Dave's party began inspecting the s.h.i.+p. Surprise and fascination were drawn on all of their faces. They were enjoying the ride on the enormous vessel.

"Captain, what is our destination?"

Dave opened the treasure map; the marker's location was pointing to the south-west.

"We need to turn Southwest and go straight ahead,"

Dave said, pointing to the South-West.

"TURNING STARBOARD!" Gafgar roared.

All the undead on the s.h.i.+p held tight on the s.h.i.+p's railing

When the players saw the undead all moving at once, they did the same.

"Go hard on the wheel, captain!" Gafgar said.

Dave grinned, and with one hand he spun the tiller to the right. The s.h.i.+p began creaking as it turned to the right at a rapid pace.

"Hoist the Sails!" Gafgar said once again, and even more sails were raised. The wind howled and blew on them, causing the s.h.i.+p to move faster and faster. The vessel began gaining momentum and coursed through the sea like a sword.

The salty sea breeze a.s.saulted the player's faces, it was refres.h.i.+ng and exciting.

Dave was smiling as he guided the s.h.i.+p; he would slowly steer left or right depending on the wind's direction; this helped the s.h.i.+p move faster and faster.

"Captain, you're a natural at sailing!" Gafgar commended.

Dave enjoyed the praise, but he didn't inform Gafgar about the two arrows in his vision that were directing him toward the marker.

Lone got up the stairs and went to stand next to Dave, "Can I try?" Lone asked.

Looking at the purple-haired elf, Dave was about to agree but then remembered her driving habits.

"No, you'll flip the whole s.h.i.+p!"

Lone cutely pouted at Dave, but he remained unmoved.

She soon gave up and left to explore the s.h.i.+p quarters.

Fortress and Tess were next to the starboard railing and were enjoying the sea voyage. They chatted with each other and had a pink-atmosphere between them.

The priest however, wasn't having the best time of his life. Flanker's face was pale white. He was gulping hard as if pus.h.i.+ng back something. Dave didn't know if it was his strange habits and 'disgust' at Fortress and Tess, or if it was sea-sickness.

Perfect on the other hand went to the s.h.i.+p's bow and sat on the draconic figurehead of the vessel. The wind made his hair flutter as he sat at the front.

"Guys, look." Perfect pointed to the side.

Tess and Fortress leaned over. There was a dolphin pod that was swimming next to the s.h.i.+p. They playfully jumped up and down. Their speed was similar to the vessel.

"Ah, these dolphins are the blessing of the sea. This will guarantee a fruitful trip," Gafgar said. He then gestured to a few undead who opened a cart that had dried fish.

Dave was wondering what would the undead use food for. Gafgar noticed his confusion and said, "One has to treat the Sea Mother's children with respect. Their blessing is a good fortune for our journey." Gafgar spoke his words, and soon a notification appeared in front of Dave.

***

Sea Mother's Blessing

+20% Naval Speed.

Decreased chance of encountering Sea Beasts.

***

Dave smiled as his vessel sped up.

At this speed, they should arrive at their destination in less than two days.

Looking around the s.h.i.+p, Dave noticed that Mercy and Ralph had gone missing. They must have gone somewhere while he wasn't paying attention.

Half an hour later, the s.h.i.+p was in the deep sea. There was no sign of land behind them. The wind picked up, and the boat picked up more speed. The waves grew in size and in intensity, but it was nothing in front of the enormous Leviathan. The s.h.i.+p broke through the dozen meter-high waves and kept going.

Dave was soon bored, the waves were high, but the monotonous scenery would make anyone uninterested after travelling for long.

Lone soon came up from the inside the s.h.i.+p. Looking at Dave, she asked him to steer the s.h.i.+p again. This time he gave up and gave her the wheel. But he thought that the moment she tried something funny, he would take over.

Lone happily took the tiller and, contrary to Dave's belief, guided the s.h.i.+p smoothly. Not just that, but she would steer the s.h.i.+p so that whenever a wave was incoming it took advantage of the wave and increased the s.h.i.+p's speed.

"What a wonderful sailing ability," Gafgar said.

Dave shook his head. He had to agree, with Lone guiding the s.h.i.+p, the waves didn't lurch them as strongly as before.

"Well, you can sail us the rest of the way then," Dave said.

"Aye, Aye, Captain!" Lone said with a gleeful smile.

Dave thought for a moment and asked, "Did you see Ralph or Mercy when you were downstairs?"

Lone spun the wheel to the left and said, "Nope, they weren't down there why?"

"They just went missing at some point. I don't know where they are,"

Dave was about to use his voice-chat to call Ralph until a seagull cried high above them.

Looking up, Dave noticed some movement in the Crow's nest. Ralph and Mercy were both there. Their faces stuck close to each other. Dave's eyebrows rose up, the two of them were making out.

Lone noticed Dave looking up and subconsciously looked up. When she saw the two, her face turned scarlet.

Dave and Lone looked at each other at the same time and then looked away. The two of them were embarra.s.sed. Trying to get the awkwardness out, Dave said, "I guess I know where they are now. See you later Lone," Dave waved at her and went down the stairs.

After recovering, Lone hastily spoke "Uh-yeah. Laters!" Her face was reddening even more.

Dave went inside the s.h.i.+p, shaking his head. 'd.a.m.n. You gotta give it to Ralphy to have the b.a.l.l.s to make out with that cold looking a.s.sa.s.sin.'

Walking downstairs, Dave headed to the Captain's Quarters. It was set in the back of the s.h.i.+p. A large room that bulged out from the s.h.i.+p's end. Inside it was a desk, a bed and a rack for books.

There were a few wine- and powder barrels stacked to the side secured with ropes.

Dave went to bed and laid on it. He was thinking about what just occurred.

'I should probably get my s.h.i.+t together. Zoe is a nice girl. And she's clearly into me. It's about time I stop lying to myself. Heck, poor and expectation-less Dave is gone, and I have no reason to push her away. Sam said that I have the capital to act like one of the grown-ups. I should probably act on it.'

Thoughts like these crossed Dave's mind. But at the same time, he thought, 'What if she is just friendly with me like she is to everyone? I don't think I can take rejection. Huh, that'll suck. And will probably make things super awkward.'

Afterall Dave was a simple man. He wasn't a novel protagonist, he was just Dave. There are many of him in this world. They all lived their life with their own doubts, worries and fears.

'Who am I kidding? Heck, so what if it gets awkward?' Dave closed his eyes and smiled.

'It's best to give it a shot. I mean, what's another rejection? I've had my share of them. Rejected by my father, my old cla.s.smates, the boss I used to work for. h.e.l.l , I've grown accustomed to it. As sad as it sounds, it makes one stronger.'

Dave drifted off to sleep as the s.h.i.+p slowly swayed. There was a smile on his face and a bit of relief. He was going to take the shot. Probably soon, he'll just need a good opportunity.

A few minutes later, Dave's nap was interrupted as the s.h.i.+p shook from a powerful impact.

'Did we hit a reef? But we're in the deep sea?" Dave stood up and hurried upstairs.

Leaving the Captains Quarters, Dave heard the loud shouting of everyone.

"Captain, we have a situation!" Gafgar shouted.

Lone was struggling as she steered the tiller to the left. The undead were climbing up the masts and securing ropes.

The rest of Dave's party were using self-buffs on themselves. They were readying up for battle.

"What's going on, Gafgar?" Dave asked.

"It seems that we're under attack by a Sea-Beast."

"Sea-Beast? Already?" Dave said. Just as he finished his words, he saw an enormous white shark jumping high up toward the s.h.i.+p's flank. It's razor-sharp fangs opened wide as if it was going to take a bite out of the s.h.i.+p's hull.

"FIRE!" Gafgar shouted. Then the sound of dozens of cannons echoed at once. The jumping shark was shot down thanks to the heavy rounds and knocked back into the sea.

"It's a Great-White King . Annoying little b.a.s.t.a.r.d!" Gafgar shouted.

"Why is it attacking?" Dave asked, "Didn't we get the Sea Mother's Blessing?"

"The blessing only reduced chances of being found out by the beasts. But unfortunately, we went directly through the territory of this Great-White King . If we turned the s.h.i.+p to a ghost s.h.i.+p, we'd be able to scare it away," Gafgar said.

Dave was about to activate his ring's ability until a thought crossed his mind.

"Hang on, I have a better idea," he opened his side bag and took out Tiny.

"Tiny, bring out the Torab Serpent!"

Tine began growing in size. His ma.s.sive weight made the s.h.i.+p's hull creak.

"Hey, you're going to destroy the s.h.i.+p!" Dave alerted the Grave-Lord.

Tiny stopped his size increase and waved his arms, creating an enormous golden coffin that hovered in the air. The coffin opened up and released black fumes that spread in s.p.a.ce. From the gas, a silver multi-headed snake emerged and dove into the sea.

When the serpent dove into the sea, Dave saw the Great-White's fin turning around and coursing in the opposite direction.

"Go get it! Don't let it escape!" Dave called.