"Everyone to their positions! Levi's warned me that there are a few beasts lingering around the ruin so expect us to get attacked after we enter. Don't get lax, don't get killed, I'm still hoping that we can all get drunk to celebrate afterwards!"
Ching Shih's voice resounded across the entire ship as they approached the tilted ruin. A slight tremble seemed to run through the air, the atmosphere solidifying somewhat as it tensed up. No treasure was acquired without danger, and few dangers were braved without losses.
They had weathered the surrounding storm already so the crewmembers had a bit more leisure as they gathered on deck. But their expressions were dignified and solemn, a slight twitch of nervousness occasionally making itself known as Wanderer allowed his gaze to roam across the faces of those gathered. Ching Shih allowed his own gaze to drift across the gathered members, nodding slightly before using his chin to gesture towards Wanderer.
"Good, not a one missing. We've got a new member on this excursion, but poor lad doesn't even know his own talents so we don't have a good place to put him to use. Dengde, Qing, the two of you will take him with you. Dengde, see if you can't teach him a bit about arrays, Qing, make sure that he learns the basics of being a scout."
The captain's words were law in situations like this so both Shin Dengde and Liya Qing nodded their heads and voiced their understanding, shifting over so that they could take up positions around Wanderer. A scout and an array aficionado, they were the ones in charge of taking the lead and making sure that the crew didn't end up walking into any traps.
The remaining crew members already knew their positions so things proceeded smoothly, the ship cutting through the sand and anchoring next to the ruin. It was a very simple anchoring process, they simply dropped metal plates covered in fine lines that stuck to the sand.
"The normal docking procedure also involves tying ropes to both our ship and the target, but we never know what we might encounter in places like this so we skip the ropes so that we can hasten our possible retreat."
Liya Qing explained a bit about the procedure to Wanderer as they watched. It wasn't the scout's job to dock the ship, but it was still good to know the how's and why's, that way you could avoid messing with them in the future.
As Wanderer watched, a head poked up from the sand. A long serpentine neck covered in dull scales, a triangular head several tens of metres long, a maw that split the entire head in half, and two pairs of murky yellow eyes. The creature used its mouth to pull on the anchors, dragging them beneath the sand with somewhat stilted movements, seemingly dragging them towards the ship's keel, its underside. Liya Qing evidently saw Wanderer's eyes open wide, chuckling softly as she explained.
"Surprised you, didn't it? You don't see it often, but that's another part of the ship. Levi, a puppet imbued with the spirit of an old Leviathan. Well, that's what Captain keeps saying, but I've got the feeling it's just the spirit of some boring old sea serpent. She serves as our main engine as well as our tracker, she's able to spot ruins and tracks of demonic beasts based on movements in the sand so we rely on her quite a bit."
There was rarely a need for Levi to show herself as they moved so this was indeed the first time Wanderer saw it. But learning of its existence did answer one of his questions. The thumping sound that awoke, the soft thumping he could feel beneath his feet even now. Levi had been the source all along, her slightly stilted movements transmitting through the ship and reaching him.
"Alright, docking's done. Wanderer, stick close to me. I may not look like the most reliable out of the crew, but I'm not gonna let any harm come your way."
The one who spoke up this time was the youthful Dengde, patting Wanderer reassuringly on the shoulder. He was indeed on the younger side when it came to the rest of the crew, but he still had his pride as a member of the Sand Sovereign, he wasn't gonna let the freshest kid get harmed while he was supposed to teach him the ropes.
"Ohh, Lil Dengie is starting to grow some hairs? I've got shivers, shivers I tell ya!"
Liya Qing simply snickered at Dengde's declaration, sweeping back her auburn hair simultaneously so that it wouldn't fall in front of her eyes. Dengde snorted somewhat coldly at her joke but didn't say anything further so he probably wasn't as offended as he pretended to be.
The crew boarded the skewed building, the subdued scent of wood and moss surrounding them as they passed through what used to be a window. Roots of varying sizes lined the walls, covering what seemed to once be artworks or decorations as they broke through the floor. The thin layer of moss that covered each root was budding with small white flowers, it was practically paradise compared to the ocean of sand outside the ruin.
"Alright, full alert everyone. Dengde, Qing, Wanderer, we'll defer to you."
Ching Shih's voice reminded everyone that they couldn't relax just because things looked beautiful. Beasts could attack them, the ruins could crumble, they could activate some arrays that still lingered in the building, the plants might even be capable of releasing poison if they weren't careful.
"Alright, our job starts here. Wanderer, one of the first things you gotta do when you scout out a place like this is to secure a safe path. Where is the ground the thickest, which spots are good for hiding traps, which area looks just too enticing to be left alone? You also have to take into account the unique properties of each area. Like here, roots cover practically everything. How have the roots affected the stability of the building, where are the roots at their densest so that we can use them instead of the floor? Which way do they go, downwards or sideways? Your eyes are your most valuable asset here, your experience is second, use both when you can."
Liya Qing started her teachings straight away, her brown eyes narrowing sharply as she inspected the room around them. She pointed to the various roots as she spoke, how they twisted and bent, where they gathered to connect with other roots. She then pulled a small stone out from the pouch hanging from her belt, tossing it towards a section of the floor not too far from their current position.
The floor crumbled as the stone hit it, revealing the thin roots that had ruined its stability. Needless to say, such roots wouldn't be able to support even Wanderer's weight so that particular path would have been disastrous for them. Liya Qing tested a few more spots, probably just to show Wanderer how careful he had to be, and then started guiding the group downwards, using various roots as stairs or poles to descend. And all the while, she didn't forget to teach Wanderer what she knew.
"Another thing you need to be wary of when scouting, especially when we're away from Levi, is tracks of beasts. For example, look over there. Small scars in the stones, roots that have been torn or pierced, holes in the outer walls of the building. Nature didn't do that so there must be beasts in the area. We're surrounded by an ocean of sand so that reduces the number of possibilities by quite a bit so we can generally draw on our experience to make educated guesses. The scars look like they were left by fins so I'm thinking there are a few Sand Snappers in the area, vicious things that act like flying fish, they launch themselves through gaps in the sand and either use their long beak to skewer their prey or their sharp fins to slice them open."
Wanderer carefully and quickly took in everything Liya Qing wanted to teach him, golden eyes vigilantly sweeping the surroundings. She smiled a bit softly at his earnest attitude and the way he picked up stones to mimick her way of testing the path, they had picked up a good member.
But at the same time as her smile softened, her eyes narrowed further. She wasn't the only one, Ching Shih and the others also narrowed their eyes. The traces of the Sand Snappers were clear, and some of them looked relatively fresh. So where were they? Why had none of the snappers attacked them yet? Had they abandoned their territory while they anchored? If so, why? Levi didn't give off the aura of a beast so it shouldn't be her, could it be that another beast had swum by coincidentally?
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They continued to question as they moved, but there was no one that could answer their questions. The Sand Snappers didn't attack them, that alone stood as a fact so that alone they could trust in. And in truth, this was favourable to them, beasts were one of the greatest dangers whenever they delved into ruins like this.
"They're getting denser, we're approaching the source of the roots. Wanderer, it is always when you're closest to your goal, as well as after you've achieved it, that your guard is at its lowest. Always pay attention to this, never allow it to become the reason for your downfall."
Liya Qing spoke up suddenly as they continued to descend. The roots around them had indeed grown both thicker and denser, covering practically everything right now. But Wanderer couldn't see what made Liya Qing so certain that they were close to the source, and that was the difference in their experience.
But indeed, Liya Qing had been right. They only had to descend two more floors, and move through five rooms, before they reached the source of the roots. The source from which the seed had sprouted, the soil that provided this lush tree with its nourishment, was a corpse.
Sprawled out on the ground in front of them was a desiccated corpse that seemed like it once used to be a man. The spot where all the roots extended from was the pouch at the man's waist, he had probably been carrying the seed when he perished. And now the seed had sprouted and dug into his body, drawing on his blood and the energy in his flesh to grow and sustain itself.
"Dengde, how does it look?"
Ching Shih's voice sounded up from the group that was in the process of entering the room, his voice tinged with wariness. Dengde checked with Liya Qing and then took half a step forward, inspecting the corpse closely. The corners of his lips curved up after a bit of searching, his arm reaching out to slide off the ring that the corpse wore.
"Jackpot, Cap. The rest isn't worth any notice, but he's got an interspatial ring. It doesn't look like it's a blood bound type either so we should be able to peruse it at will."
Dengde held the pale blue ring as if it was a gem, rolling it in his palm for a bit before he closed his eyes. He seemed to be doing something, grimacing after a few seconds and opening his eyes again.
"Bah, never mind, not as good as I hoped. Bozo here was basically just as drunkard, there's nothing but alcohol and raw meat in here, you'd think he wanted to be ready for a feast at any moment."
Dengde tossed the ring to Ching Shih as he grumbled, but there was a slight curve to his lips so he evidently wasn't entirely displeased. And indeed, Ching Shih also smiled slightly as he caught the ring, hefting it a few times as if he wanted to show it off to the others.
"Don't be such a stick in the mud, he's sponsoring a feast for us so we should be happy. Ain't that right, boys?"
The other crew members happily agreed, no one would complain about a free feast of alcohol and meat while they were sailing. They checked the rooms a few more times just to be on the safe side, but in the end, it seemed like that ring would be their only bounty here. Going further down wasn't going to work, the sea of sand had already swallowed and crushed everything beneath this floor. And who knows, in time it would probably also swallow this floor and the rest.
"Miss Qing..."
But as they were about to turn around and make their way back up, Wanderer tugged on Liya Qing's sleeves. The group halted in their steps and turned to him, Wanderer pointing towards one of the root-covered walls with slightly furrowed brows.
"That wall... I can't help but feel that there's something off about it."
it was a sensation he couldn't explain, it was like a voice at the back of his mind telling him that there was something lurking behind the roots. But he couldn't tell where it came from so he had been a little hesitant about speaking up. Liya Qing looked a bit surprised at his sudden remark, they had checked these rooms multiple times and not found anything.
But that didn't mean that she would just disregard him. They were family, and family trusted each other. She brought out another stone from her pouch and chucked it at the wall, a standard preliminary test. But as the rock hit the roots, a hollow thud sounded out, echoing throughout the room.
And then the roots burst open. Arrows made from pure steel were launched from behind the roots, holes surrounded by small drawings just barely visible in the spots where the arrows had come from. Liya Qing was the target of the arrows, they seemed to be drawn to her by a strand of unseen energy. And worst of all, they were incredibly fast, Liya Qing and the others were still frozen in shock by the time the arrows had arrived directly in front of her.
And Wanderer watched this, standing right next to Liya Qing. His heart clenched, an ache surfacing in his chest. She wouldn't be able to dodge this. The arrows would embed themselves in her head and chest, stealing her life and burying the knowledge she had yet to share. And it would all be because of him, because he hadn't been able to stay silent.
Would he accept this? Could he? He didn't even need to ask the question, the answer was no, it would always be. He wanted to move, he told himself to move, he had to move. His pupils contracted sharply and his body moved, perhaps more on instinct than anything else.
He wrapped his arms around Liya Qing and pulled her into his embrace, his feet moving slightly. The arrows were fast, fast enough to kill almost anyone in the crew. But Wanderer was faster. One step brought him to the other end of the room, Liya Qing safe in his embrace, her face buried against his chest.
But the arrows just turned, homing in on the one that had activated their trap. Again, they were fast. But once again, Wanderer was faster. He told his legs to move, to save the woman in his arms. And they obeyed his command, another step taking him to the corner of the room. Several of the arrows failed to turn in time and buried themselves into the wall, unable to extract themselves.