Chapter 382: Flames Suddenly Appear
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.com
Lawrence sprinted with an intense sense of urgency, his heart pounding in his chest. He couldn’t resist glancing over his shoulder, haunted by the echo of Martha’s voice, now only a memory amidst the thick fog that enveloped Dagger Island. The island’s relentless mist was the only thing greeting his anxious gaze, a constant reminder of the island’s ominous presence. Martha’s voice still echoed in his mind, urging him to flee to the White Oak and sail towards the safety of Frost.
Martha herself was nowhere to be seen, but Lawrence interpreted her absence as a sign of divine guidance. Whether due to his deep-rooted faith or instinct, he found himself seeing every nudge and sign as directions, suggesting a path to escape his perilous situation.
With his heart pounding and muscles straining, he pushed towards the harbor. The frigid wind and relentless fog battered his face. His first mate and the crew rallied around him as the boom of cannon fire echoed through the night. The distant gunshots and the firing of the White Oak’s lightweight escort cannons seemed futile against the overwhelming power of the enemy. The odds were heavily against them.
Martha’s warning about the Seagull clouded his thoughts. Amidst the ghostly figures in the fog, which one was the dreaded Seagull?
As he neared the harbor, the White Oak’s majestic hull began to take shape through the grey fog, still tied at the pier. Bright cannon fire sporadically sliced through the fog, illuminating the ship’s fore and aft. Towering geysers of water erupted nearby, a chilling testament to the enemy’s relentless attack.
“The ship’s still there!” The first mate’s jubilant voice cut through the noise, inspiring the captain and boosting the morale of the weary sailors. “Jason didn’t abandon us!”
Jason, the second mate, was indeed still on board.
“Blessed be the Storm Goddess Gomona! Quick, let’s get on the ship and escape this damned place!” a deckhand bellowed, swinging his lantern to guide the search party towards the hanging rope ladder. “The White Oak is just sitting here like a sitting duck!”
The crew members on land made a hasty dash towards the rope ladder.
However, Lawrence suddenly stopped, pulling out his revolver and firing a shot into the dark night sky: “Everyone, HALT!”
The unexpected gunshot and the captain’s command caught the sailors off guard. They stopped, looking around with surprise and bewilderment. First Mate Gus halted too, confusion etched on his face as he regarded the experienced captain. It took him only a moment to understand the captain’s abrupt order.
As he tried to catch his breath, the first mate assessed the situation, his gaze sweeping over the sailors and back to the captain against the backdrop of the incessant cannon fire.
Sixteen sailors stood looking visibly puzzled and uncertain, their familiar faces mirroring their confusion.
“Can anyone remember how many were in our original party?” Lawrence’s urgent voice cut through the confusion.
“Including both of us, there should be…” The first mate paused, struggling to recall the exact number. Within a few seconds, he retrieved the information from memory, “Exactly twelve sailors!”
Lawrence squinted slightly as he counted each face.
A strange, emerald-like glimmer flashed in his eyes.
“We have four extra heads,” the first mate announced, his count leading to the same alarming realization. His weathered face hardened as he raised his firearm and fired a shot into the sky. “Everyone, keep a distance of a meter from each other! Face the captain! Keep your hands where we can see them!”
The gravity of the situation settled upon the sailors, their faces reflecting escalating worry. As experienced seamen accustomed to the unpredictable nature of the Boundless Sea, they instinctively knew how to respond. Following the first mate’s stern instructions, they quickly spread out, forming a wide circle.
The thunderous boom of cannon fire from the White Oak filled the air. Towering water columns sprang up around the harbor, indicating the relentless assault of the enemy ship, the “Seagull.” Lawrence’s mind worked feverishly.
Their ship, the White Oak, was dangerously exposed in the harbor. Leading this group back to the ship wasn’t an option—not with unidentified elements from the island in their ranks. If these unknown beings boarded, the White Oak’s fate would be sealed.
His gaze swept across the sailors, desperation creeping in as he tried to identify any unfamiliar faces. When had these additional four blended into the group? Was it during their trek through the fog? At the harbor office? Or during the explosions on the island?
The sailors examined each other, trust a luxury they could no longer afford. Even their own recollections were under suspicion.
“Captain,” First Mate Gus’s voice interrupted Lawrence’s frantic thoughts. The veteran sailor’s face bore a resolute expression, “The White Oak can’t stay here much longer. You need to board the ship without delay.”
Lawrence’s face shadowed with seriousness. “What are you implying?”
“You should sail the ship to the open sea, leaving us behind. We’ll devise a method to identify and deal with these ‘entities’ that have slipped into our ranks. Once you’re at a safe distance, return for us…”
Lawrence met the first mate’s gaze, his expression thoughtful and grave. No one was under any illusion about Gus’s proposition.
If the White Oak left the harbor, those left on the island would be stranded, subject to the island’s unknown threats. They had all witnessed the inexplicable events. In a short span, four unidentified entities had infiltrated their group. Who could tell what might happen if they lingered longer?
“Don’t rush to sacrifice yourself,” Lawrence responded quietly. Suddenly, a spark of inspiration lit up his face, his gaze intensifying, “Humans only have two eyes…”
His gaze locked onto one sailor.
Then another, then another, until he finally rested his gaze on a fourth individual.
One of the sailors touched himself questioningly. He blinked once, then twice, and then again with his two additional eyes. “Don’t I only have two eyes?” he asked innocently.
Without uttering a word, Lawrence raised his revolver—a silent proclamation.
First Mate Gus was the first to join Lawrence in brandishing a weapon. The rest of the crew swiftly followed their lead.
It was as if a spell had been broken, everyone jolting back to their senses in a collective gasp. They stared at the infiltrators amidst them, their forms disturbingly human yet indisputably not. Each sailor had their weapon trained on these eerie doppelgängers.
Four humanoid “sailors” were now encircled by the crew, their expressions shifting from confusion to disorientation, and then to a stunned stupor.
The hastily constructed personas they had assumed seemed to dissolve, failing to withstand the shock of discovery. These humanoid “impostors” swayed where they stood, casting glances up at their “captain.”
All Lawrence could manage was a sigh. “You’re not my crew.”
To his astonishment, a flickering green light sparked into existence before them.
Initially, it was a handful of sparks, scattered and dancing amidst the twelve genuine sailors like errant streaks of electric energy. Then, in a blink, the sparks morphed into a raging inferno. This ghostly green fire roared among the crew, lunging towards the stupefied “impostors.”
The fire roared to life, enwrapping the four impostors who convulsed within its emerald clutches. Before they could utter a scream, they were reduced to piles of black dust, resembling the dark sludge they had previously encountered on the port slope, only drier and coarser.
The scene instilled terror in the sailors. The ignition of the spectral fire was a chilling reminder of the horrifying encounters they had faced as part of the White Oak’s crew. The spine-chilling ordeal with the Vanished in the Boundless Sea, the shocking sight of a city being devoured by flames in Pland… This fire was eerily familiar.
Why had this fire manifested here?
Could it be that “Captain Duncan” was close at hand?
As this harrowing thought sparked panic among the sailors, the fire abruptly extinguished. As quickly as it had ignited and reduced the four impostors to dust, the spectral green flames vanished without a trace.
Left behind were terror-stricken sailors, a shocked first mate, and a captain who felt he should have retired long ago.
“What… what just happened?” First Mate Gus stammered, gulping down his fear. “Captain, that fire, it looked like…”
“It resembled the force of the Vanished… the Vanished…” Lawrence echoed, his voice trailing off as he suddenly shifted his gaze towards the open sea, expecting to spot a ghostly vessel. But the only ship in sight was the White Oak, still embroiled in a fierce onslaught. The sailors waving their lanterns on the deck had disappeared, presumably drawn into the heart of the battle.
The crew aboard the White Oak were fighting desperately, risking their lives to buy their captain and his party time to board the ship.
The Vanished wasn’t present, yet the flames emblematic of Captain Duncan had inexplicably appeared.
“Stay calm,” Lawrence quickly advised, attempting to soothe his rattled sailors. “We’ve faced the Vanished before. And don’t forget, it was that very ship that saved the city-state of Pland – it’s not necessarily our enemy. Haven’t you heard the tales? They claim Captain Duncan Abnomar has regained his humanity…”
The first mate instinctively whispered a silent prayer to the Storm Goddess, then asked, “Captain, should we… should we board the ship now?”
“Yes, swiftly! We must get aboard before any other unknown elements infiltrate our group!” Lawrence commanded with determination.
Captain Duncan at the rescuee
I don’t know, he didn’t do anything though, that was just a strange decision.
Who are you talking about? Captain Duncan? He already infected the White Oak with his green fire, and this green fire automatically attacks anything that sought to harm white oak
My guess as to what happened:
The Seagull entered the same realm as the White Oak after seeing it’s reflection in the water and then for some reason attacked the White Oak
Duncan heard about the White Oak either from the Seagull or from the Frost Port Authority that it had vanished and used his power to extend himself to/possess the ship. There, seeing the Imposters, he burned them with his flames.
The Seagull hat already been blewed up following Contingency 22. The “Seagull” appeared in front of White Oak is just an imposter
This is not the real Seagull, the real seagull had sunk few days before this by detonating itself after being contaminated
Cada vez que Duncan aparece, me recuerda la música épica que suena cuando aparece gutz de Berserk para salvar el dia
Something is afoot here, when they came into the island Lawrence made sure to make everyone remember their number: captain, first mate and twelve sailors, a total of fourteen.
Now they seem sure that their number was a total of twelve, and of their group of sixteen, they indeed found four impostors, hmm.
Whose ship is seagull again?
The ship carrying the General, who Duncan took over. It’s already been blew up following Contingency 22. The Seagull here is but an impostor
‘He paused for a moment, sweeping his gaze over the assembled group — twelve seasoned sailors, his dependable first mate, and himself.’
I immediately went back and checked cause it felt wrong.
This line above was from Ch 380. So I was correct that there is discrepancy between what Lawrence and the crew think and what he originally warned them. I still think they are under the influence.
So two are gone aren’t they.