Chapter 117: A journey on foot…
The cat and her master journeyed together for the next couple of days.
They crossed the mountain with the help of quick beasts of those islands, warded the threats using their gray fog and, with a unique Unity, they conquered the threats that stood in their way.
There was no way to deal with them at that point.
The ocean did not stop them. The storms did not stop them. The deadly creatures of deep water were helpless before the two of them.
The way they moved from one island to another, crossing one big stretch of sea to the next at a speed that went beyond one’s imagination, it almost reminded the creatures that were talking about them of the lost dead pirates.
There were only two of them, but, for the creatures, this wasn’t a human-beast duo from the mainland: they were a phenomenon.
The Red-Gold strings of the Gray fog. That’s what the smarter creatures of the waters were calling them.
Merfolks, one of the deadliest races on the planet that ruled the oceans, were scared to even approach the gray fog.
When the scouts from the small villages scattered throughout the waters spotted the gray fog, they avoided getting in contact with them.
Over a single night, rumours that the gray fog would invite anyone that dared to look at it had already spread to this part of the blue waters.
The mere mention of the fog scared the aquatic species.
The ones who could think, talk, and communicate within these waters felt strange eyes looking back at them inside the fog.
Not only was it a strange phenomenon, it was also something that did not make sense to those who had spent centuries in these familiar waters.
To the elders of the merfolk species, the starry gray fog was a Deity.
By the time Sam and Felix reached the final bigger island, the merfolk had developed rituals to praise the divine fog.
They did not want to anger the (Blue-stared master) of the gray fog. The misunderstanding was utterly hilarious to the kitten and her master.
For some reason, these water beings were too good at exaggerating the small things. But then again, in their eyes, the gray fog was the one that brought the storm that hit the waters a few days ago.
The gray fog was also the reason the smaller creatures of the sea were acting so strangely.
They surely weren’t some dark or evil power. If that were the case, all the creatures would be in danger. But, that did not happen.
They were maintaining the stability and harmony of the waters. Furthermore, their presence was stabilising everything that had been going wrong in their waters lately.
The merfolks thanked the divine in the gray fog.
However, the ones who had bright this gray fog to these waters were already walking in a seemingly endless desert.
"Rest inside Felix..."
There were no ships (creatures) that would work in this gray land. They were on their own here.
"Meow..."
Felix would have been better inside her Essence card but she refused. This time, she was strong enough to put her will forward before her master.
She did not go inside her essence card when her master was out here, suffering in the deadly heat.
She wanted to be by his side even if she could not help him directly. The fog would not help them the way they needed and, since they had items that can help them fight against the heat, the biggest hurdle was this dry land of death.
"This place is so old..."
Sam could tell just by looking just how old this island was.
"It’s different from the others."
Unlike the other islands that they have been to, this one was particularly older. The plants, the soil, even the carcasses here seemed to belong to a distant past.
At the very least, this place was a thousand years old if not older. And if that was the case, then, he could tell this wasn’t a normal island.
"This is too convenient." He looked at the map while looking around himself when they reached the top of the island.
Just a little ahead from here and they would reach an island with population. Just a little behind and they would be in a deadly part of the sea which, conversely, is also abundant in resources.
This place was dry land, a deadly desert that takes countless lives. And yet, it shouldn’t be something absolute.
The people that live over there should at least have a stronghold here or a small population that can hold the coast.
By establishing a good enough foundation, on an island without much great threats, the people of that land should have been able to establish a good enough foothold.
But that was not the case.
There were neither enough creatures here nor a civilization. In fact, there were no signs of any civilization either.
It was as if this place wasn’t really a natural island but instead something else... something worse.
"But... that can’t be, right?"
Sam thought about it and a sudden thought crossed his mind.
It was an absurd thought, something he did not want to contemplate over if possible. But, even if he wanted to, he could not stop the train of thoughts that had banged into his thought surface.
"Meow?"
{ "Master? What is this?" }
He was thinking.
Standing atop a sandy mound, he was thinking about the possibilities. But, while he was busy convincing himself to be positive, his feline partner stumbled upon something.
"What?"
It was a strange emerald gem. A shiny stone that, seeing the state of this island, should not have been there.
It was a finely crafted piece of jewelry that caught the kitten’s eyes in an instant. But, it was also just the thing that Sam did not want to see in a place like this.
"Felix, don’t touch it!"
He shouted at her with the loudest scream he could...
"Meow?"
But, it was already too late.
Her paws were already touching the surface of the strange gem.
-Oooooooooooooooooooooong!
"...!"
A sinister light exploded from the gem and engulfed Felix.
-Swish!
Thankfully, Sam had dashed to her side by then and had her in his arms.
-Zaaaaaaaaaaaa!
But that wasn’t enough to stop the light. The two of them had already activated the formation.
This whole place, the entire island, sadly... was a trap.