home

search

Chapter 158 – An uneasy decision. Wayfaring through the salty waters continues.

  Spire Sea, local time [1794.04.10]

  Not even a minute elapsed before all passengers and most of the crew found themselves on the deck, their loud chatting filling the chilly air.

  Despite his best efforts, Zeph wasn’t able to find anything between the clouds. His borrowed spyglass couldn’t help when he didn’t know where to look. He tried desperately to catch the view of the falling wreckage or people, but that only made him move the apparatus randomly over the distant sky. Not to mention, the constant weaving of the ship was making him mad when he was trying to stabilize the view.

  The ship’s watchman had to have some optical upgrades, there was no question about it.

  The man was currently reporting what he saw to the captain who was standing nearby.

  When he finished, a discussion have started, flooding the deck with a loud murmur. The question was: should they change the course and try to help, or ignore the incident?

  But after a few crewmembers expressed their opinion to the captain, an irritated voice of the Cartographer cut through the chatter, miraculously silencing most of the idle talks happening around.

  “This is nonsense,” she spoke coldly. “Are you seriously considering taking strangers from stratum-one on board?” her disbelieving voice reverberated through the air. “They may be fugitives. And what if they are being pursued – be it by a man or a beast? Are you ready to face possible consequences? It’s plain stupidity!”

  No one dared to answer her.

  The mood started changing to a more nervous one as the silence was stretching. People started glancing at each other with uncertain eyes.

  But the face of the most important man on the deck didn’t change; his gaze didn’t weaver. Frideric, the ship’s captain, was steady like a solid rock piercing through the surface of a turbulent sea. Despite his youthful looks, he was radiating an aura of confidence and authority. He looked to be in his early thirties, but that was deceptive – as with most people who had been leveling rapidly.

  What made him stand out from the crowd were his long, black hair, well-built body paired with a handsome face, and cold, calculating gaze. Strangely, he wasn’t wearing any advanced equipment. Instead, it seemed that he had earned the respect of the crew by using his charisma alone. And it was obvious – many eyes were turning to him, looking for answers.

  His amber eyes unhurriedly scanned the faces of the gathered as he slowly turned to face the small crowd.

  Instead of admonishing the Cartographer for cutting short their discussion, he decided to use the lull to give a quick speech.

  He clapped his hands lightly to gather the attention of the people in the back.

  It was exceptionally effective.

  “She has a point, you know? We don’t need to speculate, we need to decide. This voyage belongs to our guests, so let them take the deciding vote… and responsibility,” he spoke in a low voice that contrasted slightly with his relatively youthful face. “But! I need to remind you all. The rescue law only applies to people from stratum zero! We have no obligations towards the castaways!”

  His speech had an immediate effect as people started to relax, nodding to his words. But he wasn’t finished just yet.

  Looking around slowly, he continued. “Most of the higher-stratum citizens are of no danger to us. But we aren’t dealing with known citizens. We are dealing with an unknown group. Whatever happened up there, and for whatever reason, is of no consequence to us.”

  He paused, making sure his people understood. Then, he turned in the general direction of Makani, Zeph, and Ferrandis, as they were standing together. “I will share the opinion of my crew soon, please try to come to a decision of your own in two hours,” he finished, nodding slightly at the end.

  As the captain stepped back and turned to the crewmembers surrounding him, a low murmur instantly spread through the crowd. Zeph also turned to his companions, but Makani was already turning towards the staircase and gesturing for them to follow.

  Half a minute later, they were seated in the Manacaster’s cabin. The ship was built to accommodate the tall humans of Corora, so for Zeph and Makani everything was comfortably spacious – their cabins included.

  Enchantments and Spells were, respectively, activated or cast, to guarantee some degree of privacy. Even if the topic wasn’t confidential, it still put Zeph’s mind at ease. The amount of information Danette Gildafi had been able to gather from a single conversation with him was still haunting him at night, so he saw no reason to allow others to listen in. The scary Guildmaster lady had taught him a lesson he wasn’t going to forget anytime soon.

  As they finished and each of them found a comfortable place to sit down, Makani hit his tights loudly and looked at Zeph expectantly.

  “Okay, any questions before we start?”

  “Was I that obvious?” Zeph asked sarcastically.

  Ferrandis chuckled lightly, nodding his head in understanding. “Well, you do seem to always have questions.”

  Zeph rolled his eyes, deciding to ignore the jab.

  “Realistically speaking, how deadly is the fall from such a height here? Also, if I’m not mistaken, it should take us at least a day before we get even close. Wouldn’t that leave only the most durable – so, the most dangerous – people alive? Would they even need our assistance at that point?”

  Those were all valid points. Theoretically, a person would need 200 to 300 Flexibility to have any real chance of surviving a fall after reaching the terminal velocity. It was expected that most people above level 100 would have enough, or could mitigate the damage with other methods, but he couldn’t be sure if falling into the water wasn’t more dangerous. It was one thing to fall onto a relatively soft ground that could absorb and dissipate the kinetic energy, and it was another to crash into a medium that would, theoretically, become harder than concrete when impacted with such a velocity.

  Even after that, the survivors would have to deal with their eventual wounds while keeping their body temperature up to par, despite being weakened by the low Ambient Mana density of stratum zero. The density difference shouldn’t be enough to outright kill them – those people were merely from stratum-one, so the difference wasn’t that drastic – but staying in the water would obliterate their Veils, allowing Water-Magicules and low temperature to permeate their weakened bodies. If someone survived all that for a day, it was justified to wonder if such people even required any further help.

  “For a healthy adult, I would rate their chances of surviving the crash as extremely high,” Ferrandis started speaking slowly, his face thoughtful. “If I learned anything about the denizens of floating lands, every person born there, or assimilated into their societies, should be prepared not only for a fall but for a landmass collapse. There is a physical limit as to how far they can descend because of the Ambient Mana density—and a fast change in it, as well—but most of the floating landmasses are conglomerating near Corora’s poles, so the possibility of missing a few strata during a fall can be easily amended if one is prepared…”

  “For the record,” Makani interjected. “All Manacasters are obligated to have countermeasures against fall damage when moving up. The chances of one of us dying from only that is minimal, assuming the person is conscious. Although, nobody requires us to be expertly proficient in those methods… It’s treated like a basic, safety skill.”

  “Returning to the topic,” the scholar started again, sending the Manacaster a stinky eye. “I will sum up the possibilities. Learning how to land a long fall into the water is kind of a standard procedure for people of lower strata. Technically speaking, it’s not as tricky as falling onto a rocky surface or a forest. When speaking about stratum-four and up: theoretically speaking, even an unskilled person with a weak Class shouldn’t have many problems with propelling themselves vertically when midair. That means they shouldn’t have problems finding a suitable piece of land to—“

  Zeph raised his hand, stopping the scholar from going into detailed categorization of all possible cases. “As much as I appreciate the knowledge, I would rather focus on the current issue.” He dropped his arm and sighed, before looking back at Ferrandis. “Knowing they should be able to survive is enough. But that means they are still in danger if they were harmed or rendered unconscious before they started falling, no?” he tried to move the discussion further.

  Ferrandis’s eye twitched slightly, but his face stayed stoic. “When we have time, I shall teach you two about the scientific debate, the order of speaking, and the culture around those common-sense ideas…”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  I already know those and I don’t want to waste all day here! Zeph thought irritatedly while keeping a straight face.

  At that moment, he had flashbacks from the long talks with professors from his university. Those weren’t exactly unpleasant, but the impossibly slow pace was a hurdle in itself.

  “…But you are right. The ones wounded and weakened enough would have to stay in place to regenerate somewhat, assuming they survived. I can think of a few scenarios that could have played out, depending on the relative strength between the members of the crew, their current state, and their origins. We also have no clue what has happened up there, the casualty count can be much higher than we expect.”

  “Stay in place, you say…” Zeph mused, scratching his beard. “A raft made from the scavenged parts of their vehicle? What about the sea predators?”

  “That’s the most probable outcome if someone is still waiting there, yes. The predators? I guess the survivors would be happy to have some food coming their way voluntarily…” Ferrandis answered absentmindedly.

  Right… they are from stratum-one, and the predators… poor sharks, he concluded in his head, pitying anything that would want to get a bite after following the scent of blood.

  “Now, now. You two were the most adamant about staying on the topic, so why do I have to bring you both back?” Makani said with a deeply unsatisfied voice. “Their foreseeable diet is the last of our problems. What if they are swarmed? Also, are you suggesting there is a chance that they are trying to bunker themselves in the middle of the sea? That would be the strangest thing to do in their situation,” he finished, turning to Ferrandis at the end.

  “No, not exactly.” The scholar’s gaze returned to the land of living immediately with his answer. “Zeph’s question made me reevaluate. Both of you heard the report, right?” he shuffled his gaze between their faces, seeking confirmation. They both nodded. “That limits the possibilities. I can’t make you two imagine how it would feel to be stranded in the middle of the sea – you have too many tricks up your sleeves by the sheer virtue of becoming Manacasters. But simpler people think in simpler ways. If anyone there can withstand the water for a prolonged amount of time, they are sure to start swimming towards the closest land as soon as possible. If their Mana generation and food gained from an occasional predator can sustain them, they can easily reach a shore or a stray island… assuming they would be moving constantly to avoid hypothermia…”

  What he didn’t mention, was dehydration. But even Zeph was in possession of a simple enchantment device that could fix that issue instantly, not to mention his Spells. Also, he still wasn’t sure how much Energy Enhancements stemming from Regeneration milestones could influence osmotic balance. It was entirely possible that those people could drink the seawater without repercussions. Or, at least, do that for some time.

  “…A raft would slow them down. But depending on the situation, they could work together to move as a whole. I would give us a 40% chance of encountering nothing or only heavily wounded that were left behind. 30% chance of encountering a major part of the crew working together, assuming they are all relatively low in level. The animals could start swarming in this situation only – as they kill more and more predators, the scent of blood would spread. It can’t happen in one day, though. 10% chance of meeting a wounded veteran and the same for a crew with such an individual. The last 10% would be an unexpected encounter. That is, assuming my conjuration based on the watchman’s report is worth anything...” his voice slowly petered out at the end. It seemed he himself wasn’t that sure about the outcome.

  Ugh, why is my stomach hurting after he mentioned the heavily wounded… Ah, no. I know that feeling.

  As Zeph realized that his budding auguring ability was the most probable culprit, his body relaxed and the dull pain in his abdomen fizzled out.

  It was the first time the contrast was so pronounced, but he wasn’t going to blindly believe in a random premonition, even as obvious as this one. No, he needed facts.

  Zeph did a quick calculation in his head, trying to confirm if the oddly round and high numbers suggested by Ferrandis could make any sense. “Let’s see.. You are almost assured stronger people were inside the vehicle? Like, 80% sure? How come?”

  Makani frowned. “Hearing about what the watchman saw, I would rather believe it was a simple aerostat filled with civilians. They had no banner and no recognizable color scheme. The crew couldn’t be larger than twenty. Indeed, how come?”

  “Because I am taking the worst-case scenarios more seriously than you,” Ferrandis said solemnly. “People don’t fall from a continent without a reason. Double that, when they are being so vividly ‘assisted’ in their descension. That also means that the chances of them being fugitives, criminals, or politically-entangled poor souls are high. Each option worse than the last.”

  “There are still natural phenomena and beasts to take into account, though…” Makani noticed.

  ~~~

  The discussion continued for another hour – Zeph and Makani had many questions, mostly pertaining to the possible danger. Sadly, Ferrandis’s knowledge was purely theoretical in the sociological and geopolitical fields. As it turned out, he was even more wary of the strangers than the crew, but his inborn curiosity was still pushing him to at least try and see the aftermath from a close distance. That was the only reason he didn’t start a tirade similar in meaning to what the Cartographer gal had said. Also, he really tried to stay objective when talking about the possibilities.

  It took some time, but they finally agreed on the course of action. All that was left, was to consult their idea with the captain.

  ~~

  The captain’s cabin was much larger than any other living room on the ship. Not only because of the man’s position, but also because of the nailed-down crates hiding mysterious contents, a multitude of gadgets lying around, and an innumerable amount of documents and maps filling glass-walled cabinets.

  Even if the place was spacious, the man had less free space than any one of them. Moreover, going by the small bunker bed at the back, the captain was living here. Zeph would pity the man, if not for the fact that the random stuff he could see was probably worth more than the ship itself.

  Although, he suspected that the ship’s cargo could overshadow that multiple times over.

  I wonder if Aisha had a hand in all this, he wondered, looking around. She likes to swindle less-available goods a bit too much…

  They stayed silent, waiting for the enchantments to be activated. The captain himself was sitting behind a medium-sized, cluttered desk, waiting impatiently for his people to finish the work.

  Finally, the enchantments snapped into place, releasing three waves of dense Mana. This kind of safety system was new to Zeph. He was almost certain that a variant of Air Sphere Spell was a part of the privacy setting, but he couldn’t place the other two at all.

  “I see you reached a conclusion?” The man asked rhetorically. Not waiting for an answer, he stood up, leaning over his desk. “What do you want to do?”

  Eyebrows raised as Makani, Zeph, and Ferrandis exchanged looks. They expected the captain to put some pressure by presenting the vote of the crew. Evidently, they were wrong.

  Stepping forward, Zeph explained calmly. “We are expecting… troubles – if we find more than four healthy people. But it should be extremely unlikely for them to simply swim around without constructing something from the wreckage. I will leave the long-distance observation to your crew, but we will assist as well,” he said, bowing slightly as was the custom.

  The corners of Frideric’s mouth turned up ever so slightly.

  “Good. The crew wants to at least check the situation.” This was another surprise. The previous warnings and pointers he had given during the short speech were deliberately made to discourage the people. “Your decision will raise their morale. We will be moving soon,” he agreed lightly. “So, what can you help with?”

  _______________________________________________________________________________________

  Spire Sea [near the long shadow of Hiruk continent], local time [1794.04.11]

  They were getting close to the crash site.

  It was immediately evident when the ship started to slow down despite the favorable winds.

  Yet, no shout came from the crew.

  Zeph glanced at Makani. No change on that front, either.

  The man was concentrating fully on his Sound Spells. Even if the downwind wasn’t treating him kindly, Zeph was still convinced that his Spellwork would triumph over the eagle-eyed mates scanning the sea ahead.

  He himself was using a peculiar mix of Spells. Knowing better than to contest the eyesight and sound-detection abilities of the people around him, he decided to try something more entirely different.

  He was currently trying to force three Spells to work together: the Modulated Sound Detection (the legitimate variant he had learned from Makani), the Fluid Flow (reversing its function of guiding liquids to have some direct feedback from his Mana instead), and a modified Kinetic Medium (to ensure working conditions for the two previous Spells while trying to enforce a change in the detectable sound frequency).

  Truth be told, it wouldn’t be that hard if he tried to do it inside his passive Veil. But that was not the goal – he wanted to hear underwater sounds. Thus, he was keeping all constructs near the wavy surface of the sea, fighting for control as he was sustaining three continuous Spells and Mana-L generation while using external Mana Manipulation to place the setup near the water.

  With their current speed, he had difficulties keeping everything stable even in the air. Even assuming the Spells would work properly underwater, they would be immediately destroyed by the shifting waters. As so, he had to improvise a bit. The Kinetic Medium was responsible for transferring modulated vibrations from the water to the input areas of the two other Spells that were flying above, enclosed in a Stabilization Mana-L bubble.

  He didn’t have much success, though. Most of the noise he was detecting belonged to the very boat he was currently riding. But he wasn’t losing hope.

  In the first place, he wanted to make this combination work more like a sonar. But before adding a source of sound to the mix, he had to reach certain detection capability – both in sensitivity and acuity. He was working on those right now.

  Still, it was a small miracle that this combination was working after his first try.

  As time was passing, he was becoming more aware of the sounds their boat was making underwater, confirming that he was making progress. He was quite sure he would be of better use working away, thought.

  Well, we will probably stop at some point, he concluded, aware that they still didn’t find anyone alive. I should be able to detect a danger, at the very least…

  ~~~

  “Starboard!” Makani shouted suddenly. “I’ve heard a heartbeat!”

  The captain started to give orders, before taking a double take because of the ridiculous content of the second part of Makani’s report.

  Zeph could sympathize. The crew still wasn’t able to see anything, yet he heard someone’s heartbeat?

  ?Wreckage in the distance!” came a confirmation from one of the people.

  That closed the captain’s mouth. He shook his head and started giving orders, shouting to his crew.

  It wasn’t from necessity. This crew could easily operate the ship silently. But they wanted to bait anyone still alive, so it was decided they would work in an old-fashioned way. Also, by being loud they could warn anyone guarding or searching the place, which should prevent unnecessary misunderstanding and unwanted aggression. Not to mention, the sea predators weren’t known for ambushing loud targets. They would either move away or attack frontally, as their instincts and habits weren’t geared to work against such opponents.

  That was also the reason why Zeph was keeping his combined Spellwork active despite its dismal effectiveness – it was the best way to detect any danger coming from underwater.

  However, all their worries dissolved soon enough, replaced by a feeling of urgency.

  From behind the latest, tall wave, a small silhouette emerged, barely kept afloat by a wide wooden board.

Recommended Popular Novels