open even through the driving rain and waves…
I ran down the corridor where rain and seawater had poured in, scanning everything as I went. Mercifully, there seemed to be no casualties. Vaulting over a limp fish-man corpse on the floor, I made for the stables where the horses were kept.
I pushed past the mingled stench of blood and briny seawater and reached the stables. The usual stable smell hit hard, but I had no time to care. Sword in hand, I burst inside.
Prrrrh—
"Nightmare…?"
The one who greeted me was Nightmare. He had left his stall and was wandering the aisle, a fish-man corpse clamped in his jaws.
Judging by the bodies strewn around him, Nightmare had single-handedly dealt with every fish-man that had snuck in to attack this place.
The other horses snorted restlessly, but they were holding their ground with surprising composure.
"You're not hurt anywhere?"
Puihihing—
Nightmare shook himself as if to prove he was perfectly fine. In the process he stomped a few of the fish-man corpses on the floor — then kicked one aside for good measure.
The weather at sea was wildly fickle. The moment the monster attack ended, the storm clouds withdrew as if the rain had never fallen, and a blue sky emerged.
With the assault over, it was time to put the ship back in order. Uninjured myself, I joined the other expedition members hauling fish-man corpses over the side.
In the process we found several human bodies as well. They weren't Silver-rank adventurers — they were scholars who had come aboard to study monster ecology, and ordinary sailors.
Time passed, and by the time shipboard life had become familiar, a vast continent appeared beyond the blue sea.
We had arrived at Monster Island.
The moment that enormous landmass came into view, the crew sprang into motion. They began sorting the cargo to be unloaded and checking their own gear.
Before long the Radon approached the pier at the outpost and began to dock.
"So? What do you think?"
"Ah — Celion."
I turned to find Celion standing behind me; I hadn't even noticed her approach. She leaned against the railing and gazed out at the sprawling outpost.
I followed her eyes and took in the interior. I could make out a forge where smiths hammered iron amid roaring flames, a leather workshop processing monster materials, and people busily hauling meat, fruit, and vegetables as if preparing a meal.
"Pretty impressive, right?"
The instant Celion finished speaking, a monster's cry echoed from the forest beyond the outpost walls.
"Yes… it really is."
Once the ship was docked, the unloading began. The people already living at the outpost seemed far more interested in the supplies we'd brought than in the new expedition members themselves.
I packed my things to disembark and headed to the stables to lead Nightmare out. After the long voyage he had grown noticeably plump. When I gave his belly a light poke, he flinched and spun his tail in alarm.
"You need some exercise."
Puihihing—
Riding across that vast continent would slim him down soon enough on its own. I climbed onto Nightmare's back and left the ship.
The new expedition members, myself included, simply stood around after disembarking. There were no particular orders, and no one seemed especially concerned with us.
We were still hanging back, reading the room, when Celion came bounding over and called out to me.
"Ceris?"
"Yes?"
"Want to come with me?"
"Uh… just me? What about the others?"
"The other team leaders will take them."
"Mm, all right."
I followed Celion and glanced back over my shoulder. The remaining newcomers just stared after me blankly.
The place Celion led me to was the front of a large building. A wooden sign out front bore a painting of blazing flames.
"Here we go — this is where we'll be staying starting today."
"Here? Which team am I assigned to?"
"Mine, of course!"
"You're a team leader, Celion…?"
She nodded and headed inside. There was no one in the building, but plenty of signs that it had been in use until recently.
"There's nobody here?"
"Looks like everyone's out. Ah — just grab any empty room."
"Hmm…"
Celion moved as if the place were completely familiar. She strode into the largest room, tossed her luggage down, and immediately began pulling out her gear to change.
She glanced at me standing there blankly.
"What are you doing? Get your equipment on."
"We're heading out right away?"
"Yep."
Following her instructions, I unpacked in an empty room and started putting on my gear. The ogre-leather set that had been with me for months no longer felt stiff — the fit had grown comfortably soft.
Once I'd strapped on the armor, I pulled my everyday clothes, underthings, and other personal items out of my bag, leaving it considerably lighter. I slung the slimmed-down pack over my shoulder and stepped into the hallway.
"Ready?"
"Ah, yes."
I looked up at Celion in a daze. She always favored light clothing, so I'd assumed she didn't have much proper equipment — clearly I'd been wrong. She was wearing a full plate set that looked built for agility.
"Whoa…"
"Looks good, right?"
"Yes…"
Depending on the angle, a reddish tint caught the light — some special kind of iron must have gone into the forging. Celion gave a light laugh and started walking. I fell in beside her and asked,
"Ah, Celion — what should I do about Nightmare?"
"Hmm. Bringing him along is fine."
I let out a quiet breath of relief. My legs were short enough that matching Celion's stride meant constant little half-runs.
When I opened the lodging door, Nightmare was already waiting out front and greeted me eagerly. I used the wall as a step, vaulted up, and settled onto his back.
Celion studied me for a moment, then asked,
"A purebred Hairan, you said…?"
"Yes."
"That's a fine horse…"
She looked at Nightmare with open envy. Under that gaze, Nightmare puffed out a proud little snort.
"I'll fill you in as we go. For about the next week you'll stick with me and learn what the job actually involves."
"Understood."
As Celion headed out of the outpost she began explaining the work ahead. The expedition had to map monster habitats and study their behavior, leaving records behind; from time to time they also went out hunting for monster materials.
And above all, she added, the most important task was exploring uncharted regions that had yet to be pioneered.
"Ah — there's one thing you have to be especially careful about."
Standing before the outpost's great main gate, Celion turned to look at me. I drew Nightmare up alongside her.
"What is it?"
"Every so often a mana storm rolls through. When that happens, you don't move."
"Why not?"
"Get caught in one of those storms and you'll end up somewhere… strange."
With that, Celion waved a hand. Whether it was a signal or not, the massive sealed gates began to grind slowly open.
Watching them part, I asked her,
"Has anyone ever been caught in a storm and made it back alive?"
"Exactly one person."
"Who?"
"Valder. You ran into him once before, remember?"
"Ah…"
At her words I recalled the man I'd crossed paths with in the dining hall. We'd only exchanged a passing glance, so the impression was already hazy.
"Shall we get going?"
"Ah — yes!"
Together with Celion, I set foot on unfamiliar ground.