Pantheon Online

Chapter 129 - [Bonus ] Troubled Waters

Beans let out a happy sigh from her position in the small fishing boat. Her eyes wandered to the small village where she had started her journey in the game. She had been so confused then about what to do. But now this small village was thriving with the amount of fish they caught. 'We still need more. I have to send off a ton of carts towards the front lines.

She hummed absent mindedly as the fishermen in the boat cheered at another large haul. Of course, she was responsible for it with her miracles. It was needless to say that she much loved in this small village where it used to be hard to catch fish. Now there was more than they could ever eat. 

A small chunk of ice floated past, carried by the tide. That was the thing about the sea in this area of Skardia. There were plenty of icebergs of the coast and the small chunks that washed ashore were used to help preserve the fishermen's catch in wooden crates. It was a perfectly natural setup for her to thrive with her authority. 

However, she could not help but feel that the sea beneath the boat felt tense. Which was a strange way to describe it. After all, how could a body of water feel tense? It was like it was talking to her in its own language that she did not fully understand yet. A frown settled on her delicate face as she turned to face out towards the sea. 

Here, on these waters, she felt like something dangerous was approaching. Though she did not know what it was. She should have a natural advantage on the sea if it was some other god, but it felt like something else. She tilted her head as she thought she heard a whisper. A whisper in the voice of tinkling glass.

"Ships... Invaders... Death..." The strange voice whispered as its voice was carried away by the wind.

Beans' eyebrows arched up, as her eyes went wide. She was certain that she was not just hearing things. 'It's a warning! A warning from the sea itself!' She knew that she had to take everything seriously with this game and not just dismiss things. So that sparked her next action. Her mind called out to her oracle on the shore and sent a simple message.

"Gather the villagers. Prepare to flea with all of the supplies. Light a fire to warn the fishing boats. Invaders are coming!" Beans delivered the message as quickly as possible and was pleased to see smoke rising from the shore soon after.

Her expression turned grim as she stared at the icy horizon as the fisherman rowed towards the shore with worried voices. None of them could see their goddess standing there with them. If they could, then they would feel much better about the warning signal. When Beans safely stepped ashore, her eyes never left the sea. 

Her oracle rushed over and began questioning her, but Beans just ordered her to continue with the evacuation. The oracle frowned but recognised the stern look on her goddess's face as one that was truly worried about what was coming. The village was alive with people rushing to load up their valuables and the frozen fish. The boats were dragged ashore and covered with nets and snow. Anything at hand to try to conceal them so they would remain intact when they returned. 

Children wailed while adults fetched long-unused weaponry from hidden areas in their homes. The noise they were making mostly drowned out the quiet whispers of the sea. Beans had to concentrate to even catch a few words. Her mind struggled to piece together what each almost silent word said. 

'Ships... Fifty... Sea of Men... Desert... Fast... Half a day...' Beans thought as she pieced them together. However, part of her wished she had not. 'The sea is speaking to me. There are fifty ships from the desert carrying a sea of men quickly to these shores. They're about half a day away...'

A determined expression swept across her face as she stared at the icebergs. Any moment now and their sails should visible. Those icebergs are around half a day out as well. 'Or are they using them to approach unseen?' A soft growl escaped from Beans as she wondered whether she should stay behind and hold off the invaders. 'Do I buy them time or do I let Exile know about this?'

'Wait... I can do both! If I tell Exile maybe he'll send others here, to help me hold them off! This place is important for our war supplies!' With her mind made up, she cancelled her Avatar spell and reconnected with her slumped body in The Raider's Horn.

"We have a problem!" She yelled, making the busy bar fall silent all at once. 

"Tell me..." Exile replied from across the room with a deep, commanding voice.

Ysella, Beans' oracle, raced around the small village searching for her goddess. After all, Beans had spent a lot of time with them recently, which made her feel secure. She did not know what spooked Beans so much, after all, the sea was calm today and there was not a cloud in sight! It was the perfect day for fishing! So why were they now hurrying to abandon their homes? 

Those questions in her mind did not last long. For around the edge of the nearest iceberg, a large sail appeared. Then another, and another. Ysella's breathing became ragged as she stared at what were most definitely not Skardian ships! 'This is what it's about!' Dread and panic overtook her mind as she screamed the warning at the top of her lungs. 

The sighting of these ships sent the villagers into a frenzy. They did not have long if they wanted to get away without leaving much of a trail for these invaders to follow. As the carts began to roll out, pulled by horses, dark thunderclouds gathered over the nearby mountains and headed towards their village. Everyone collectively held their breath as a suffocating presence washed over them...