Realm Wars

"Is this it?" Cecily asked.

"Only one way to find out." Lucian nodded in the Owner's direction.

The Owner faced them and fanned his fan. "Ready the boats, will cross this lagoon and search for the Jewel."

The Owner went to Lucian and squeezed his shoulder. "From here on out, we'll take the back while our Rank-B mercs take the vanguard."

The Owner then beamed at Cecily before he trotted into the backline with Athen and Athena.

Lucian and Cecily looked at each other before they sighed.

In the traveler's ring of every merc contained wooden wharves and boats. 

Skull also gave Lucian's group some boats that they would use in traversing the Bloody Lagoon. They even considered sailing the Nightmare Sea with it, but that would be a very foolish idea since one storm could destroy it. Skull knew this too. That was why she was confident to give them the boat.

Not before long, they found themselves into the depth of the water.

"It's creepy that you can't see what's below," Kai said as he leaned on the lake. His reflection was blurred, and the dense green color of the lagoon hid what was beneath.

"Don't lean in too close, or you might fall," Lucian warned.

Since the boat could only carry a max of five-person, Lucian's group was divided into two. Lucian, Rosa, and Cecily stayed together while Ryu and the others remained on another boat.

Ryu took in his surroundings. The drylands were getting father and father, and as they went deeper into the Bloody Lagoon, all he saw were nothing but green waters and occasional bumps of rocks and driftwoods. 

The trees flanking on each side of the lagoon swayed, but there was no wind, and the creatures lurking beneath its shadows rattled a hymn that made the atmosphere all the more depressing. The fog wasn't also helping in lifting the mood.

"What's that?" Kai pointed at a distance.

Ryu's eyes turned to slit while Ferry's dilated.

Not far from them, near the mercenaries' boat, a beautiful creature emerged.

"What the–!"

The mercs didn't finish their sentence when a group of beauties bubbled from the water. Their skin was porcelain, and their face ethereal.

Each one of them appeared different and uniquely beautiful to match the taste of those who perceived it. 

Not before long, this beautiful woman also appeared near Lucian and Ryu's boat.

Their eyes were pure and their voice soothing as they sang, and everyone found themselves lulled by the song. They couldn't take their eyes off them.

Some mercenaries couldn't resist their allure and leaned closer to the edge of the boat. The women caressed their haggard faces and sent their exhaustions away with a gentle kiss.

The mercenaries leaned closer and closer, and the creatures pulled them deeper and deeper. Enticing them with their beauty and voice.

Splash!

Splash!

Some mercs fell in the water, but none reacted. Nobody cared. They were charmed by the maidens' faces and pleasant voices.

Lucian was enamored for the woman before him was the same woman in Skull's ship he met days ago. She was beautiful, as he remembered, and equally alluring as he leaned closer to cup her face.

However, Ryu was confused. Cecily was in the water, but she was in the boat not a moment ago. Then Ferris's demon form appeared beside Cecily, calling for him to join them.

Ryu leaned closer until he was just a breath away from Cecily and Ferris. His slit eyes melting, shaking as he watched them. When their mellowed voice spoke his name, he reached for their hand.

His nose crunched when he smelled something rotten, and his beast was enraged when he realized it was not them.

Grr!

A loud vibrating snarl rumbled in Ryu's chest and shot forth from his mouth in the form of a deafening roar.

Roar!

Everyone woke up from the dream, and the beautiful faces of the maidens in the waters turned into monsters that were more gruesome than their most demented nightmares.

Their faces were the only thing human, but their neck down to their body was already rotting bones and torn flesh.

(Pic)

"Rusalka!" 

Agh!

At the mercenaries' screams, the Rusalkas' snarled. Their faces tore wide open, and their jagged, sharp teeth chewed a chunk of flesh from the mercenaries' skin before they pulled them into the water.

Rosa pointed her staff, face red with anger. "Damnable creatures!" She was pissed that she was almost fooled by the handsome face of Lucian's half-naked in the waters.

"Die!" Rosa bellowed and cast a spell that burned the Rusalka. She also summoned Fifi, and every Rusalka that neared their boat was turned to powder by Fifi's lightning.

Lucian was quick to react, and using his hands, he sliced the head of the Rusalka, who almost dragged him into the waters. He was both annoyed and disappointed. He thought that he finally found the woman in the boat and could finally learn her name.

While Cecily didn't know what happened, she was just lulled by song into slumber, and when she came too with Ryu's roar, everyone was fighting these creatures with pretty faces but rotting bodies.

"W-what the-!" Cecily didn't have time to ask what was happening as she ducked when a Rusalka jumped over their boat and almost dragged her into the lagoon.

Cecily summoned her weapon and killed every Rusalka that jumped over. When she looked around, it was chaos.

Some mercenaries' boats were wrecked, and almost half the mercs were dragged into the ocean. 

"Shit! Eat this! And this! And this!" Kai was hurling ice spiked to every Rusalka he saw while he cried in silent tears. He thought he was in euphoria only to be awakened into the hard cold ground or, in this case, waters.

Kai tried not to gag at the face of such ugly creatures. To think that he almost kissed those monsters. .. Up! Kai covered his mouth and swallowed the bile back his throat.

His eyes watered, and he shot thousands of tiny dense ice towards the Rusalka at high speed. 

[Bullet Ice]

"Everyone!" the Owner's voice rang out. His voice was calm and playful, like he was taking a tour at the lagoon with the Rusalkas' ugly bodies as attractions. "Don't panic. They're afraid of the burning light, so use fire." 

At the Owner's voice, the mercenaries regained their composure, and the mages in the group cast fire spells to drive the Rusalkas away. 

The Rusalkas hissed and shrieked, scraping everyone's ears with their sharp voices before they swam back onto the lagoon.

Within minutes, silence had settled, but everyone was still wary. 

Flickering fires hovered above their boats as they were afraid that the Rusalkas would come back at any time.

.. .

. . .

"D-did they finally give up?" Kai wanted to slip a glance but was afraid that the Rusalkas would pop and drag him below.

Ryu took the courage and leaned into the waters while Ferris's eyes were becoming blurry again. She enjoyed the naked Rusalka disguised as Ryu a moment ago, but her drowsiness just kept on overpowering everything else.

Rosa huffed and sighed while Lucian was still embarrassed at what happened.

How could he have lost his bearing like that? Just because of a woman? If not for Ryu's roar, Lucian didn't know what would happen to them.

His roar could snap the effect of charms which was handy since no one knew when it took effect until it was too late. Especially it was the Rusalkas ace skill. They were known for it that not even a Rank-A could easily escape its charms.

Lucian's feelings towards Ryu improved even just a little.

This time, they owed him their lives.