Rimholm University: Clandestine

Chapter 14

"What do you think you're doing elf?" Freddy didn't move after he felt the sticky tentacle-like hand on his shoulder. The person leaned at him. He keeps his eyes close and silently pursues something, also the reason why he's keeping his hand open as if he's going to touch the water. It's like the gates from the depths are now open for him at the situation, a mist that makes them unaware of the surroundings and a person with an octopus-like character.

The rattling sound comes back when every time it breaks through the silence, the mist gets thicker and thicker every second. Mira was stunned after witnessing every oblivious crew to stood up lifeless and looked in their direction. They grabbed their weapons then started to stomp their feet on the wooden floor, chanting the ancient language of their world. The woman's eyes started to glow as she looked at the sky. Her form is no longer humane. Black veins are now visible to her olive skin and her arms become four. The upper part pair have eyes on both palms while the lower part holding a small rod with tiny bells on it. There's a black liquid coming from her eyes. Her gums and teeth are tainted by the black liquid.

"Chants of the sea, a haze of Hypnos, rattles of life, I offer these children for you, Solera."

Mira's gaze started to get blurry and the chanting got louder and louder. It's a blast on each other's ears but the more the chanting goes louder, it becomes a lullaby that sends everyone who heard it to their slumber and haze makes everyone who inhaled it got under the control of the caster.

'Mira, don't close your eyes.'

'I can't, sorry--'

Mira can't fight the urge anymore, the crew attacked Zachary and the two other males who are now protecting Mira. Zachary ripped the piece of his clothing and put it on Mira's nose to secure it so the mist won't affect her anymore before shifting into his wolf form then howled and starts to attack them. Mattheo covered his nose too before covering Mira. Both he and Zachary are trying to not get fall asleep by the chants.

'Mattheo, please protect Mira for a while.'

Mattheo who's now in his human form, doing what Zachary told him to do. He's defending Mira from the crew who's moving unconsciously. Frederick pulled out his dagger and was about to stab the creature behind him but he found nothing but the thick mist. A tentacle wrapped around his feet and dragged him away from the water, causing his back to hit against the wooden floor and accidentally let go of the dagger from his grasp.

"An elf for the dinner."

The creature lifted him upside down which makes him dizzy before another tentacle wrapped around his body tightly. He can feel his bones got almost crush if the grip gets tighter. The dizziness and agony are now mixing in his system, he wants to close his eyes yet the pain in his rib is now scattering overall his body.

On the other hand, Zachary who shifter back on his human form is making his way to save the elf from the giant crab with tentacles near his mouth the stretches and becomes long to reach its victims. He didn't dare to close his eyes not remove the cover on his nose to take a breath. This time, he didn't change into his wolf form to save the elf.

Zachary got restrained by the ten shifters. He can't fight anymore since he can't risk being in control by the caster.

'Where are you Salem and Ifrit?!'

"Solera---" Everything stopped including the ship and the waves. Zachary looked in Mira and Matteo's direction. She's removed the cloth that covers her mouth and nose then looks back at him. Freddy can move but he's stuck and Mattheo looked at her in shock.

"I can't hold it longer! Move now!" She yelled despite the blood starting to coming off from the nose. Her gaze averted at Mattheo, "Help him please." The boy nodded before taking a sword near to her and help Zachary who's away from the spot where the two of them are. Mira put back the nose covering and put everything back to normal.

"There's no point in summoning Solera. But there's a point in sending you to the depths of Devaiah."

The remaining two monsters and the unconscious supernatural got set in blue smokeless flames and a brute force of the wind blew the haze away. Zachary immediately took away from the supernatural creatures who are in flames. He rushed to Mira and helped her to stand up. Freddy falls and hits the wooden floor. The elf groaned in pain before standing up. She walks towards them as they checked if one of them is injured.

"Why you're missing at the moment--oh."

"What happened?"

"...."

"Salem your hair." Salem emotionlessly holds her hair and looked at it. She averted her gaze at the two monsters that now burned into crisps.

"It doesn't matter. I like my hair anyways. Ifrit helped the slaves to evacuate while I'm..." She pointed her finger to the upper deck on the top of the room where the Captain and the caster went out earlier, "I'm there all the time but of course sleeping while my shadow is watching all of you."

"Let go back now." Ifrit stepped in and flicked his fingers. The flame surrounds the three of them. After experiencing the dizzy feeling that makes the three newbies throw up, the fire that surrounds them vanished along with the air and they ended at the University's entrance.

"You two," Zachary halted Mattheo and Freddy by grabbing their shoulders. Freddy looked at him with an anxious smile while Mattheo remains nonchalant.

"You shouldn't tell anyone what you see on the ship and that includes what Mira did, am I heard?" Two of them exchanged looks before nodding.

"Good. If I heard or found that one of you spread everything," Zachary's eyes turned into intimidating gold then points his thumb on his neck and slowly acts like he's slashing his neck, "You're dead. Be thankful if Salem is the one who kills both of you and not me."