Chapter 753: Training Underwater
Nox and Lyra moved through the towering fronds in a rather awkward silence. He was already thinking about the royal hunt, the boon, the statue, and the possibility of an alliance. The possibilities were immense.
It was then that they heard a loud noise. Not the skittering of sea monsters, but the clash of weapons and guttural shouts.
Lyra immediately held up a hand, signaling for silence. She gestured, and they moved swiftly and quietly through the dense kelp toward the noise.
They came to a small clearing on the ocean floor. The scene was brutal and bloody. A patrol of Sea People, clad in the pearlescent armor of the Aqualarian guard, lay broken and scattered. Their blood clouded the water. Standing over them was a group of a dozen Sea Devotees.
These were not the common fanatics they had faced before. Their coral armor was darker, thicker, and covered in sharp, jagged spikes. Their eyes glowed with a hotter, more intense red. And their leader…
He was enormous. Nearly twice the size of a normal Sea Person, his body was a mass of corded muscle beneath the spiked armor. He held a massive trident made of what looked like blackened bone. One of the Aqualarian guards was still twitching at his feet. The leader planted a boot on the guard’s chest, leaned down, and with a sickening crunch, ended him.
He straightened, his head turning slowly, scanning the area as if he could sense their presence. Lyra stiffened beside Nox, her hand tightening on her trident.
The Devotee’s gaze didn’t find them, but it locked on the distant spires of Aqualaria, just visible through the kelp. His eyes glinted with pure bloodlust, shining with a hatred so deep it was palpable even from their hiding spot.
Then, with a quick gesture to his squad, he and the other Devotees vanished back into the dark forest, leaving the dead guards behind.
Nox let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Who was that?”
Lyra’s face was pale, her expression grim. “Kaelen. A former champion of the Royal Guard. He was the best of us… until he fell to the Devotees’ fanaticism. He is their chief enforcer now. His strength is… monstrous.”
She looked at the fallen guards, her jaw tight. “I have to report this to the king.”
The Devotees weren’t just a nuisance anymore; they were a clear and present danger. An alliance wasn’t just a strategic advantage now—it was a necessity.
They returned to the palace shortly after. Nox went straight to his rooms.
Dorran was there, stroking his pet. “You look like you saw a ghost,” he remarked as Nox entered.
“Worse,” he replied, recounting everything Lyra had told him.
“So you want to sign up for this competition and then request the statue and an alliance?” Dorran felt like face-palming at how fast everything was moving.
“Yes.” Nox nodded confidently.
“How did we get to this point?” Dorran sighed.
“Things happened,” Nox said flatly. “You don’t have to join. I’ll be the one participating.”
“If you say so.” Dorran shrugged. Unlike Nox, he wasn’t crazy enough to compete against Sea People in their own domain. How does that even make sense?
Moments later, he sighed again. “I’ll join you…”
Nox nodded with a light smile. His next problem was eligibility. He was a surface-dweller, an outsider. Would the king even allow him to participate? He couldn’t afford to be sidelined. He needed to be in that forest, to win that boon.
He turned to one of the guards outside. “Request an audience with the king. I need to do this now.”
The earrings not only translated words—they also interpreted.
A short time later, he stood once more before King Thalassar. The king listened with a slightly bored gaze.
“Your Majesty, I wish to formally enter the Royal Hunt,” Nox said firmly.
The throne room was silent. A few courtiers exchanged skeptical looks. Thalassar leaned back on his pearl-and-obsidian throne, his expression unreadable.
“You are not of the sea, Beast Tamer,” he stated flatly.
“You said to take the statue, I’ll have to prove my worth, right? This is how I intend to do it. I will join the hunt—and I will win.”
A faint smile touched Thalassar’s lips. It wasn’t friendly, but amused by his audacity. “There is no rule that bars outsiders. The hunt is a test of strength, cunning, and survival. If you believe you possess those qualities, then you are welcome to try. Join a team or go solo.”
It was almost too easy, which made Nox think there might be a hidden catch. He bowed his head slightly. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
The next few days were a whirlwind of activity. Lyra and Coralia, intrigued by his boldness and concerned about the Devotee threat, provided them with intelligence. They brought maps of the Kelp Forest—or at least the known parts of it—and lists of the most likely creatures to be considered “prime game.” There were Tide Terrors, large crustaceans with claws that could shear through metal; Abyssal Stalkers, serpentine predators that could camouflage against the kelp; and worse.
Nox spent his time training, adapting his skills to the underwater environment.
Fortunately, all the elements except fire worked effectively underwater, so he wasn’t too worried.
The real issue was control. His lightning blasts were devastating, but they drained him quickly. He practiced finer control, creating smaller, more focused bursts. He worked on water blades, making them sharper and faster. Dorran, meanwhile, practiced coordinating with his pets, running drills on hit-and-run tactics and using the shark’s size and speed as a weapon.
While they were training in one of the castle courtyards, Lyra and her sister Coralia approached.
Nox jerked his head up, sensing them.
“I’d like a word with you both,” Lyra said, a serious look on her face.
He narrowed his eyes, noticing the weight in her tone, then nodded.
“Sure.”
***
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