The only sounds were the cold wind from the north, howling through the rigging, and the creaking of the masts in the rough weather. The two moons cut through the silver-gray clouds like whales, racing overhead, coating the elegant falcon ship with silver light.
Belloda leaned on the railing of the deck and stared into the dark night, but her experienced eyes could discern subtle shadows in the darkness, and she could see the long coastline and rugged cliffs in the distance.
As the fleet of three Asur Falcon ships sailed north, cold wind blew from the starboard bow, and the smooth hulls of the Falcon ships cut through the gloomy waves. With three stepped masts and a long, narrow hull, the Falcon can fly along the water with all gaff sails hoisted, and the makeshift Druchi crew gradually becomes familiar with the dance of wind and waves, as they do It’s like knowing the land of your birth.
However, the sea conditions in the Claw Sea are really rough. It is a wild and dangerous water. Biting cold winds, fierce ocean currents, rocky coastlines and icebergs put sailors on this sea facing many dangers, and there is also the ever-present threat of the Norscan raider longship fleet, or shelter under the waves. Attacks by numerous monsters.
Even the Falcon's graceful and agile qualities made her difficult to cope with in rough weather, her high mast and narrow beam making her prone to tumbling dangerously in the rough Claw Sea, which winter on the southern Norscan coast still stubbornly refused to do. Surrendering to spring, in front of the thick wall of gray clouds, there is still a strong wind blowing from north to east.
When Darkus and Drusala were both asleep, Genevieve, who had just finished exercising, appeared on the deck. A cold, salty wind blew against the centenarian woman who had only a sixteen-year-old face. Although she could no longer feel the coldness on her face, she subconsciously reached back for the wool hood hanging on her shoulders.
The Falcon ship rolled drunkenly and staggered into another hissing wave. The sailors on duty on the rigging passed to each other the instructions of the acting captain who was standing at the helm below, leading the Falcon ship in the gloomy sea. The claws danced merrily on the sea.
Genevieve saw Belloda, who was looking at the storm front in the east with her magic eyes. She walked a few steps forward on flat ground and vaguely saw two falcon ships following her left and right.
Although Belloda was looking at the darkness in the distance, her thoughts had already drifted back to Ulthuan. She had found an opportunity to ask her friend in the White Tower of Hoth before. After saying this word, he told her exactly what happened at that time.
Caledor's ghost had already spoken with more than a dozen elven archmages in the White Tower. The archmages were swarming at the door of the Supreme Archmage's office. It seemed that every archmage wanted an audience. Every elf has his own questions, and every elf seems to have something to say. It seemed that even in the safest heart of the White Tower, there was an atmosphere of panic and fear.
After that, all the magic swordsmen scattered throughout Ulthuan had the same dream. If only one magic swordsman had such a dream, it might be a simple and meaningless illusion, but if all the magic swordsmen had such a dream, If you have the same dream, it means it is of great significance.
Belloda didn't respond. She just told her friend that the crisis was temporarily over and that she could tell her friend if he met Caledo again. After a brief chat, her friend asked several times where she was, but she never told her. She found that she gained a lot of insights during the process of closing the channel, and her perception and use of magic became more refined. This was a very rare opportunity, but now she who should have been happy became confused about the future. She couldn't Knowing what will happen next, is she really going to act as a middleman between Darkus and Finubar, as Darkus said? What will happen next, and what profound impact will it have on the future of Ulthuan? Impact?
What happens after that? Beloda's behavior has logically confirmed her crime, and she has become indefensible. She can't drag Darkus to testify and defend her in Ulthuan's court, right? Let Druchi, who is inferior to Naggaroth alone and more than ten thousand people, go to Ulthuan to defend her and prove that she did not betray Ulthuan, Assur, or associate with Druchi?
To put this in Darkus' words...isn't this too abstract? Maybe Beloda really wants to go to Chapeuto to serve as the high priest of Druch's Stormweaver Order, as Darkus said? So where should she put herself next? She knew that there was bound to be a fierce battle between Asul and Druch. What could she do in it?
"You seem to have a lot on your mind." Genevieve walked over and said softly, and then she continued, "Of course, this is inevitable. If I were you, I would be like you."
As Genevieve With Viv's words, Belloda was freed from her tangled thoughts. She turned her head to look at Genevieve and this strange vampire.
In Belloda's opinion, the vampire standing in front of her is an extremely strange existence. The weak wind of magic surrounds her, and her body skills are weirder and more agile than those of elves. When there are all Druchi, there is very little Genevieve. She rarely speaks, but all the Druchi are in awe or respect of Genevieve. It is said that Drusala, as a high-level sorceress and former chief maid of the Witch Queen, can actually accommodate Genevieve. This in itself is extremely weird.
"You seem very considerate." Belloda said something incomprehensible, then turned around and continued to look into the darkness in the distance and said, "I'm a little curious... Marcelan is on top! What is that?!" "
I Lord of the Abyss!" Belloda said sternly, and then cursed in a low voice, "Am I dazzled by the square sheets? Why did that ship appear here?" "
Go and inform him that something has appeared in front of us. Black Coffin! He will know what it means, go quickly! Before entering the storm, we need his order!" Belloda looked at Genevieve who was confused and said. At first she thought she was dazzled, but she also She was a little afraid to confirm. After all, she had seen the ghost Black Coffin more than once in the Twilight Fortress, having always dealt with vampires in the north. But what she didn't expect was that the Black Coffin actually appeared here.
After Genevieve walked away quickly, Belloda did not shout directly to the acting captain. Although she was an Asur mixed in with the Druchi, she was not a slave, but a priest of the Stormweaver. And with the end of the trip to Obion Island, her status has been significantly improved. She now has this authority, but she did not assert it without authorization. She quickly came to the upper deck.
"There is a ship there, and we may need to prepare for battle."
The acting captain was stunned for a moment. He was appointed acting captain not because he was a good man, but because he was taller among the short ones and was from the Black Ark Nagol. He seems to know a lot about navigation. There is a saying that goes: The captain is the only law on board. But this sentence does not apply to this falcon ship. Not to mention the hand of the Witch King, even the Stormweaver Priest in front of him can suppress him.
The acting captain took out his monocular and looked in the direction Belloda was pointing. He only saw the dark sea surface, but he quickly captured what seemed to be an invisible outline. When he locked on it again, the outline disappeared. Gone.
"There are ships in the northeast! Observe!" the acting captain shouted to the sailors on the rigging, and then he began to give orders and prepare for the next step.
In his sleep, Darkus had the same dream again. It was still the fjords of Norsca, the same cave, and the same existence he needed.
"I know, I know. My dear Marcelan, is there anything we can't say face to face? We have to do this." Darkus said tirelessly.
After Darkus clearly saw the existence he needed, he knew that this was Marcelan guiding him. Just like the triggered tasks in the game, relevant tasks will be triggered when he reaches the designated area.
But... Darkus doesn't like this approach. Now he is profound enough to understand a saying: when you come into contact with things outside the boundaries, you have to bear the corresponding price. Dreams are the price and pain he needs to pay. If there is something he needs most, it is nothing more than a good sleep without dreams and a high sleep until dawn, not like watching a movie, or working in his sleep, or... Climb the stairs. Although the dream has not affected his rest and health, no one can stand this kind of spin for a long time. Genevieve, who tiptoed back to the cabin, just opened the door and saw Drusala who was not sleeping on the lower bunk. She raised her head to Darkus in response to Drusala's questioning eyes.
"Did something happen outside?" Drusala stood up, and the faint light coming from the porthole illuminated her tall and curvy figure. From Genevieve's current angle, she could see her pointed penis. Chin and a sexy smile, she asked softly with a smile.
"The triangular eye said there was a ship ahead, the Black Coffin."
"The Black Coffin?" Drusala froze on the spot and asked inexplicably.
"She said adults would know."
"But... you also know that he just fell asleep."
"I can feel that the triangular eyes are not joking. She also said that a storm is brewing ahead."
"I understand." Drusala nodded.
Darkus sat up from the top bunk with a confused expression, as if he was sitting up in shock when he was dying of illness. He looked at Drusala and Genevieve who were looking at him inexplicably. He knew this. When he wakes up for no reason, something must have happened.
"The triangular eye said there was a ship ahead, the Black Coffin." Genevieve repeated her words.
"The Black Coffin?" Darkus, who was a little confused, didn't react at first, but as the confusion dissipated, he quickly reacted, "Isn't the Black Coffin the flagship of White-haired Haken? Why did it appear? In the Sea of Claws? The naval battle three years ago was not destroyed? No, I read the battle report of Dulias at that time."
Darkus also thought about a possibility, using the urine of a vampire to face the lizard at that time Man and Druch attacked from sea and land at the same time, most likely leaving the white-haired Haken who was ill and moving on his own. But what he didn't expect was that the vampires did not go to the jungle south of the Kuiweizha River, but used their own weapons to attack them. The familiarity of the surrounding seas hid. According to his understanding, Haken hid in the coffin at first and escaped through the Black Coffin to avoid pursuit. After breaking away from Haken's shackles, the Black Coffin seemed to be able to return to the Sea of Claws.
"It's so weird that the affairs of the Lustria continent are going to end in the Sea of Claws thousands of miles away."
Darkus, who was muttering, walked towards the upper deck at the stern of the ship. There were two short stairs. Leading from the main deck to the upper deck is like the two trees in front of the door, one to port and one to starboard. He walked to the starboard staircase, and as he did so, another wave crashed against the hull, causing the Falcon to list like a bottle floating on the waves.
Darkus reached out a hand to steady himself, and suddenly a strong sense of dizziness seized him. His eyes swam, the cacophony grew and waned in his ears, filled with discordant roars, conflicting noises, and cries of rage and pain, and moisture soaked into his palms. But he quickly overcame this bad feeling. As Marcelan's divine choice, he couldn't be timid at this time. Marcelan's divine choice was seasick, and people would laugh to death if he told it.
"In the name of the Lord of the Abyss! Sound the battle horn! Get ready to sail!" Darkus, who came to the upper deck to stabilize his body, raised his monocular and looked in the direction Belloda pointed. Then he ordered loudly.
The Black Coffin is not big, and is far less scary than Count Noctilus's flagship. From Darkus's current perspective, with the broken hull covered on the surface removed, it looks unremarkable. It is just a second-level battleship from the age of sail.
Upon hearing Darkus's order, the trumpeter put the horn to his lips without hesitation and blew out a burst of shrieking and groaning notes that made Darkus' bones tremble.
In a moment, the deck under Darkus' feet began to tremble. The crew members who were still sleeping in the cabin immediately began to take action. A group of three or three Adreze believers helped each other put on armor. Soon he heard the eerie echo of a trumpet cry in the wind. Two other ships in the fleet had heard the war trumpet and responded.
Then the Adreze believers boiled out of the hatch like angry birds. Some carried melee weapons and unstrung harpoon crossbows and flew to high places on the frosty rigging. Others carried The good weapons stood in neat rows on the deck, and some carried Reaper's ballistae. After the fighting position was fixed, they quickly assembled the ballistae in the dark under the oilcloth cover.
Maranur, who was on the other Falcon ship, arrived on the upper deck within a few minutes after hearing the horn sound. After assessing the reports of the acting captain and lookout, he decisively ordered the flag to be raised and allowed himself to The ship distanced itself from the falcon ship where Darkus was.
"Ah~ I feel like life has returned to its original state. Saving the world in the past seems to have become a dream, deeply engraved in my memory, and what we should do now is what we should do!" Standing on the horse Next to Ranuel, Cowell said in an aria like a bard.
Kewell's actions amused his sister and Maranul.
"Saving the world and hunting don't conflict, do they?" Maranur responded with a smile.
Ahead, lightning began to become more frequent in the long-brewing storm, blending into the flame-like light, forming a fiery natural feast.
Darkus felt that his mouth was filled with the iron taste of blood, surging waves rolled over, and raindrops suddenly poured down from the sky. With the fury of the storm, the Black Coffin still sailing ahead appeared. Out of shape, there is no way to escape.
"The hunt begins!"