To her ears, the whispers of the sea was something far more than superficial; the ramble of sailors and calls of the birds overhead composed but the minor portion of the grander picture; and though she didn’t seem to be the type to be drawn to it, she found herself falling deeper and deeper into a trance the more she eyed the blue horizon—the rogue could only ever assume that the song of the sea had more than just simple allure to her in particular.

She’d breathe in, as she paced the ship deck with restless expressions. The rear end of her skull was pumping with the prelude to a migraine, and despite her efforts to steady herself, the urge to open up was gnawing at her desperately. What was it the waters, especially the salty ones, that had her so…afloat, and not so much herself anymore? It’s as if she was more likely to get drunk on a rum-less ship so long as it was sailing consistently over those antique pubs that she liked so much.

”Ugh…why is this even…” she groaned, weaving through the lively ship deck with heavy steps.

Venus caught a breath in her throat as she waddled herself awkwardly to a familiar face or well, skull—Odin, as she knew him as her master. She pulled her hood down a tad as the sun shone down intensely at her figure, almost as if it was mocking her. The two of them have been working together recently at earning some coins at the cost of their limbs and though she had been fortunate to still be alive and also maintain all of her limbs, it seems that this might just be it.

The duo had just embarked on a journey through the sea to catch a monster that had been either devouring or scaring all the fish away and the fishermen, whose livelihoods depended on this, were in desperate need of help that they hired a vampire and a lich to vanquish the monster and a stranger woman who seemed to be just walking towards them. A broom, and a large, brimmed hat; everything about her screamed ‘witch’ or ‘wizard’, and she wasn’t quite sure why they also needed someone else when the two of them were plenty capable.

”…Who might this be?” Still gazing at her, she directed her question to Odin, in case he knew something about the details of the quest that she’d missed.

Port Astera, boats and a quest to help the fishermen of the area bring back their fish. All three of these things brought back different memories for Odin. Some painful, some fun and some quite simply just interesting for him. The interesting memory, brought on by the fact they were on a swaying boat, brought the Lich back to the halloween town of Samhain, which to many people would make no sense. Put simply, it wasn't the boat itself that brought this memory back for Odin, but the rocking due to the ocean swells and, in part, the sea sickness that Venus seemed to be feeling at the moment, which in itself was rather amusing. In the Void, a strange location in Samhain, there had been a game where Odin had to pin a bone on a skeleton after being spun around many times. The reason he had succeeded so incredibly at that event was the same reason he was now relaxing on the boat as they sailed to their destination. Balance was almost entirely regulated by the inner ear. Odin didn't have ears anymore, meaning he never lost his balance. It was odd, as he thought it would've been the other way around, but he wasn't complaining, especially not after seeing his guild mate.

He had been working with Venus for some time now, growing their bond within the guild as the two powerhouse members. After all, their camaraderie showed strong unity within the guild, both for those who joined as part of Odin's cult and those who joined for personal reasons, it created a strength within Eternal Nightmare that no amount of fear or conquest could ever replicate. In that regard, as well as helping the people of the cities their guild ruled over, the work Venus and Odin were completing would go a long way, its ripples would be felt for many months after this initial quest.

Although they weren't alone in this one. Perhaps because Odin and Venus had very recently been in Oak, the people of Astera hadn't expected their aid as swiftly as they had come. So instead they had given the task to another, honestly equally eccentric, mage. However, once the two dark mages were in the area, they were also requested for help, and teamed up together with the woman, knowing absolutely nothing about her other than what she looked like: tall, long black hair and an outfit that made Odin question whether she was actually old enough to be on this quest. She had the almost stereotypical wide brimmed hat of a class storybook witch, and it seemed neither Odin nor Venus had any clue who she was, or if she was even going to be useful.

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In her head, she wanted to push the question further, perhaps her identity and what she was doing here. But, the redhead opted to not meddle with her conflicting thoughts and proceeded to see things for their surface value, as of then, at least, which was simply a woman she had not yet met.

”I’m a mage, also hired by the same client as you.” The woman stopped just a few feet away from them, holding the staff that was nearly her entire height. ”We’re going underwater to find this monster. You'll need my help.”

Well, this was something that she’s never done before: accomplishing a mission underwater. True, they would need help going below sea but Odin being a lich, she doubted he needed any assistance to being underwater.

”What else do you know about this mission?” It seemed that the mage that their client had hired acquired more information about the quest than the duo – or at least more than her – so she’d enquired her as their ship began to move over the seas while Venus struggled not to puke her guts out onto the deck.

”The monster that we’re looking for lives in the cave under the sea. I roughly know where it’s located so I’ll guide us there.” She whipped out a worn-out piece of yellow parchment paper with lines and scribbles drawn everywhere that not even Venus understood what it all meant.

The details of the quest seemed clear as day to her although there was a question that had been bothering the assassin since the topic about going below the sea was brought into discussion. ”…And how exactly are we going underwater?”

The wizard simply smiled at her. ”Bubbles.”

Staying quiet had always been something Odin knew to do when the moment called for it. Sometimes it had taught him things that no amount of conversing would ever be able to gleam. And so, as Venus began to engage in conversation with their strange third member, Odin studied the witch: her answers, her appearance, the way she held herself. He watched every aspect of her to try and discern who she was. After all, Odin and Venus weren't your standard rum of the mill mages. They were both two of the most well known dark mages in Fiore, and anyone would be able to spot them both in a crowd. One had stunning red hair and the other was a literal skeleton. So the witch clearly knew who she was working with, and didn't seem phased at all by it. Perhaps because Eternal Nightmare now owned Astera it was just an inevitability to be working with the guild or its members.

Venus' questions were perfect, as she knew how to handle herself in a situation such as this. More importantly, she was the one who would need to trust the witch the most. If Odin was underwater and the spell was cancelled, he would have no trouble making his way either to the cave or to the surface, at which point he would find and destroy the witch for her attempts. Venus on the other hand, despite being a vampire and thus also undead, still breathed the air of the world, and drowning would definitely not be a fun way to die.

After around ten or twenty more minutes, the boat would slow, signalling that they had arrived at their destination. The witch got up, having decided to sit for the remainder of the journey after their discussion. She'd left it very ominous after simply saying 'Bubbles' but it seemed like the two mages were just going to have to trust her.


”Oh, by the way, my name is Mildred. Mildred Watercat, of Watercat's Adventures.”

Odin briefly glanced at Venus, unsure if the name was going to ring any bells with her. It certainly didn't with the Lich, but he could appreciate someone trying to grow their business in any circumstances, so he chuckled lightly, "A pleasure to meet you Mildred. You obviously know who we are, but for properness allow me. I am Odin Morningstar."

After Venus would be given the chance to introduce herself, Odin never presuming to do it himself, the three would stand on the edge of the boat, Mildred chanting in a low voice to herself. Whatever the spell was, it seemed like it was going to be tricky for her, and that sometimes meant unstable. After a few seconds, giant bubbles began to form around Odin, Venus and Mildred, sealing them inside but leaving enough space for the captured air to last them for many hours. Taking a moment to appreciate the magic, Odin would watch Mildred simply jump into the water, the bubble keeping her dry and unaffected by the waves as she sank beneath the surface. Shaking his head and remarking about how much he loved magic, Odin would jump in after her.

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Was it a guild? An organization? Nonetheless, the name of the wizard’s home sounded unfamiliar to her, still, she decided to press no further questions. Though she had forgotten to introduce herself upon their first meeting, she’d quickly do the honour and before long, they had reached the designated location in the middle of the sea. So, this was where they travel below waters.

Bubbles, like she said, the wizard casted a spell that coated their bodies with what she’d like to call air balloons, and with Mildred diving into the sea, she’d soon follow after Odin leapt in. She’d held her breath instinctively the second she was underwater, and she’d wait momentarily before she started breathing in, slowly, until she was certain that her lungs weren’t flooded with water. The lich seemed to be just as surprised as the vampire by the capabilities of the one thing that was just as vital as the air they breathe; magic.

Venus pressed the wall of the bubble that encased her with a finger, curious on what it felt like. Her finger bounced back as though it was a cushion and although it was a bubble, it was sturdy enough to withstand her weight. With Mildred leading the way, they travelled deeper into the sea. The further they travelled, the sun behind them faded into nothing more than a speck of dot until they were entirely engulfed in darkness.

Once her eyes had adjusted the darkness, her surroundings became visible and she beheld a beautiful scenery of corals of a variety of colours, the rocks at the seabed ever more beautiful, bejewelled by barnacle crowns, shiny as any jewel to the human eye and swarms of fishes danced around their bodies as they swam through the currents.

The woman was captivated by the beauty of the sea that she didn’t even realise how long they travelled before they reached the entrance of the cave. With Mildred signalling them hand signs that somewhat portrayed that this was what they were searching for, she nodded in acknowledgement. She hadn’t thought so far as to how they were going to battle against the sea creature underwater in bubbles, but it seemed that Mildred had planned for everything.

As they stood on the floor of the cave, Mildred casted another spell that formed a ginormous bubble; large enough to contain the entire cave inside it and the water inside the bubble was filtered out instantly. Soon, they were standing on land underwater.

As the three mages, even though Venus technically wasn't one anymore it was still easier to generalise, made their way down to the cave on the ocean floor Odin watched his guildmate as she tested the durability of the bubble, poking it so as not to risk actually popping it properly before she began watching the fish that swam around them and the general beauty of the deep sea. It was true, they were both witnessing something that not many people were capable of viewing. It was a once in the lifetime sight, and it was only because they had Mildred around to help them reach the bottom. Then again, Odin could look at this sight whenever he wanted, if he ever wanted to simply leave the world above behind for a few hours, days, centuries if he so wished.

They reached the cave and Mildred again showed off her incredible power, this time by draining the entire cave system of water, as she cast a gigantic bubble by extending the three she had previously made. They were dry, underwater and able to walk as if they were out on a normal adventure, albeit with the weirdest sky anyone had ever seen above them. Soon after, they began to make their way into the cave.

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Not even a single drop of water was on their clothes—let alone their bodies, so when all of them had landed on the floor of the cave, Venus immediately drew out her daggers, prepared for any form of danger that was about to come. Hundreds of meters down the sea and away from the sunlight, the insides of the cave were just as dark as an abyss, until the wizard lit up their vicinity with a snap of her fingers. How strong is this wizard exactly? The thought crossed her mind as she travelled deeper into the cave. She seemed to have the ability to manipulate different elements and although it wasn’t uncommon, the ability to manipulate different elements was a big feat; one that the vampire did not have.

Strangely enough, the den of the sea monster was unusually quiet aside from the sounds of water flowing from a distance. She wondered if the creature had already figured out that there were invaders on his land, and it was waiting to ambush them. It wasn’t until the assassin registered a presence that had been thickly surrounded by potent magic approaching from to one side, she almost involuntarily took up a defensive stance, one food edged back on impulse. A small pebble rolled into their direction.

”Oh.”

If it had not been for the wizard gawking at her in confusion, perhaps Venus would have already drawn his weapon and painted herself a big, big fool. She’d simply hoped Odin wouldn’t make fun of the silly mistake she just made.

Multi elemental magic was definitely a rarity, as Mildred lit up their surroundings with a small showcasing of light magic. Odin didn't have the heart to tell her that neither he nor his partner required any assistance in seeing through the pitch black abyss, but he was happy to gain more insights into who Mildred Watercat actually was. The next logical question, as they moved deep into the cave system hoping to find their monster sooner rather than later, what other elements could she play with? Odin had the distinct feeling that they hadn't seen everything she could do, and her two elements of water and light were already a powerful combination.

The cave was quiet, there was none of the usual hubbub that one would come to expect of the den of a monster. The silence was deafening, as it revealed much about the creature. Either it wasn't here, perhaps hunting for fish at this very moment or, even more concerning, it was stalking them. Maybe it had some kind of camouflage that allowed it to move around the cave undetected. A noise caused Odin to turn in the direction of Venus as a pebble rolled into their vicinity. The reaction of his partner was very reminiscent of the bats underneath Oakland Church, but thankfully this time no creatures were trying to hide inside Odin's ribcage.

A chuckle escaped his mouth, "Oh no, I definitely thought that was the monster too." Poking a little of fun at Venus as they continued through. But there was something to her reaction, Odin trusted Venus too much to completely disregard what she might have viewed as a mistake. The displacement of a single pebble, and the powerful aura that was starting to seep into the rocks concerned the Lich, but he had no idea why. Something wasn't right.

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Despite being a lich, Odin was nice enough to go along with her silly mistake and him chuckling at her somewhat relieved the tension that had collected within the vicinity from searching for the hidden monster. The two being the creatures of the night had the capacity to see fully through the darkness, possibly even further than what the flicker of light that the witch had cast allowed them to see, so when she saw a flicker of shadow moving meters ahead, the redhead immediately halted in her steps and sharpened her vampire senses.

She’d noticed that the further they walked, the stronger the intention, the more she felt the hunger beyond the darkness. There was...something, behind all the rubbles of the cave, calling out in despair, but also had a desperate urge to corrupt and devour all of them. A loud howling echoed over the walls of the cave and the structure trembled, as rocks began to collapse. Only then she’d finally have a good view of the creature; a gigantic octopus that stood tens of feet above her. Its tentacles were large enough to wipe them off their feet in a single swing and with the octopus being at least three times larger than them, she wondered how they could possibly defeat such a monster.

Despite the fact they were underneath the waves of the ocean, and the only reason they hadn't been completely crushed beneath the pressure and the crash of the water was due to the power of someone they had never met before, Odin and Venus still found the time to be jovial. They both definitely knew how to enjoy themselves, and there was no fun in being evil if it didn't also mean you were free. That was what Eternal Nightmare gave to its members: complete freedom to do whatever they wanted. If they simply wished to run a tavern, or if they wanted to take over the world, the guild had the means to assist them.

Odin still didn't know if he could trust Mildred, there was just something about that didn't add up. He had no idea why he felt the way he did, but he had survived too long to not trust his intuition when it triggered. Whatever his concerns, they were quickly moved to the side when the cave began to shake, rocks began to fall, and a terrifying howl filled the room. Odin followed Venus' gaze to see the monster, the giant octopus that almost filled the entire cave system and could easily take them all out with one swipe. It wasn't something that could be brought down without a great deal of difficulty, but then something strange happened.

A magic circle surrounded both Odin and Venus. Glancing over, Mildred was chanting and focusing her magic. Still not fully able to trust her, Odin was almost ready to break the magic and nullify it with his shield, but he stopped as he felt himself grow. Sure enough, within a few moments, both he and Venus became the size of the creature. It was no longer a giant beast, now it was just a beast, and that was something they could definitely deal with.

"Now this is going to be fun."

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Just as when she thought the task to defeat the creature before them was near-impossible, it seemed that the odds were in their favour. The witch was one with many talents and as she had promised, Mildred had the Eternal Nightmare's wizards backs and with a cast of her spell, the duo transformed into giants—literally—as the same size as the octopus with its tentacles swarming over the place. She wasn’t even sure how a creature of its size could even remain hidden in a cave, but as the beast came into view, the cave rumbled from its sheer strength causing debris to fall upon them. If they were their original size, perhaps they would’ve already been crushed by the falling rocks themselves but now that they were at least five times larger, the remains were nothing but an ant bite to them.

Venus unsheathed another one of her daggers from its scabbard and flipped it into her hand, taking a stance. She’d turn just enough to take a look at the witch to ensure her safety and returned her attention back to the creature. The vampire wasn’t certain what Odin thought about the lich, although she couldn’t deny that Mildred was very useful and she wasn’t at all disappointed in her capabilities—in fact, she was left impressed.

”I’ll attack from close quarters, maybe you can assist me from a distance.”

She’d seen Odin’s magical abilities a few rare times to know that he was able to cast spells from a distance unlike her where she relied utterly on her physical skill and weapons. ”Try not to kill me though.” She finished her sentence with a smirk and lunged ahead, closing the distance between herself and the creature. A tentacle swung in her direction yet, her momentum never slowed down. Instead, she raised her hand; one where she wore the Midas’ gauntlet, and she knew that as long as she had this weapon, nothing could harm her. With a single touch, the tentacle turned gold and thumped onto the ground as though its weight multiplied and was instantly rendered useless. Now, if only she could do the rest for the rest of its tentacles and the body.

With their newfound stature and strength, the rumble of the cave and the falling rocks did nothing to worry the two mages, however Odin wondered how Mildred would fare. She had not transformed, staying her regular height which would no doubt make her unable to participate further beyond what she had already done. The bubbles, the light and now the titan powers, everything suggested she was not only a useful mage, but an extremely powerful one. Which begged the question, why didn't she fight herself? Perhaps she was unaccustomed to combat, or perhaps she could never use these spells on herself. So many questions that Odin knew he would never get answered, so for now he had to focus on the task at hand: taking out the giant tentacle monster.

Attacking from range was something Odin was certainly adept at, it was how he fought most of his enemies before engaging in close combat with Greed. Assisting someone from range, and trying to make sure his spells didn't harm his allies, that was going to be significantly more difficult. The spell he had copied from Venus herself, Storm Fiend, would now be unusable with his partner in the proximity. He did, however, have another trick. "Nothing wrong with being dead." Odin would joke back to Venus as she began her assault, using her weapon to turn the monster's tentacle into... gold? Odin knew about Midas Gauntlet, one of the ancient weapons recovered from all over Earthland, but seeing it in action was another thing entirely. Until recently, he thought it had belonged to Kon but apparently Venus had gained a great deal of power without Odin even having noticed. She was leaving him in the dust with her upgrades, becoming stronger every day. He had to get stronger himself, to keep up with his Ace.

As one tentacle turned to gold, Odin saw another one coming in from the side to sweep Venus off her feet. As the only person allowed to do that, the Lich raised a finger towards the tentacle, firing out a bullet to parry the attack. Instead, a massive bullet flew out from his hand and evaporated the appendage. Apparently stature wasn't the only thing that had been altered, his magics had been upgraded. With a grunt, Greed would begin to spread across Odin's skeletal form, allowing him to get involved in the fight. He couldn't do much more form range, but he could defend Venus from stray attacks as she destroyed the beast.

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This was one of the very few times that Venus got the opportunity to showcase her abilities to Odin and if she wasn’t wrong, the lich appeared rather surprised by what she had in store. Of course, she had to show off a bit as well especially when she was fighting right in front of her one and only lord. The Midas’ gauntlet wasn’t something that was easily accessible, and it certainly took a huge chunk out of her wallet after she bought it at a very exclusive merchant shop and so far, the item has definitely proved its usefulness to her with how she can turn anything into gold with a touch of her hand.

The lich didn’t disappoint either, the vampire knew she could trust her life with him and she had no doubts that he had her back. The woman hardly blinked or even looked back over her shoulder to see another piece of tentacle that was about to crash upon her but, just as she’d expected, Odin easily handled it with ease. ”Glad it’s you who has my back.”

Now, the only problem was that how was she to turn the rest of its body to gold especially when the enemy is nearly the size of a building. It was then the perfect idea dawned upon her and she’d begun using the swirling tentacles as leverage to ger her to higher ground, closer to its head. ”I’m going to get to its head. I’ll leave you to handle the tentacles.” She bellowed over the increasing distance between them and slashed herself out from the arms of the beast with her dagger before she leapt onto the highest point of its head. The tentacles rampaged, flying around the air in an attempt to get Venus off its body but to no avail.

She pressed her gauntlet onto the beast and slowly, a touch of gold rapidly grew over its body and solidified the monster in place as though it was frozen in ice. She had to say this was the least bloody battle she’d ever done in her entire life and it was all due to the gauntlet.

Venus was a true beauty, in every possible sense of the word. Her grace on the battlefield, the way she danced through the tentacles and even used them to propel herself towards the beast's head. She was on her way to end the fight without any bloodshed. Not that the creature would survive, it was about to become a golden statue at the bottom of the ocean. All Odin had to do was deal with the remaining tentacles. Any that flew towards him were negated by Greed, their damage being reduced to nothing as they crashed against the armour plating of Odin's magic.

Before long, the tentacles stopped moving, as a golden colour spread across them, consuming the creature and turning it into a spectacular statue. A few moments later and Venus would re-join the Lich, who in turn would reconnect with Mildred before they ventured back towards the ship that had brought them out to the ocean. With a couple of golden tentacles in tow, the two received their pay and returned to dry land, a newfound drive emanating from the Lich who knew he needed to get stronger.

-Exit-

It was a shame that the scene wasn’t as brutal as she’d hoped for. A vampire in nature, Venus loved the sight of blood—more like she came to love it eventually. Little did she notice that the longer time has passed, the further she was straying away from humanity, almost as if she’s turned into a monster or rather, succumbed to the growing darkness within her. Nowadays, she doesn’t care so much for it any longer. The lives of the humans, she wanted to take them—their blood, all for herself. The greediness grew, together with the demon inside her. The question was, how far was she going to let herself fall?

It was ironic to say that the sight was beautiful, with the creature turned to nothing more than a golden statue. The two were a good duo and though Venus was confident in her abilities, she felt like she needed to do something more to excel in her skills in dealing with long range attacks.

Nonetheless, the hard-fought battle was finally over and all that was left was to enjoy the reward that they would be given soon from their client. Reunited with the group, she’d express her gratitude to the witch for aiding them in handling the beast and they would ascend back onto the land the same way that they’d entered the seas and she’d link her arm around Odin’s and returned home after collecting their well-earned reward.