We wake the next morning and individually wrap each crewman, which takes over four hours since there were 150 of them.
Himora was on the deck when we came up top, and he assisted us in the effort.
"Wow, that took a lot longer than I would have liked it to."
He said as we wrapped the last of the murdered sailors.
"Where did you go yesterday night?"
Asked the very interested Athena.
"Ataleatia..."
Says Himora flat out.
"Why did you go there?"
I asked, with as much interest as Athena.
"Just to cool off and visit a few friends that I haven't seen in a while."
He says, crossing his arms over his pale blue chest.
"Well...okay."
I responded, not knowing what else to really say. Himora had his own life separate from the surface world and all that we had going on up here, and I had to constantly remind myself of that. Wateria may have been destroyed, but his people had hailed from Atleatia before then, and he was in the habit of visiting the vast place whenever he was upset.
I moved on.
"Now that we've finished all that needed to be done here, we should move on to the castle to stop the Shicato from killing any more than they have."
I say, directing the conversation where we all needed it to go.
"But, wait."
Interrupts Athena.
"You say these things as if they are going to be easy when, in fact, this may be a horribly hard mission. My castle is very large...It has five stories, each with its own beast that only I and mother have the knowledge of which to defeat. This is going to be a very interesting battle, and besides, we have to get past the Shicato base camp before we can even reach the gates."
Himora's interest was piqued at the mention of the 'five beasts', and I must confess, as was mine.
"Oh, a game. I like games..."
He says as he leans against the rail and rolls his eyes to emphasize his sarcasm.
"So...tell us about these beasts, and how to beat them...go on, we are listening."
Rolling her eyes, she turns her shoulder to him and speaks mostly to me.
Himora really had his way with girls.
Athena began to brief us on the nature of each beast, her voice grave.
She pulls from her utility belt a small book.
A bestiary of sorts.
She flips through the pages until she finds what she is looking for, then begins to read aloud the details that ring the images that paint the center of the pages.
We listened intensely.
"The first room belongs to the Parugian Bear. It is a hideous beast that has been captured by the best Parugian Warriors. The bear has front claws with a maximum length of three feet. The bear itself stands at a stunning 10 feet and has a huge hump on its upper back. Its razor-sharp claws can slice through stone, and its massive lower jaw can crush bones like toothpicks. Its only weakness is its hump. If you can reach it. Its heart is stationed there...these beasts are extremely rare and ill-tempered."
The first of the five had my attention already, and we were just getting started. This was going to be one hell of a strike.
She went on.
"Room two was built to house...er, to HOLD the Naridian Alpha Giant. Just like the Rigori Ogre, the Naridian Alpha is the smartest of the litter. Unlike the original giants that were fought back in Naridia, which stood at just seven feet, these Alphas are much faster and stand at an amazing 12 feet. Their choice weapon is the club, like most Giants. These creatures tend to depend on their strength, and they are inclined to go for a quick kill. Their stamina is super low, so if you tire them out, they slow down dramatically. Sounds easy, but it's not. Their weakness is their knees. Although they tire easily, the longer you battle them, the more they memorize your fighting style...be careful."
That was two out of five beasts described, and I was already starting to ponder how we would make it through all of this in one piece.
She went on before Himora, or I could pose any questions.
"The third chamber is tailored to suit the Black Sea Manta Ray. This beast is a highly anti-earth type. Its main strength is in the water. Its wingspan is just under 20 feet from tip to tip, and from head to tail, it is 10 feet long. Its massive fangs are two feet in length, and its tail is tipped with a sharp blade that is said to be second only to the katana. Its only weakness is its sight, so you might have a good chance to catch it from the back. Its reflexes are those that are and will never be matched by any other beast. These mantas are as quiet as a mouse, so be careful because you may never know where they're coming from.
Himora shifts about a bit, a sign that he was growing a bit inpatient.
Athena ignored him and continued, more in my direction than his. I could tell that she could sense his growing irritation. I could also tell that she simply didn't care.
The two of them would have to figure this out before the chaos that was still yet to come.
"The fourth room may be one of the hardest to defeat, besides the fifth and final room....
This towering beast is known as a Soul Brace Golem. Its entire body is made of solid Mantalis stone that can't be penetrated. If any warrior were to defeat it, they would truly be named amongst the most Ultimate of warriors. Its hands are, in fact, giant boulders whose sole purpose is to crush the opposition. It can arrange its stones to be whatever it wants at any time, and its only weakness is this."
At this, she points at the front of its chest, right in the middle.
"There is a hole that is about one and a half inches in diameter...once an arrow or any other type of projectile penetrates that hole, its soul will be broken. destroying the Golem. But that would take an ace marksman. It stands at 11 feet and can walk through an entire army of men if it is left to reach its full running speed.
This Golem was intriguing to me since Earth was the element that I could willingly manipulate. I would have to see if my Aether would have any effect on it.
Athena went on, finishing her exposition.
"The final chamber is...well, rather complicated. There is no beast, but a small band of warriors. This final room is guarded by the legendary Shadow Militia. This group of four men and one woman is composed of the fallen souls of the world's top five warriors.
Ti-Kup: The legendary Archer from Solithia. His arrows always hit their mark. He was killed by the legendary Golden Dragon.
Tain: A master swordsman-at-arms who died in an all-out assault on the Rigori Ogre mountains. It was said that he rushed in headfirst and killed hundreds before his death.
Dunya: A master Sumo fighter whose massive strength was his ultimate downfall. After disabling the Golden Dragon, he failed to escape its gold flamethrower attack.
Tie-Chun-Kep: A young woman who died at the hands of Yatsimoto himself during a raid on her village. She held him off for days, but her fatigue got the best of her.
Last but not least, their leader...
The famed Malie, a fallen sorcerer whose massive control of darkness consumed his once-pure heart. It is said that he is not yet dead, but darkness blocks his path back to the light of life.
Himora clears his throat and pushes off the railing. He uncrosses his arms and rests his hand casually on the hilt of his sword.
"SO, this Malie fella is not dead, but trapped?"
Himora seemed very interested in the thought of a dead yet living man.
"I'll take him on as long as you both hold my back. This seems like a good challenge."
Athena looks him over with a wry glance.
"Well, okay...but be careful. It may be hard, but it all depends on if we even make it that far."
Himora was unbothered.
"Don't worry, we will...I promised Moshido that I would avenge his death, and that's what I'm going to do. This is the best chance...let's go."
We fix the ship up and clean things up as best we can, and move on to the woods. We hike for about two hours till we find a good, flat area to make camp. I dropped my laden bag and supplies before stretching and tossing a few words toward Himora and Athena as they did the same.
"We will camp here tonight. We all need rest. In the morning, we will start through the Shicato camp and make our way to the keep, but we will worry about that in the morning, yeah? Have a good night, and rest well. I will take the first watch.
With that, and after a quick supper of fire-roasted fish and week-old bread, we take our rest.
Tomorrow would be the start of one hell of a long day.