As Ethan stepped into the alleyway, and Kang remained behind to monitor the ongoing ship repairs, a group of roughly thirty individuals slowly began arriving at the docking bay in several small, staggered clusters, their arrival spaced out deliberately enough to avoid drawing immediate attention.
They scattered casually across the area, showing no outward sign of coordination, browsing through the wide variety of boats and market wares as though nothing about their presence warranted a second glance.
"We have guests."
Off to the side, Vira called Kang’s attention toward the group gradually gathering nearby, her voice low but urgent.
They were all clearly armed, some more heavily than others, though each carried themselves with the deliberate casualness of people trying hard not to appear armed at all, weapons half-concealed beneath cloaks and merchant coats.
"I can see them, but it’s not like we can just initiate an attack out of nowhere, right?"
Kang offered a bitter smile, his eyes tracking the scattered figures without turning his head too obviously.
These particular individuals were likely tied directly to Bark. If they struck first without clear provocation, they’d only be digging themselves into a far deeper political hole than either of them could reasonably climb out of, especially with the king’s own reputation already stretched thin over this entire affair.
"Yeah, you’re right."
Vira said quietly, reaching for an apple from a nearby stall and biting down hard, her expression carefully neutral despite the tension building beneath the surface.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,
At the same time.
"Algar. I’ve been expecting you."
A voice echoed softly from deep within the alleyway, drifting from the mouth of an elderly man, easily in his eighties, seated behind the small window of an ark-shaped shop front.
’That fog.’
The moment Ethan’s eyes met the old man’s, he paused instinctively, studying the thick, unnatural fog clouding the man’s gaze, a texture he’d seen once before and never quite forgotten. After a beat, something clicked into place, and he nodded slowly, recognition settling in.
"Don’t be afraid, child. In the dance of gods, messengers like us make frequent appearances."
Whatever presence had possessed the old shopkeeper’s body spoke through his voice, directing the words squarely at Ethan.
"What do you want, Messenger of Karth called Ulric?"
Ethan asked, evidently recognizing the entity hiding behind the old man’s borrowed face.
"Good. You remember my name."
The man replied, a faint glint flashing briefly across his clouded eyes. Karth rarely, if ever, took genuine personal interest in individual mortals. He was, after all, a Supreme God, far removed from the everyday concerns of ordinary summoners.
But simply catching Ethan’s scent had been enough to reveal the faint engravings of two separate blessings, both clearly bearing Karth’s mark, an unusual concentration for someone who still sat at tier 7.
"Oh, yes. You have guests waiting, so I won’t waste your time."
The man behind the counter said, reaching beneath the table and pulling out a crossbow, setting it carefully atop the worn wooden surface between them, the weapon’s surface catching what little light filtered through the shack’s cracked shutters.
"This one is special. It’s a naturally occurring weapon, birthed directly from the apparition of a being. Had the old man not picked it up when he did, it would have simply dissolved back into the storm it came from."
"It’s called Storm. A tier 5 weapon standing right on the precipice of attaining the royal ’Him’ designation. Unfortunately, the old man arrived a few days too early. What remains now is only a shell of its former glory."
He offered a gentle, though clearly disappointed, smile as he slid the crossbow across the counter toward Ethan.
"I’ve suppressed some of its more troublesome traits, so you should be able to use it comfortably at tier 7."
"However, be careful."
Ulric added as Ethan lifted the crossbow carefully into his hands.
[You have received a Natural Echo]
[Special name: Storm]
[Description: Born from the rage of the fresh sea, and an unseen war. This crossbow embodies the raw fury of divine might.]
[Storm Caller: The longer you actively use this crossbow, storms will gradually gather at your location, boosting the strength of each bolt significantly. Flaw: This storm may attack indiscriminately.]
[Bolt of Lightning: This crossbow can handle all manner of lightning bolts that would typically render an ordinary crossbow useless. Flaw: It can only fire bolts of lightning.]
[Debt of Salt: Once the crossbow exhausts the available salt within its immediate surroundings, it begins drawing salt directly from the host’s own body.]
"Here."
After Ethan accepted the crossbow fully, Ulric slid a small orb across the counter toward him, one that appeared to contain a faint, crackling storm of lightning trapped within its surface.
"Just load it in. It’ll help."
He smiled faintly, then turned his attention instinctively toward the docks visible in the distance.
Before Ethan fully registered what was happening.
Boom!!!
Boom!!!
Several massive explosions tore across multiple ships simultaneously, engulfing their hulls in flame or shattering their bows outright in a single devastating instant, plumes of smoke and splintered wood rising sharply into the afternoon sky.
The crews aboard barely had time to react at all.
Neither did Ethan.
"Good luck again, kid. You’re going to need it."
Ulric’s voice echoed once more inside Ethan’s mind, and the faint glint in the old man’s eyes vanished entirely as his body slumped forward, collapsing to the ground behind the counter.
From beginning to end, Ethan spared him little further attention. Instead, he tightened his grip around the crossbow’s handle and turned sharply, making his way back toward their newly rented ship at a rapid pace.
As he moved, flames from all directions wrecked his senses, shipwrights, store owners and everyone in between were in a state of panic.
To some their lively goods were all but destroyed, they felt pain, to others the anger of being attacked in their own home drove a serious point home in their heads.
They had no choice in this world but to defend themselves against whatever stood against them
Be it Man or monsters.
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