F-Finally I'm done…
Aaron collapsed to the floor after a grueling seven hours of pressure planks ordered by the Marshal.
Every muscle in his body ached and groaned as he lay helplessly against the deck, sweating profusely.
After the special elixir that Cam had given him earlier, all healing and assistance from the Ghostship had been cut off, with the pain in his arm worsening as the day went on.
What the hell was that stuff… She said it was for babies, but if it can neutralize even a Ghostship, then it must be a special tonic or something of the sort.
The brown haired woman herself had left him alone on the deck, deciding to fish off the highest mast instead of looking after him.
From below, all Aaron could see was the string and bobber floating in the rough ocean waves as she hunted for her next meal.
She's been fishing the entire time, but I haven't seen her catch anything. Heh, I should help her since she's a rookie at the sport.
With a sly smile arching across his face, the boy stumbled slowly up the ladder and into the nest above.
The wind howled and ripped at his thin shirt as he reached the top, staring calmly at the woman's back.
"Need some help up here?"
His arrogant voice stirred a laugh from the brown eyed woman; however, she didn't turn to face him.
"I know your history of fishing, and I must say that you have a right to be arrogant, but unfortunately for you, this isn't what you might think."
Her words sent an eerie chill down Aaron's spine as he realized she had expected him to come to help her.
"W-What do you mean…?"
A tingling sensation in his chest warned him to run, yet it was too late to escape her clutches.
"It's time for the next exercise in your training~"
Cam's tone carried the intention of happiness and joy, but Aaron felt none of those feelings as he stepped backwards in fear.
She continued speaking, and with each word, she made the boy wish he had jumped from the mast when he had the chance.
"We are going to hunt Sea Terrors until nightfall, and as you know, there is only one guaranteed way to encounter such creatures when aboard a Ghostship…"
Holding the fishing rod in one hand and a bucket in the other, she turned around steadily, smiling ear to ear.
"Human bait is well… Sufficient shall we say…"
With one horrifying movement, she lunged at Aaron, grabbing his lapel and attaching him to the rod.
His eyes flashed with fear as he listened to the woman's quiet words.
"Don't worry. I've done this before, so it'll be fine~"
She looked over the edge of the crowsnest before turning her attention back to Aaron who stared at her, confused.
"W-Wait, what do you mean fine–"
He barely had time to think before a sudden push sent him hurdling off the edge, facing the dark waves that crashed next to the Ghostship with such ferocity that he would be slammed to pieces against the hull in seconds.
W-What the hell!? I knew I shouldn't have trusted that witch!
All connection with the vessel was cut off, so he knew he couldn't rely on Mr. Crab or the turquoise shield to protect him at his end.
Closing his eyes, he prayed quietly to the Old Man who was hopefully watching him from his prison.
T-This is it… Sorry Eleanor…
Then, he hit the water.
Splash.
From the mast high above, Cam watched in silence as he disappeared under the waves without so much as a cry for help.
…
"Guhhhkkk—pfttthhh!"
Aaron's rapid and choked coughs echoed through the sea as he spat out water in droves.
Looking up, he couldn't help but gawk at the beautiful and intricate design of the bubble that encased him, enabling him to catch his breath.
As soon as I inhaled water, it appeared… But where did it come from?
Around him, various fish and other sea creatures observed the sphere of air with oddly questioning glances that resembled Mr. Crab's puzzled expressions.
Why the hell do all these sea animals look like they want to laugh at me?
He let out a hard sigh as he rolled around the squishy ball he was confined to.
As he attempted to turn himself over to look below him, he felt a hard object wrapped around his neck that dug into his throat.
What the…?
Reaching up with his functioning hand, he touched the cold necklace, feeling its grooves and markings carefully.
When did she have the time…
Wrapped tightly around Aaron's throat was a rare item that Hunters throughout the world begged the top blacksmiths to craft.
One seemingly insignificant pattern of runes, when activated correctly, formed a powerful protection spell that covers the user with a shell that adapts to any terrain.
For all types of business, many individuals coveted such a powerful artifact; however, the prices ranged anywhere from hundreds of Draughts to even the more long-lasting ones costing tens of thousands.
I can't believe she didn't tell me she'd give me one of these… It must've dissipated the impact of the fall and protected me from drowning…
With his anger towards the woman disappearing quickly, he finally flipped himself over and faced the depths below.
What lay beneath him was unlike anything he had ever seen before, something that filled him with dread and anxiety.
Pitch-black darkness.
There was no bottom insight with an endless void stretching out deep into the depths.
Sunlight from the surface could only illuminate so far before the murky seawater clouded his view, leaving him blind to what lurked below.
It was as if the ocean itself waited silently, holding its breath in anticipation of what horrors dwelled beneath its brilliant waves.
This is…
Cold currents blew passed the bubble, freezing the boy; however, he just continued to stare into the living abyss.
As he closed his eyes to blink for only a moment, a spine-chilling series of clicks filled his ears.
They rasped at his thoughts, tickling the innards of his skull as if the noise was playing in his brain.
Aaron's eyes grew distant as he stared endlessly into the darkness, not taking his eyes away even for a second.
Minutes passed as the noises only got louder and louder until they threatened to deafen the boy completely.
Then from the abyss came a large shadow in the form of a beautiful woman with bright blonde hair resembling the sun.
Her eyes were as gray as the sea fog, with a smile as dazzling as a goddess.
Every detail on her body appealed to Aaron, making him flustered and dizzy as he continued to gaze at the magnificent beauty.
Slowly, she swam closer and closer toward the bubble that the boy rested in, pressing her hand against the solid exterior curiously.
Following suit, he placed his right hand directly against her own, feeling her warmth through the border.
The woman carefully moved her face against the clear barrier, looking tenderly at Aaron, causing his heart to skip a beat.
As if in a trance, the boy slowly inched his face closer and closer towards her own, him closing his eyes to kiss her.
Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.
The noise stirred him as he opened his eyes curiously to see what the beautiful woman could be doing to make such a noise.
Looking off into the darkness, he grew confused at the sudden disappearance of the maiden, disappointing him dramatically.
Turning around in shame, his eyes were met with something beyond comprehension.
Thousands of eyes were a mess of colors, staring into his very soul, trying to enter the bubble.
Horrifying mandibles clicked together with a sticky white fluid dripping from its fangs quickly dispersed by the sea water.
Inside the boy's mind, only a single thought stirred with him in a state of hypnosis, drawn to the abomination whose hairy legs slowly encircled the bubble.
So beautiful…
The illusory woman still cradled the edge of the ball with a shining smile that struck Aaron with love, as a sense of familiarity from her appearance snuggled into his head.
In a daze, he moved both hands from his side, ignoring the flaring pain that shot through his shattered left arm.
His fingers danced around the necklace that shielded his body, slowly removing it from his throat with ease.
The hideous clicks dug into his skull, ripping his thoughts to shreds as he was nearly completely done removing it.
Fluid continued to spurt from the mandibles, further infecting the water with its venomous agent of death.
Twhiiing—!
Attached to his lapel, the fishing wire that Cam had attached immediately tensed with a force beyond that of an arachnid, pulling him upward.
Aaron tried to tug at the wire, yet with each attempt to struggle, it only tightened further, entrapping him in a net of string that brought him closer and closer to the surface.
With a horrifying hiss, the sea terror latched its hairy claws onto the orb, trying to dig at the fresh prey trapped inside.
Its attempts were of no use as a sturdy force sucked at its very lifeblood, bringing it towards the surface along with the boy.
Realizing it was trapped in a vortex of power, it struggled and shrieked, begging for freedom, yet on the wooden boat above the scene, one woman sat stern-faced, yawning as she reeled in her catch.
"A spider demoness… Lucky boy attracts a real monster on his first dive, and he doesn't even know it."