Lynch walked slowly through the shallow sea.
He was walking, not swimming.
It was a truly wondrous experience. His body was submerged in seawater, yet it felt as if he were floating in the air, with the buoyancy being only slightly greater than that of the atmosphere.
He could naturally gather this buoyancy beneath his feet to hover in the water as if standing on solid ground, or he could allow his surroundings to return to the state of normal seawater, letting him swim just like a fish.
Lynch felt as though a layer of slick fish skin had enveloped his body. Seawater would slide away the moment it touched his clothes. At the same time, he could breathe freely within the water, no longer needing to worry about drowning in his sleep while in the garden.
This was the Call of the Water. Its nature was similar to the Cat's Favor; it was a gift from the King in Yellow.
According to West, in his earliest days, the King in Yellow held authority over storms, not water. His connection to water and his octopus-like image were all stolen from a certain nameless, deep-sea, octopus-headed evil god who refused to reveal his identity.
With that, Lynch understood why the deep ones and the apostles of the King in Yellow fought the moment they met. If he were a deep one, he would also fight the believers of the King in Yellow to the death.
Besides, why did they have to leave a mark on his soul whenever they had the chance? Was this some sort of pre-slaughter quarantine?
Lynch shook his head, putting an end to his internal musings. A pitch-black shadow had already appeared within his field of vision.
It was a massive wind-and-steam hybrid cargo ship, the most common type of coastal freighter of the era. Faintly glowing coral hung around it, barely illuminating the dark hull.
The exterior of the freighter was not severely damaged. The ship's name and emblem were still painted on the outer hull.
The Cold Crow, belonging to the Morale & Son firm, had suddenly sunk in the waters near the port not long ago, and all the sailors on board had gone missing.
Lynch had learned from Mark's dying will that these deep ones were hiding in this shipwreck. Although he did not know the exact location of the wreck, after interrogating Maya and trading a secret full-course steak meal from Lattis Kitchen for the information, he had deduced its precise coordinates.
Like a predator in the sea, Lynch hid behind a reef on the ocean floor, silently observing the wreck.
Unlike the shipwrecks in documentaries, which were usually teeming with marine life, there was no sign of vitality around the Cold Crow. Schools of small fish would swim nearby, but they would veer off long before reaching the ship, as if the most terrifying death lay sleeping there.
From a hole in the wreckage, several pitch-black humanoid shadows emerged. They patrolled around the ship like nimble fish. A strange ripple of water spread from their throats, and Lynch, hiding behind the reef in the distance, could only sense a chaotic and muffled, bizarre sound.
Sure enough, this was the nest of the deep ones.
'Neighbor, talk to me. I'm having trouble holding it together.'
Entering an enemy's nest alone with his greatest reliance already spent, Lynch was not as relaxed as he appeared. Especially in the oppressive darkness of the seabed, every second brought immense pressure, making the fear in his heart increasingly difficult to control.
【You can leave, neighbor. You are under no obligation to take such risks.】
'I... have grown to like this city, and some of the people in it. I want to protect them, too. I want to stop Princess Chloe's conspiracy and nip the threat in the bud.'
【Then do your best, Lynch. I look forward to you revealing beautiful scenery. But I would like to tell my neighbor and travel companion one thing: reality and falsehood are not contradictory. In the world of the soul, sometimes the truth is the most dangerous lie.】
'Hm? What does that mean?'
【I have indeed kept much from you, but that is only because I did not wish to use myself to change you. So, enjoy the scenery on your journey to the fullest. Do what you want to do without caring about what I mean, because... this is your journey. No one should influence your decisions.】
'What if my choices lead to irreparable danger?'
The light laughter in his mind was as gentle as a breeze, tapping softly against Lynch's heart:
【Heh, why fear such things? You are my neighbor, Lynch. You are the one I have chosen. Do you truly think the Lady Red Moon only hangs coldly in the sky, watching her neighbor struggle on the path of immortality? Have you forgotten that on the night you truly awoke, I already told you: I... have always been there.】
Damn it, why did his heart suddenly feel so warm?
Lynch felt a wave of warmth in his chest, and even his eyes grew moist. It must have been that the Call of the Water had failed; gifts were just never that reliable.
He took a deep breath, and after choking on a mouthful of seawater, Lynch realized that the tension in his heart had long since vanished. He gripped the conch at his chest and tapped it rhythmically: Target discovered. Ready.
Soon, the same tapping sound came from the conch: Everything is ready. Have a safe journey. I await your triumphant return.
Then, I am coming.
Lynch hid his form, leaping lightly along the sand of the seabed and advancing rapidly. As the distance closed, the cargo ship became clearer in the darkness.
Several large holes had been torn in the bottom of the ship, the wooden planks at the edges ripped and twisted, exposing the waterproof lining and the cargo hold. From deep within the cabin, faint light seemed to be leaking out.
"Eleven skeleton sailors kicked the round heads, a red-headed parrot pecked at the bloody eyeballs..."
Amidst the jarring singing, two more deep ones swam out from the hole, holding sharp blades and looking quite dangerous.
Lynch hesitated for a moment before switching states, allowing himself to move like water. He followed silently behind two of the fish-men. But after just a few steps, the singing stopped abruptly, and the fish-men scanned their surroundings vigilantly.
The seabed was silent, and no abnormal figures could be seen.
"Why is the current so strange? It's like someone is following us."
Damn, he had forgotten about the currents. Fish probably perceived their environment just like that.
The sentence carried by the water ripples made Lynch tense up immediately. He stopped in the water, motionless, and gripped his heavy cane.
"It's probably just fish, or maybe a warm current. It couldn't be a drowned corpse or a ghost from the shipwreck, or a curse from a fisherman, right?"
"Don't say such terrifying things. With that Lord here, no ghost would dare come near."
"What you said is even more terrifying. Don't mention it. Let's finish the check and go back to have a few drinks. The rum on this ship is good stuff."
That Lord... seems to be someone not to be trifled with.
The two deep ones did not pay it much mind and soon swam away. However, Lynch did not dare to be careless. He kept his distance, tailing them from far behind, and watched as they circled around to the tilted deck.
Seeing them disappear over the ship's side, Lynch finally moved again. He trod water all the way up and finally grabbed the rail to peek his head over, seeing the scene on the deck at close range for the first time.
At that moment, Lynch felt his scalp go numb, every hair follicle seeming to explode at once.
On the open deck, he saw a massive mass of gray sludge.
The ocean of sludge, like a small lake, churned and heaved endlessly. Floating in the lake were hundreds upon hundreds of severed heads. These heads had different features, and each one wore an expression of silent, agonizing grief, their mouths wide open as if they were letting out a miserable wail.
Holy crap, a jump scare right out of the gate. A head-on critical hit.
The visual impact was too strong. Lynch subconsciously retreated, nearly falling back into the sea, while at the same time, he saw the two deep ones shivering as they entered the sludge, skirted around the floating heads, and ducked into the cabin entrance on the deck.
???
They were actually going to crawl inside?
Rate on N.U.
