Chapter 204. Sea of Mist
Charles passed through the dimly lit corridor to reach the spot above the Narwhale's water hold. Twisting open the wooden lid, he shone the flashlight within.
As the captain, this was one of his daily inspection tasks: to ensure that their freshwater supply was untampered.
Just as he was about to seal the hold again, he felt a sudden prying gaze from the circular porthole next to him. Charles showed no traces of panic. He slowly fitted the lid back into place and pretended to leave. However, the moment he stood up, the flesh revolver was already in his grasp.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He fired a series of gunshots. The sound of shattering glass from the porthole broke the silence. At the same time, a green, webbed hand was torn asunder by the bullets. Charles rushed to the window to discover nothing but a mutilated half-palm and repulsive purple blood left by the intruder.
"Have these strange creatures started to emerge now that we have left the safe route?" Charles muttered to himself.
Suddenly, Charles felt a presence behind him. He swiftly whirled around and aimed his gun at the figure.
"Stand down! State your role and name!"
"Dipp. Position: Boatswain. Duty: Guide sailors in the maintenance, repair and handling of the anchor, ropes, and equipment. Lead sailors in tasks such as painting, rigging, and high-altitude work," Dipp reported with a haggard expression as he stood in place. Emerging from n0v@lbin☆, this material harbors clandestine details.
Feeling relieved, Charles lowered his weapon and approached the young lad. "What are you doing here? Weren't you told to rest?"
"Captain, I'm fine. It's just a little cold. But with your scarf, I feel much better now," Dipp answered. Clad in a thick layer of clothes, he slightly adjusted the gray scarf around his neck.
"That's good to hear. You had us worried." Charles let out a sigh of relief. A few days ago, when Dipp's health deteriorated and he fell unconscious, Charles had thought he was going to lose his boatswain.
"Captain, you can rearrange the helming shifts. I'm ready to take the wheel again," Dipp stated.
"Don't concern yourself over it. You've just recovered and should rest more. Bandages, and I can manage it," Charles said as he gave a reassuring pat on Dipp's shoulder before ascending the ladder.
Within the pilothouse, a sailor was steering with visible anxiety. Meanwhile, Bandages silently observed the dark waters under the searchlight.
"It's my shift now. Go and take a break," Charles said as he patted his first mate's shoulder.
The stool scraped against the floor with a jarring noise. Charles stood in astonishment at the sight before him. Under the illumination of the searchlights, tendrils of mist wrapped themselves around the ship and thickened with each passing moment.
They had arrived at the Sea of Mist.
The sound of crystallization echoed as frost formed on the outside of the glass; the temperature plummeted abruptly.
In the face of this exhilarating news, the crew's faces lit up in excitement. Life at sea was oppressive and uncomfortable, but having reached the Sea of Mist meant that they weren't far from the return trip home
However, their excitement only lasted till the fifth day. And after that, a sense of unease took over.
Only an inky dark expanse greeted them at the supposed coordinates of the Shattered Heart Isles. The Narwhale had lost its target.
In his bat form, Audric swooped into the pilot house. He landed before Charles and reverted to his human guise. "Captain, I've scoured the area. There's no sign of an island. It's probably not a map error."
Charles's expression darkened.
Damn it, was that map fake? Charles pondered.
He swiftly replayed his interactions with Gavin in his mind but deemed it highly unlikely that the boy had any malicious intent.
If Gavin had wanted to harm him, there would have been no need to provide him with the wrong map. With ample supplies on board for the Narwhale to make the return trip to the previous island, doing so would accomplish nothing apart from wasting Charles' time.
He felt that the boy wouldn't risk his life just to pull a prank on him.
Where did it go wrong?
Charles' brows furrowed together as various speculations surfaced in his head. However, there was no clear theory that stood out.
Just as Charles was lost in thoughts and feeling perplexed, Bandages next to him pointed at a circular frame on a nearby device. Inside it was a compass. "Captain... something's... wrong with that..."
Charles darted over and pried out the compass with his Dark Blade. His pupils contracted in fear as he spotted the small magnet tucked at the edge.
The compass had been tampered with a magnet; their ship had veered off-course to an unknown location.
Clutching the compass tightly, Charles instructed Dipp in a grave tone, "Notify everyone to gather. There's a saboteur onboard!"