Chapter 280: Vortex (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 280: Vortex (6)
The monster raised its spear high into the sky. As soon as I saw that, the following thought came to mind first:
Wait, already?
No matter how many dents in its shell we'd made on the way here, and despite the arm we'd half cut off and stomach we'd pierced with an arrow, it was already at 40 percent HP?
When I raised my head to confirm it, everything suddenly made sense. I didn't know when she'd gotten there, but Amelia was hanging from the monster's back, burying a dagger in its neck.
Should've hit the back of the head, not the neck.
I allowed myself to be disappointed for a moment, but I didn't think someone like Amelia would have aimed for the neck on purpose. It probably ended up there because the monster moved to avoid the attack. I focused on something else.
I've never seen this skill before.
A black aura was radiating from the hole in its neck.
Oh, wait, is it that one?
[Amelia Rainwales has cast Power of the Abyss.]
As if the Doppelganger's essence wasn't enough. To think she had something like this too. It was almost a miracle that I hadn't died screwing around with her until now. Anyway, I could worry about that later.
"Don't stop!"
I called out orders as I approached the monster again, but was this too harsh of a demand to make of comrades who didn't know what was going on? Everyone froze, unable to concentrate on the battle. It wasn't that I couldn't understand where they were coming from.
[Storm Gush has cast Storm Call.]
In truth, all Storm Call did was suck in the wind in the surrounding area to recoup MP, but in a situation where the area was full of rainwater due to Rainmaking Ritual, this combo could also recover a large amount of HP. Usually, that would be it... but on this goddamned island, the skill came with an additional side effect.
"Th-the water is as high as a wall!"
"It's a tsunami!"
Guided by the tugging wind, the rising water rushed in like a tidal wave.
Shaaaaaa!
Like a rolling snowball gradually increasing in size, waves rushed in from all directions and formed a wall of water.
"N-No!"
This show of violence from nature was the type that made you close your eyes on instinct. There was no need to worry about it, though.
Shaaaaaa!
Finally, the waves rushing at us from all sides swallowed us whole, but there was no damage.
[A sanctuary has appeared on the island.]
"H-Huh?"
"H-How on earth did this...?"
I didn't know exactly how it worked, either. In the game, I'd always figured this was just a part where they'd put a lot of effort into the direction.
"Raven, light up our surroundings!"
The seawater soon covered us, turning the surrounding area dark, so we secured a light source first. When we did, we could more clearly see the environment we were now in. It was a very strange feeling, almost like we were trapped inside a reverse fishbowl. We were still in danger, though, so the sightseeing ended there.
"Everyone, move! This is our only chance!" When I gave orders again, my stupefied comrades quickly returned to their senses and got moving. The battle, which had entered a new phase, proceeded with unparalleled urgency.
[Storm Gush has cast Ley Line.]
First, Mr. Bear, unable to avoid it, was hit by the Vortex that rose from the ground. Still, it seemed he'd managed to dodge to some extent because he thankfully escaped its clutches and avoided getting thrown out of the sanctuary.
"Mr. Urikfried...!"
"P-Priestess. I-I can take this... help Yandel..." Mr. Bear was rendered incapable of combat. Since he had Starving Claw active, the wound would heal over time, but it would take a few more minutes.
"Whoom?!" When Mr. Bear got injured, Iradun the Iron Bear, who was barely managing to hold his own on the front line, was unsummoned.
Our bad luck did not end there. The Vortex that sprang from the hole where Ley Line had been cast began fanning out in what limited space we had, hampering us.
"Don't get hit by that thing!"
From this point on, it would be best to treat Vortex as an instant kill. The moment we got caught up in that thing, we would be thrown into the sea enveloping our sanctuary.
Slice!
Soon after, Amelia cut off the monster's dangling arm with an aura-imbued dagger.
Boom.
The bulky arm fell to the floor with the trident made of bone still in hand. But even without a weapon, the monster was a threat.
"Kwohhh!" Storm Gush swung its left arm in a counterattack and ripped open Patzran's stomach, flinging him away. Because of the Vortex restricting our movement, he wasn't able to dodge as quickly as usual.
It's not a fatal wound.
One man was down, but I calmly assessed the situation and shifted my gaze. One of the few advantages of this world was that it was possible to recover with a potion or heal as long as you were still alive.
Dash.
Vortex sliced through our formation and came right at me so I had no choice but to retreat. Just then, Amelia's team archer, Nebarce, was hit. Using a skill to try and avoid the Vortex flying at him from behind, he ended up reappearing right in front of the monster's mouth.
Oh, right. He has that random Blink ability...
In the end, Nebarce couldn't even blurt out his final words before getting chewed up by the monster.
Crunch, crunch.
It was the battle's first casualty. Apart from taking a second to grieve, I felt no particular guilt. Who told him to use a shit skill like Emergency Escape here?
Anyway, as long as my team is fine...
"...Ugh!" Just then, Missha got hit.
Slice!
Although she dodged to the side to avoid a slam, she lost an arm in return.
"Missha!"
"D-Don't worry! I can fight with one arrrm!"
Fight with one arm? This girl had gotten very tough since she started following me around. I didn't have the luxury of telling her to stay back, so I just put a little more viciousness into my next attack to avenge her.
[You have cast Swing.]
I used all of my saved-up MP and swung my mace. The target was that protruding snout.
"Everyone, move! This is our only chance!" When I gave orders again, my stupefied comrades quickly returned to their senses and got moving. The battle, which had entered a new phase, proceeded with unparalleled urgency.
[Storm Gush has cast Ley Line.]
First, Mr. Bear, unable to avoid it, was hit by the Vortex that rose from the ground. Still, it seemed he'd managed to dodge to some extent because he thankfully escaped its clutches and avoided getting thrown out of the sanctuary.
"Mr. Urikfried...!"
"P-Priestess. I-I can take this... help Yandel..." Mr. Bear was rendered incapable of combat. Since he had Starving Claw active, the wound would heal over time, but it would take a few more minutes.
"Whoom?!" When Mr. Bear got injured, Iradun the Iron Bear, who was barely managing to hold his own on the front line, was unsummoned.
Our bad luck did not end there. The Vortex that sprang from the hole where Ley Line had been cast began fanning out in what limited space we had, hampering us.
"Don't get hit by that thing!"
From this point on, it would be best to treat Vortex as an instant kill. The moment we got caught up in that thing, we would be thrown into the sea enveloping our sanctuary.
Slice!
Soon after, Amelia cut off the monster's dangling arm with an aura-imbued dagger.
Boom.
The bulky arm fell to the floor with the trident made of bone still in hand. But even without a weapon, the monster was a threat.
"Kwohhh!" Storm Gush swung its left arm in a counterattack and ripped open Patzran's stomach, flinging him away. Because of the Vortex restricting our movement, he wasn't able to dodge as quickly as usual.
It's not a fatal wound.
One man was down, but I calmly assessed the situation and shifted my gaze. One of the few advantages of this world was that it was possible to recover with a potion or heal as long as you were still alive.
Dash.
Vortex sliced through our formation and came right at me so I had no choice but to retreat. Just then, Amelia's team archer, Nebarce, was hit. Using a skill to try and avoid the Vortex flying at him from behind, he ended up reappearing right in front of the monster's mouth.
Oh, right. He has that random Blink ability...
In the end, Nebarce couldn't even blurt out his final words before getting chewed up by the monster.
Crunch, crunch.
It was the battle's first casualty. Apart from taking a second to grieve, I felt no particular guilt. Who told him to use a shit skill like Emergency Escape here?
Anyway, as long as my team is fine...
"...Ugh!" Just then, Missha got hit.
Slice!
Although she dodged to the side to avoid a slam, she lost an arm in return.
"Missha!"
"D-Don't worry! I can fight with one arrrm!"
Fight with one arm? This girl had gotten very tough since she started following me around. I didn't have the luxury of telling her to stay back, so I just put a little more viciousness into my next attack to avenge her.
[You have cast Swing.]
I used all of my saved-up MP and swung my mace. The target was that protruding snout.
Smack!
This guy seemed to hold a grudge because he immediately twisted his body and came after me.
Bang!
Even though I blocked it with a shield, the shock penetrated my bones. Was it because of the sharp increase in Physique stats it had gotten from Rainmaking Ritual? When I'd blocked the same attack earlier, it hadn't been this bad.
God damn it.
Forget dislocation—my arm was bent with the shield still in hand. Since I had kept my arm tight against my body to put more weight behind it, even my ribs tingled. But a heal came in soon after.
[Lairin Ersina has cast Healing.]
A warm yet mysterious power reconnected my severed tendons and pieced my fragmented bones back together like a puzzle. This mysterious power seemed to say that now that I was healed, I should go fight for my comrades.
"Behel—aaah!"
A fight that could not be explained with words like "arduous" promptly ensued. The monster was as strong as you'd expect a rank-three monster to be, and tough.
Stab.
While its flesh was being stabbed repeatedly by an aura user, dozens of arrows were lodged in its shell, draining away its Vitality. Curse spells were being piled on it, causing dark green bodily fluids to drip out of its wounds. But while the dagger Missha stuck in its eye was wobbling, the bastard continued to fight and fight again, as if we were evil incarnate and he was justice itself. He moved tirelessly, and every time he did, someone got hurt. Most of the time it was me.
Scratch.
Sharp claws tore through shields and armor, and sometimes dug into flesh.
Stab!
No heals came in, signaling that the priestess's divine power had probably run dry. But, so what?
You think I'll break down before you?
I held out, wielding my mace nonstop and at times sacrificing myself to a Vortex in order to save my comrades. I endured and endured.
"Kwohhh!" A minute later, the monster let out a shriek and stared at me as if to demand why I wasn't collapsing. So, we were thinking the same thing. High praise for a monster.
Please just move on to the next attack pattern, you bastard!
I struck him in the neck with my mace, that exact sentiment in mind.
Smack!
That made him flinch for a moment but didn't leave a dent.
Stab.
In the meantime, Amelia lodged a dagger in his temple.
"Kyaaa!" The monster howled in pain and at that moment, a thick curtain of wind enveloped his body almost protectively.
Whooom!
[Storm Gush has cast Priest of the Storm.]
This was the last-ditch survival skill it used when it only had 10 percent HP left. This was the moment I had been waiting for this whole time.
"Raven!" I called the name of our wizard, who had only been casting curse spells from the sidelines this whole time, but the spell was already being cast.
Shaaaaaa!
A vivid magic circle appeared on the ground, radiating light.
Dash.
Smack!
This guy seemed to hold a grudge because he immediately twisted his body and came after me.
Bang!
Even though I blocked it with a shield, the shock penetrated my bones. Was it because of the sharp increase in Physique stats it had gotten from Rainmaking Ritual? When I'd blocked the same attack earlier, it hadn't been this bad.
God damn it.
Forget dislocation—my arm was bent with the shield still in hand. Since I had kept my arm tight against my body to put more weight behind it, even my ribs tingled. But a heal came in soon after.
[Lairin Ersina has cast Healing.]
A warm yet mysterious power reconnected my severed tendons and pieced my fragmented bones back together like a puzzle. This mysterious power seemed to say that now that I was healed, I should go fight for my comrades.
"Behel—aaah!"
A fight that could not be explained with words like "arduous" promptly ensued. The monster was as strong as you'd expect a rank-three monster to be, and tough.
Stab.
While its flesh was being stabbed repeatedly by an aura user, dozens of arrows were lodged in its shell, draining away its Vitality. Curse spells were being piled on it, causing dark green bodily fluids to drip out of its wounds. But while the dagger Missha stuck in its eye was wobbling, the bastard continued to fight and fight again, as if we were evil incarnate and he was justice itself. He moved tirelessly, and every time he did, someone got hurt. Most of the time it was me.
Scratch.
Sharp claws tore through shields and armor, and sometimes dug into flesh.
Stab!
No heals came in, signaling that the priestess's divine power had probably run dry. But, so what?
You think I'll break down before you?
I held out, wielding my mace nonstop and at times sacrificing myself to a Vortex in order to save my comrades. I endured and endured.
"Kwohhh!" A minute later, the monster let out a shriek and stared at me as if to demand why I wasn't collapsing. So, we were thinking the same thing. High praise for a monster.
Please just move on to the next attack pattern, you bastard!
I struck him in the neck with my mace, that exact sentiment in mind.
Smack!
That made him flinch for a moment but didn't leave a dent.
Stab.
In the meantime, Amelia lodged a dagger in his temple.
"Kyaaa!" The monster howled in pain and at that moment, a thick curtain of wind enveloped his body almost protectively.
Whooom!
[Storm Gush has cast Priest of the Storm.]
This was the last-ditch survival skill it used when it only had 10 percent HP left. This was the moment I had been waiting for this whole time.
"Raven!" I called the name of our wizard, who had only been casting curse spells from the sidelines this whole time, but the spell was already being cast.
Shaaaaaa!
A vivid magic circle appeared on the ground, radiating light.
Dash.
Not stopping at just dodging to the side, I got as far from the monster as I could. I wasn't the only one who did; Missha and Amelia, still on the front line, did the same. They knew what was coming next.
"Felz Askar Bier." Among the military magic Raven had worked hard to learn, this was the only spell specifically designed to kill a single powerful enemy rather than multiple at once.
But despite that, its range is too wide.
I gulped and looked forward.
[Arua Raven has cast the rank-4 attack spell Divine Punishment.]
From the seawater-covered ceiling, thunder shook the heavens. A second later, everything turned white.
Flash!
It wasn't blinding, though. The pure white light, which would have been refracted multiple times before reaching this place, was dim as it filled our vision.
Kablam!
The long-awaited Divine Punishment landed right on top of the bastard's head.
High Physical and Mana Resistance, Strength, and Agility that rivaled that of an Ogre were the traits that had earned it the nickname Ogre of the Sea, but a Storm Gush's Vitality stat was very low compared to that of an Ogre. Because of the skills it had under its belt, it was smarter to aim for a short fight. Its attack patterns and combos meant that engaging in a long battle with this guy would gradually put the challengers at a disadvantage. And so, I had also aimed for a short fight, conserving 70 percent of our MP and only dealing regular attacks. The plan was to start cramming in more damage at an increased tempo after Rainmaking Ritual, and critical hits starting at 40 percent when Storm Call was used. Then, at 10 percent, a level-clearing move with bullseye aim.
It was a fairly straightforward strategy, except for the fact that we didn't have any counter skills to neutralize some of the monster's attack patterns, which increased the risk. We had consumed almost all of our resources to reach 10 percent HP, and so our wizard had to handle the final blow alone. Yes, it was definitely a plan worth trying. The only question was, how did it turn out?
Kablam!
Before long, Divine Punishment pierced the seawater in the form of a thunderbolt and I was able to see the results with my own two eyes.
It failed.
It was such a miserable failure that we couldn't even pretend it was a success.
Chhhhhh.
The monster's shell was now steaming like that of a cooked lobster, but it was still alive and moving. The tornado swirling around it, protecting it, remained unchanged. The reason was clear. It wasn't that we'd waited too long and the spell had been fired after the monster had activated its invincibility.
The damage just wasn't enough.
It was just that Raven's finishing move had been lacking, and by a lot.
I thought that spell would be worth a try.
It might have been my fault for not considering the terrain. Perhaps if it was in a normal environment, that lightning wouldn't have had to pass through the seawater and lose some of its power.
"I-It's alive! What do we do?"
What do you mean, what do we do? We have to move on to Plan B now.
"Patzran! Bring out the boat!"
At my cry, Patzran looked up, his abdomen still shredded. "...What boat?"
Not stopping at just dodging to the side, I got as far from the monster as I could. I wasn't the only one who did; Missha and Amelia, still on the front line, did the same. They knew what was coming next.
"Felz Askar Bier." Among the military magic Raven had worked hard to learn, this was the only spell specifically designed to kill a single powerful enemy rather than multiple at once.
But despite that, its range is too wide.
I gulped and looked forward.
[Arua Raven has cast the rank-4 attack spell Divine Punishment.]
From the seawater-covered ceiling, thunder shook the heavens. A second later, everything turned white.
Flash!
It wasn't blinding, though. The pure white light, which would have been refracted multiple times before reaching this place, was dim as it filled our vision.
Kablam!
The long-awaited Divine Punishment landed right on top of the bastard's head.
High Physical and Mana Resistance, Strength, and Agility that rivaled that of an Ogre were the traits that had earned it the nickname Ogre of the Sea, but a Storm Gush's Vitality stat was very low compared to that of an Ogre. Because of the skills it had under its belt, it was smarter to aim for a short fight. Its attack patterns and combos meant that engaging in a long battle with this guy would gradually put the challengers at a disadvantage. And so, I had also aimed for a short fight, conserving 70 percent of our MP and only dealing regular attacks. The plan was to start cramming in more damage at an increased tempo after Rainmaking Ritual, and critical hits starting at 40 percent when Storm Call was used. Then, at 10 percent, a level-clearing move with bullseye aim.
It was a fairly straightforward strategy, except for the fact that we didn't have any counter skills to neutralize some of the monster's attack patterns, which increased the risk. We had consumed almost all of our resources to reach 10 percent HP, and so our wizard had to handle the final blow alone. Yes, it was definitely a plan worth trying. The only question was, how did it turn out?
Kablam!
Before long, Divine Punishment pierced the seawater in the form of a thunderbolt and I was able to see the results with my own two eyes.
It failed.
It was such a miserable failure that we couldn't even pretend it was a success.
Chhhhhh.
The monster's shell was now steaming like that of a cooked lobster, but it was still alive and moving. The tornado swirling around it, protecting it, remained unchanged. The reason was clear. It wasn't that we'd waited too long and the spell had been fired after the monster had activated its invincibility.
The damage just wasn't enough.
It was just that Raven's finishing move had been lacking, and by a lot.
I thought that spell would be worth a try.
It might have been my fault for not considering the terrain. Perhaps if it was in a normal environment, that lightning wouldn't have had to pass through the seawater and lose some of its power.
"I-It's alive! What do we do?"
What do you mean, what do we do? We have to move on to Plan B now.
"Patzran! Bring out the boat!"
At my cry, Patzran looked up, his abdomen still shredded. "...What boat?"
Hmm, did I not tell him about Plan B? No, I'm sure I did. Did he forget because of all the chaos?
I didn't really like repeating myself, but I reiterated the key part of Plan B which I had explained earlier. "Let's bounce!"
If we stayed here, everyone would die.
***
[The Energy of the Storm has entered Storm Gush's body. Storm Gush has become temporarily immune to all damage.]
[10%]
[20%]
[30%]
***
We had to default to Plan B in the end, but there was a lot to feel good about. No one had died. Although the archer from Noark met his doom today and Missha's arm had been severed, Ainar had passed out, and Mr. Bear had also suffered a serious injury, everyone on my team had survived. That was all that mattered.
"Ah, boat...!" Finally, Patzran seemed to remember what Plan B was as he hurriedly touched his sub-space ring where the boat was stored. But suddenly dubious, he took a moment to question me. "B-But even if we take out the boat now—cough!" He paused to cough up blood.
Raven picked up the slack and finished his question. "Mr. Patzran is right. How can we float a boat when everything is covered in water?"
How do you think?
"Don't you remember? His boat is made of Arthene wood."
Arthene wood was the highest-grade material for ships. It was obscenely sturdy and was also buoyant enough to make a life jacket weep. Even if you filled the whole boat with water, it'd still float to the surface on its own.
"What are you doing, Mr. Patzran!? Hurry, get the boat out!"
When Raven pressed him, Patzran cradled his torn stomach and summoned the boat. The boat was large enough to accommodate ten people. I carried the unconscious Ainar and injured Mr. Bear onto the boat and tied them to the pole with rope.
"What are you all doing? Secure yourselves. You could fall off like this."
"Ah, right!" Those who could take care of themselves attached themselves to the boat with rope.
Just then, Missha, clutching her severed arm with one hand, spoke. Hm, I tied it up securely, so she really didn't have to hold it so tightly..."Bjorn, I have something to tell you."
Huh? Tell me?
"Let's do that later."
"But—"
"Why? You don't trust me?"
Missha paused at that and shook her head slightly. "I trrrust you."
Okay, then we're prepared to set sail.
Once everyone boarded the boat, Raven turned to me with great confusion. "But how do we get all the way over there?"
Oh, that's also true.
How could a boat that had been summoned on land set sail? This was a conundrum I hadn't considered when coming up with the plan.
If I didn't think of it, it must mean there was no need to. Hmm, yes.
That seemed to be the case, considering the fact that my body started moving automatically as soon as I heard her question.
"W-What are you doing? You're not thinking of lifting this whole boat...?"
If you already know what I'm doing, keep quiet. You're making me lose steam.
"Ahhhhhh!"
Releasing a yell that was closer to a shriek, I lifted the boat with both arms. Then I took big strides toward the edge of the water. Since it was difficult even for me to hold this thing up for too long, I offered them final words of advice right before plunging the boat into the sea. "Hold your breath, everyone. Go."
Being made of highly buoyant wood, the boat began to rise as soon as it entered the water. With Priest of the Storm turned on, they shouldn't have any issues once it got up there since there wouldn't be any vortexes like before. In the actual game, escape by boat was not blocked at this stage of the event.
...They're gone.
Only when the boat was out of sight did I turn around. There stood the one and only comrade—no, should I say fellow soldier?—who had decided to stay behind. Anyway, Amelia was looking at me with open fascination.
"You really cherish your comrades."
"They are small and precious."
"...I see."
Come to think of it, this lady had a habit of answering most statements with "I see." What was annoying was that no matter how many times I heard her say it, it was still hard to discern what kind of "I see" it was.
So I just decided to say what I wanted to say. "You surprised me too. I didn't think you would be so willing to play this role."
Our mission now was to play the part of bait. When this guy finished charging, he would start using an indiscriminate wide-range skill, and this was not the kind that could be blocked with a shield. It had been clear that a frail wizard, priestess, and multiple injured warriors wouldn't last even a few seconds against it, so we decided to move onto Plan B at this stage: retreat. But unfortunately, not all of us could go. Without someone to stall him, this guy would just chase after us, tail whipping through the water. And we would never be able to defeat the bastard on a boat.
"This role, huh?" Amelia chuckled. "It's definitely not something I would normally do." It seemed she could admit even to herself that she was acting strange. Then why did she decide to stay? "But I can't stand being indebted to anyone."
Wow, so that was really why. I was genuinely amazed. Showing such loyalty to someone just because they saved her from near death once? Wasn't this the best type of personality to manipulate?
I should make sure to occasionally make her indebted to me if I get the chance.
"What is that? That look?"
"Oh, you caught me. I was just thinking highly of you for honoring your oaths."
"...Empty words." Amelia frowned in displeasure. "Whatever, don't look at me like that. Your escape method seemed foolproof. If I'd done the math and decided that it wasn't worth a shot, I would never have stayed."
"Hmm, I see."
"Barbarian, what do you mean by 'I see'?"
"That's... Ah, I think it's ending soon."
When I shifted my gaze, Amelia ended the conversation and looked straight ahead.
[90%]
The tornado around the monster was gradually fading. That meant the final phase would soon begin.
Squeeze.
I gripped the mace tighter. But it seemed she found that strange for some reason.
"Wait, I'm sure the plan was to hold out until we can escape?" Amelia questioned my combative attitude, which also made me tilt my head.
"...I am planning to hold out?"
"...Then it'd make more sense to put your mace away and carry just the shield."
Huh? What was this girl saying? What did that have to do with anything? "A mace is a great defense!" I insisted. I always said this, but the best defense was a good offense, especially when you were dealing with a guy who was almost dead anyway. "So, you lift your weapons too! Don't think about dodging half-heartedly like a bad sport to kill time! You're living with the life Missha saved, anyway!"
"...I see."
Letting up was not allowed.
Hmm, did I not tell him about Plan B? No, I'm sure I did. Did he forget because of all the chaos?
I didn't really like repeating myself, but I reiterated the key part of Plan B which I had explained earlier. "Let's bounce!"
If we stayed here, everyone would die.
***
[The Energy of the Storm has entered Storm Gush's body. Storm Gush has become temporarily immune to all damage.]
[10%]
[20%]
[30%]
***
We had to default to Plan B in the end, but there was a lot to feel good about. No one had died. Although the archer from Noark met his doom today and Missha's arm had been severed, Ainar had passed out, and Mr. Bear had also suffered a serious injury, everyone on my team had survived. That was all that mattered.
"Ah, boat...!" Finally, Patzran seemed to remember what Plan B was as he hurriedly touched his sub-space ring where the boat was stored. But suddenly dubious, he took a moment to question me. "B-But even if we take out the boat now—cough!" He paused to cough up blood.
Raven picked up the slack and finished his question. "Mr. Patzran is right. How can we float a boat when everything is covered in water?"
How do you think?
"Don't you remember? His boat is made of Arthene wood."
Arthene wood was the highest-grade material for ships. It was obscenely sturdy and was also buoyant enough to make a life jacket weep. Even if you filled the whole boat with water, it'd still float to the surface on its own.
"What are you doing, Mr. Patzran!? Hurry, get the boat out!"
When Raven pressed him, Patzran cradled his torn stomach and summoned the boat. The boat was large enough to accommodate ten people. I carried the unconscious Ainar and injured Mr. Bear onto the boat and tied them to the pole with rope.
"What are you all doing? Secure yourselves. You could fall off like this."
"Ah, right!" Those who could take care of themselves attached themselves to the boat with rope.
Just then, Missha, clutching her severed arm with one hand, spoke. Hm, I tied it up securely, so she really didn't have to hold it so tightly..."Bjorn, I have something to tell you."
Huh? Tell me?
"Let's do that later."
"But—"
"Why? You don't trust me?"
Missha paused at that and shook her head slightly. "I trrrust you."
Okay, then we're prepared to set sail.
Once everyone boarded the boat, Raven turned to me with great confusion. "But how do we get all the way over there?"
Oh, that's also true.
How could a boat that had been summoned on land set sail? This was a conundrum I hadn't considered when coming up with the plan.
If I didn't think of it, it must mean there was no need to. Hmm, yes.
That seemed to be the case, considering the fact that my body started moving automatically as soon as I heard her question.
"W-What are you doing? You're not thinking of lifting this whole boat...?"
If you already know what I'm doing, keep quiet. You're making me lose steam.
"Ahhhhhh!"
Releasing a yell that was closer to a shriek, I lifted the boat with both arms. Then I took big strides toward the edge of the water. Since it was difficult even for me to hold this thing up for too long, I offered them final words of advice right before plunging the boat into the sea. "Hold your breath, everyone. Go."
Being made of highly buoyant wood, the boat began to rise as soon as it entered the water. With Priest of the Storm turned on, they shouldn't have any issues once it got up there since there wouldn't be any vortexes like before. In the actual game, escape by boat was not blocked at this stage of the event.
...They're gone.
Only when the boat was out of sight did I turn around. There stood the one and only comrade—no, should I say fellow soldier?—who had decided to stay behind. Anyway, Amelia was looking at me with open fascination.
"You really cherish your comrades."
"They are small and precious."
"...I see."
Come to think of it, this lady had a habit of answering most statements with "I see." What was annoying was that no matter how many times I heard her say it, it was still hard to discern what kind of "I see" it was.
So I just decided to say what I wanted to say. "You surprised me too. I didn't think you would be so willing to play this role."
Our mission now was to play the part of bait. When this guy finished charging, he would start using an indiscriminate wide-range skill, and this was not the kind that could be blocked with a shield. It had been clear that a frail wizard, priestess, and multiple injured warriors wouldn't last even a few seconds against it, so we decided to move onto Plan B at this stage: retreat. But unfortunately, not all of us could go. Without someone to stall him, this guy would just chase after us, tail whipping through the water. And we would never be able to defeat the bastard on a boat.
"This role, huh?" Amelia chuckled. "It's definitely not something I would normally do." It seemed she could admit even to herself that she was acting strange. Then why did she decide to stay? "But I can't stand being indebted to anyone."
Wow, so that was really why. I was genuinely amazed. Showing such loyalty to someone just because they saved her from near death once? Wasn't this the best type of personality to manipulate?
I should make sure to occasionally make her indebted to me if I get the chance.
"What is that? That look?"
"Oh, you caught me. I was just thinking highly of you for honoring your oaths."
"...Empty words." Amelia frowned in displeasure. "Whatever, don't look at me like that. Your escape method seemed foolproof. If I'd done the math and decided that it wasn't worth a shot, I would never have stayed."
"Hmm, I see."
"Barbarian, what do you mean by 'I see'?"
"That's... Ah, I think it's ending soon."
When I shifted my gaze, Amelia ended the conversation and looked straight ahead.
[90%]
The tornado around the monster was gradually fading. That meant the final phase would soon begin.
Squeeze.
I gripped the mace tighter. But it seemed she found that strange for some reason.
"Wait, I'm sure the plan was to hold out until we can escape?" Amelia questioned my combative attitude, which also made me tilt my head.
"...I am planning to hold out?"
"...Then it'd make more sense to put your mace away and carry just the shield."
Huh? What was this girl saying? What did that have to do with anything? "A mace is a great defense!" I insisted. I always said this, but the best defense was a good offense, especially when you were dealing with a guy who was almost dead anyway. "So, you lift your weapons too! Don't think about dodging half-heartedly like a bad sport to kill time! You're living with the life Missha saved, anyway!"
"...I see."
Letting up was not allowed.