The Beginning Of A Five Year Agony-Chapter 47: Trust is a valuable thing

"Hand of war."

Samuel had just unleashed his ability, engaging and fighting the monstrous crimson-red desert serpent. He moved into a defensive stance, his eyes fixed on the creature’s massive body.

With a surge of strength, he reached out, his hand closing around the serpent’s thick, scaled tail...

The creature thrashed around violently, its powerful body coiling and striking at the air around it, but Samuel held onto it firmly. He increased the force he applied, muscles straining, and began to pull. The serpent’s skin stretched, then tore with a grotesque ripping sound effect... Veins, thick and pulsing, popped out across its body... Its internal organs, part of its digestive system, began to spill from the gaping wound. Purple Blood, dark and abundant, splashed across the red sand, staining the landscape a deeper, more horrific shades...

Samuel stood calmly in the midst of the landscape, his stance unyielding, his breath steady despite the efforts... The massive serpent, now lifeless, lay sprawled on the red sand, a mountain of torn flesh and bone.

After a moment, Samuel deliberately sat down on a section of the massive serpent’s body, its scales still warm beneath him. The desert wind, usually a soft whisper, seemed to carry a heavy silence now as if even the environment recognized the sheer force that had been unleashed...

He remained there for some time, observing the stillness that had settled, the silence broken only by the distant murmur of the desert. The sun, a harsh orb in the sky, cast long, distorted shadows around the dead beast’s body... Samuel felt the subtle shift in the atmosphere, the gradual cooling as time passed. His senses, however, remained sharp, constantly analyzing his surroundings. He was in a new place, a new realm, and vigilance was paramount...

Then, a low, resonant vibration began to ripple through the ground beneath him. It was a deep hum that grew steadily, vibrating through the very sand he sat upon...

Samuel looked forward, his gaze sweeping across the horizon. Through the thick, reddish dust that perpetually filled the desert atmosphere, he saw it...a colossal ship.

It moved with grace, a metallic leviathan carving a path through the soft, shifting red sand as if it were a vessel on water...

The ship was vast, its surfaces reflecting the dim desert red lights, its purpose unclear. It continued its steady approach, its size becoming more apparent with every passing moment, dwarfing the already enormous serpent’s split corpse...

The ship glided to a stop beside Samuel, its immense weight settling with a soft, grinding sound into the red sand. A heavy anchor descended from its side, plunging into the ground, and securing the vessel. Moments later, a section of the ship’s hull hissed and then opened up, forming a wide ramp. As the ramp lowered, Samuel saw them... all kinds of races, beings he had never encountered before, their forms varied and unfamiliar... Some looked like mortals(humans).... some completely different... filling the opening. They emerged cautiously, their eyes wide, some fixed on him, others on the dead serpent...

A collective shout erupted from the gathered crowd. "He killed the crimson desert serpent!" The words, filled with surprise and a hint of fear, echoed across the silent desert. Then, the shouting gave way to a wave of whispers, a low murmur that spread through the assembled individuals. Samuel heard phrases like "impossible," "unbelievable," and "he looks like a mortal?" woven into their hushed tones...

Samuel slowly got up from the dead serpent’s body, his gaze steady, assessing the beings before him. Then, a figure stepped forward from the ship, drawing everyone’s attention. It was a truly massive being, easily nine feet tall, with a single, large eye dominating its face. This was clearly the captain of the ship, radiating an aura of command and power...

The captain’s single eye fixed on Samuel. "How many I help?" he rumbled, his voice deep and resonant.

Samuel narrowed his eyes slightly, a calculated gesture. He knew nothing of this realm, nothing of these "Wasteland Voyages," but he would not show that. He maintained a facade of knowing, of being familiar with this new environment.

"We are the Wasteland Voyages," the captain stated, his voice unwavering.

Samuel nodded slowly as if processing familiar information. He then walked forward, a deliberate, confident stride across the bloody sand. "I am going to the mountain on the Fallen Lesser God’s Hand," he stated, his voice calm and direct. He paused, then continued, "And I don’t have money...I would like to exchange this serpent for an accommodation...?" Samuel’s words were a gamble, but he had noted their shocked reactions to the dead serpent. He was certain this creature was significant, perhaps even revered or greatly feared. Its worth, therefore, would be substantial...

"What will it be?" Samuel added, pressing the point.

The captain turned his single eye towards his crew. "Boys!" he bellowed.

Immediately, a group of the captain’s kind, tall, one-eyed men, each well over seven feet in height, moved forward. They approached the immense serpent’s body, preparing to carry it onto the ship. Their size and coordinated movements indicated their strength and experience...

While they were occupied with moving the massive serpent, Samuel walked up the ramp and onto the ship. The interior was unlike anything he had seen. The people inside were truly strange. Some had long, prehensile tongues that occasionally flicked out, tasting the air. Others possessed three eyes, arranged in various patterns on their faces, blinking in unsettling synchronicity. He observed them all, taking in every detail, every oddity, without betraying his surprise...

A man approached Samuel. He was tall, but not as imposing as the captain. Samuel looked up at him, meeting his gaze.

"Name’s Luan," the man said, his voice softer than the captain’s.

"Samuel," Samuel replied, keeping his response brief...

"Strange name," Luan commented. "You don’t seem from around here, do you?" Luan’s tone was inquisitive, directly hinting at Samuel’s unfamiliarity.

"Room," Samuel stated, skillfully deflecting the question without answering it.

"It’s downstairs. Do you want to go there now?" Luan asked, still sounding polite.

"First Tell me about the mountains...how far is it... from the desert," Samuel insisted, ignoring the offer of a room. He needed information.

"Don’t you want to go to your room?" Luan responded, a hint of curiosity entering his voice. He seemed to find Samuel’s behavior unusual.

"Just tell me about the mountains," Samuel repeated, his tone firm. He wasn’t giving ground.

"You’re going to a place you have no information about," Luan observed, a slight smile playing on his lips as if amused by Samuel’s bluntness...

Samuel remained silent. He would not reveal his lack of knowledge or anything else. He kept his expression neutral, his thoughts private...

"If you’re not going to tell me," Samuel said, his voice edged with a controlled impatience, "then stop wasting my time." He turned abruptly, walking away from Luan, and heading towards the edge of the ship. He looked down. Below him, the vast red desert stretched endlessly... It was filled with fins...large, dark dorsal fins...that moved through the red sand with the ease and speed of sharks swimming in water. They cut through the dunes, leaving faint trails behind them, a silent, deadly ballet.

"It’s strikingly beautiful and dangerous, isn’t it?"

Samuel turned his head to the left. It was Luan, who had followed him. Luan stood beside him, his single eye gazing out at the desert, a knowing expression on his face.

"You’re from the mortal realm, right?" Luan asked, his voice low, almost a statement rather than a question...

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," Samuel responded, his voice even.

He knew Luan was correct in his assumption, but Samuel couldn’t afford to trust anyone in this new, unknown place. Maintaining his guarded demeanor was essential for his survival.

"Then what region are you from?" Luan questioned, turning his gaze back to Samuel, looking directly into his eyes, attempting to read him.

"Just take me to my room," Samuel said, his voice flat, ending the line of questioning.

"So now you want to go?" Luan laughed, a dry, raspy sound. "Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me."

For a split second, a lethal thought flashed through Samuel’s mind...the idea of killing Luan where he stood. The thought was fleeting, dismissed as quickly as it arose. There would be a time for such actions, but not yet...

"Follow me," Luan said, turning and heading deeper into the ship.

Samuel followed him. The passage was filled with various races, and as they walked, Samuel was acutely aware of their eyes. They were all looking at him with strange, intense gazes, a mixture of curiosity, suspicion, and something else he couldn’t quite place. He felt their scrutiny like a physical weight...

"We are here. Your room," Luan announced, stopping before a door.

Samuel noticed the eyes of the other beings were still fixed on him, even as he reached his room. He entered, closing the door firmly behind him, shutting out their gazes. The room was small, sparse, and functional, with a single bed and a small table...

"Aegirion," Samuel spoke softly.

From his skin, the dark green, segmented blade emerged, solidifying into existence beside him...

"I have a question," Samuel exclaimed to the blade. "Can you camouflage yourself?"

"Yes," Aegirion replied, its voice a low, resonant presence in his mind...

Samuel smiled a grim, satisfied expression. "Good. Go to the edge of the door and stay there. Wait for my command."

"Your wish is my command," Aegirion responded. The blade shimmered, its form blending seamlessly into the shadows and lines of the doorframe, becoming imperceptible.

Then Samuel walked over to the small bed in the room and lay down, intentionally positioning himself to appear deeply asleep. He closed his eyes, controlling his breathing, making it even and slow...

After a period of waiting, the quiet hum of the ship was disturbed. The soft creak of his room door opening registered in Samuel’s heightened senses. At that exact moment, Samuel, who was still perfectly feigning sleep, allowed a small, knowing smile to touch his lips.

He heard multiple voices whispering in his room.

"Are you sure he’s the one, and that he’s a mortal?" a hushed voice asked, filled with an eager anticipation that sent a cold prickle down Samuel’s spine.

"I’m sure he’s mortal. I can smell his blood," another voice responded. It was Luan’s voice... Samuel thought internally, So, Luan told them. He brought them here...

"I can’t wait to eat him. It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten a mortal," a third voice added, the tone thick with hunger.

"Is everyone ready? He’s strong, but he seems to be asleep, which is to our advantage. So let’s kill him quickly."

"Hmm."

They all turned to the sound. Samuel was now sitting upright on the bed, his eyes wide open, gleaming in the dim light of the room. His feigned sleep had vanished...

"I was expecting you all," Samuel said, his voice calm, cutting through the predatory whispers. "Aegirion, kill them all."

Before any of them could move, Samuel’s blade, which had been hiding at the edge of the door, shot forward with incredible speed. It moved like a blur, cutting through the air. In a rapid sequence, it sliced off the heads of all the people crowded in his room. Purple blood erupted, spraying across the walls and floor as bodies collapsed.

Screams filled the confined space, abrupt and cut short.

Samuel stood up from the bed and walked out of his room into the passage. His eyes narrowed. He saw that all the people on the ship were standing in the passage as well, forming a solid wall, blocking his path. Each of them began to change, their forms distorting, shifting, and transforming into their true monster shapes. Scales erupted, limbs elongated, teeth sharpened, and eyes glowed with malevolent intentions...

Samuel had already anticipated this. He knew a single mortal on a ship filled with such beings meant only one thing to him...

Roar... roar...

"Aegirion," Samuel commanded.

His blade flew back into his hand, its surface now slick with the purple blood of his recent kills. Samuel smiled, a dangerous, confident expression. "Activate ’Periodic Poltergeist.’" He felt a familiar shimmer, and then he was invisible, his form dissolving from their sight...

All the monsters in the passage began to look around, their monstrous eyes scanning frantically, unable to pinpoint him. Then, in an instant, one of their heads flew into the air, detached from its body, purple blood splashing everywhere. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

One... two... three... Samuel moved swiftly, a whirlwind of invisible motion. He moved with precision, cutting each of their heads from their bodies. The passage became a gruesome scene of a falling body and gushing purple blood.

"Everyone, go outside!" the assistant captain, a larger, more formidable monster, roared, his voice cutting through the chaos.

At that moment, Samuel understood. Everyone on the ship was involved in this ambush. This realization brought him a grim sense of peace. There were no innocents here... he could kill every single one of them without reservation.

The remaining monsters rushed outside onto the outer deck, their transformed bodies scrambling to escape the invisible attack, leaving Samuel alone in the blood-soaked passage.

Samuel smiled. He walked calmly out into the outer part of the ship, stepping into the open air. Just as he cleared the doorway, a spear flew right past him, narrowly missing his head. His eyes widened. "What? How can they see me?" he thought, his invisible state compromised.

Then he looked upwards. It was raining. Not water, but red blood, a thick, viscous downpour. Then it came to his mind...they couldn’t actually see him directly, but the rain was falling around and on his invisible body, creating a temporary outline, making him visible to them for fleeting moments.

"Surrender and become our food, mortal! Your meat is very tasty, so don’t make it hard for us!" the monsters collectively voiced, their roars now laced with malicious glee. They formed a wide circle around him on the ship’s deck, their monstrous forms looming.

"I never wanted any of this," Samuel said, his voice carrying over the sound of the falling blood rain. "But it seems like there’s no need for any talk. Monsters don’t understand reason." Samuel smiled, a cold, unwavering expression, and then he deliberately deactivated "Periodic Poltergeist," becoming fully visible to them.

The red rain fell even heavier, a continuous, drumming sound against the ship’s metal.

Samuel extended his hands. "Hand of War." Dark red energy began to flow from his hands, pulsing with power. The entire ship began to shake violently under the force of his activated abilities...

"Now who wants a snack."

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