The crew grew quiet as they approached the isles. The merfolk in the water for their part seemed to ignore the ship, going about their daily business. That is until the ship entered the heart of the island chain. That's when the waters began to swirl around the ship holding it in place.
Looking over the side of the boat you can see several merfolk mages casting magic to manipulate the waters. Rising from the depths of the ocean on a spout of water was a single merfolk clad in silver and gold ceremonial armor.
He drew closer stopping before the ship calling out, "You enter our waters unannounced. Who are you and what business do you have in our domain?"
One of the ship hands asked the two mages, "Should we steer clear of the islands then? I think I see glaciers and ice along the northern part of the land past the islands."
As Kronal scanned the islands for signs of inhabitants, he caught a splashing in the water near one of the islands. Focusing on that spot he saw another splash, this time he caught a glimpse of what looked like a human's upper torso...
The trip back to the boat was a silent one. The sailors quickly told the rest of the crew what they had seen. Within minutes there was a visible restlessness about the ship. The captain kept it in check by ordering the ship to the north.
Soon they came upon a region where the beach and swamp had given way to some massive stone structure that seemed to span all the way into the heart of the land. That too was cut off by a new beach that seemed to form a crescent shape. Expanding out from this beach were dozens of chains of islands...
Both sailors nodded and pushed the boat back into the waters. They both held the sides stable so Rythos could board with Kronal. Once he was in the boat they would hop in and take them back to the ship.
The two sailors nodded in agreement and turned to head back to the boat. There they looked to the two mages to join them before they would return to the ship in search of a coastal town up north.
The sailor looked down the beach and back to Kronal saying, "That's a good question. We didn't see anything as we approached from the south. That means the best bet would be to head north along the coast. We may get lucky."
"Perhaps we should sail to another part of this new land and see if there are any coastal towns or cities that could heal you if you are wounded, sir." replied one of the sailors hesitantly before continuing, "I've lost fellow sailors in harsh swamps and forests because they thought they could best the disease and the land."
As Kronal spoke Rythos concluded that the vampire had covered his trail well enough to prevent being follow. From the beach came the clearing of throats as the two men who had accompanied the mages ashore called out, "Are we going into the swamps sirs?"
Yes, though sustaining land connections tends to have negative effects in the long term.
The pain was more manageable now but far from being healed. A gust of wind brushed the hairs of the mages standing alone with the sailors. First contact with the inhabitants had not gone as smoothly as one might have hoped for...
A surge of panic washed over Kronal at that thought. But looking closer now he could tell that the curse was not spreading. In fact his white mana seemed to be very slowly destroying the traces of the curse. Perhaps with enough rest and time he would be able to fully heal the wound without the aid of the vampire.
The vampire sneers at Rythos' blade saying, "You two are ignorant fools fumbling about. Drinking your blood will not corrupt you simply weaken you for a time until you've had a chance to rest and replenish."
The vampire turned his back on the two mages and began walking deeper into the dark swamps saying, "Good luck navigating my homeland on your own."
The shadows from the swamps seemed to wrap around the vampire as he walked away. Soon he would fade from sight leaving the two mages alone...
"Peace, traveler!" spoke the vampire, carefully avoiding the light. "I care not to kill you, but merely to be the first of my people to taste the blood of one we would consider an exotic delicacy in our lands. You clearly are not from here or you would not have attacked the titan nor left yourself exposed to it's damning touch."
With a flash of his fangs and a wicked smile, "So what do you say? My information for a small taste of your blood?"
Looking over the side of the boat you can see several merfolk mages casting magic to manipulate the waters. Rising from the depths of the ocean on a spout of water was a single merfolk clad in silver and gold ceremonial armor.
He drew closer stopping before the ship calling out, "You enter our waters unannounced. Who are you and what business do you have in our domain?"
Soon they came upon a region where the beach and swamp had given way to some massive stone structure that seemed to span all the way into the heart of the land. That too was cut off by a new beach that seemed to form a crescent shape. Expanding out from this beach were dozens of chains of islands...
The pain was more manageable now but far from being healed. A gust of wind brushed the hairs of the mages standing alone with the sailors. First contact with the inhabitants had not gone as smoothly as one might have hoped for...
The vampire turned his back on the two mages and began walking deeper into the dark swamps saying, "Good luck navigating my homeland on your own."
The shadows from the swamps seemed to wrap around the vampire as he walked away. Soon he would fade from sight leaving the two mages alone...
With a flash of his fangs and a wicked smile, "So what do you say? My information for a small taste of your blood?"
He emphasized the word blood by flashing a pair of fangs...