Seeds of Discordia

As soon as Liam disappeared from the room Mercer and Avery let out an irritated breath of air. While they agreed that it was best to have someone scout and see what they were dealing with, they felt that they could have had Gimmel scout the floors with one of his Illusion Bird Puppets, after all that's what their purpose was for besides suicidal dive bombing.

"Does he always rush out like that?" Omira questioned as she turned from looking at the door towards the others.

"Yeah," Avery said, her irritation slipping into the words.

Mercer gave her a half smile before saying, "Seeing as he used his Shadow Magic in front of you I take it he already filled you in on that part of his abilities?"

Omira nodded. "Yes, it was during our talk last time when I thanked him for saving me."

Mercer, Avery, and Blair raised a brow. Cautiously, Mercer questioned, "You knew he…"

Omira stopped him as she tapped her nose and answered, "Mana Smell."

"Ah, I see," Mercer said. Before he could say anything else, everyone heard a thud on the other side of the room, and it made them all go on high alert.

"What the hell was that?" Ariyana asked as she looked at the others.

"Was that Liam?" Gimmel questioned as he and a couple of the others started for the door.

Before Artem could reach for the handle, Blair threw a hand out stopping him. She placed a finger to her lips and with a hushed tone, she whispered, "Not yet."

Confused, the others looked at Roman. His ears were perked up listening for something as he stared at the door with so much focus he could have bore a hole through it. They then saw his and Blair's eyes narrow. They were starting to grow anxious as they remained silent and kept staring at the door.

Then without warning they heard two more thumps, these ones not as loud as the last one, but enough for them to tense. Without realizing he was speaking out loud, Roman said, "What was that?"

Blair gave him an incredulous look that when he noticed she was staring at him and looked at her, he swiftly slapped his hands on his mouth realizing what he had done. Blair then looked at the others and gave them a look that told them to get ready. Each raised their weapons to the ready and got into a stance.

A few seconds after that they saw a flash of pale light blink once under the door right before the sounds of pained hisses filled the room outside the door. A couple seconds after that the sound of several heavy things falling down followed quickly. The sound of silence that followed made everyone tense up even more as they waited for something to happen.

They didn't have to wait long as the door suddenly flung open, Liam breathing heavily as he said, "Alright all clear…" He then saw their tense bodies and weapons raised ready to strike at him, which made him chuckle for a quick second. "We should be fine for the moment. Come though I need help identifying these people."

"People?" Mercer asked.

"People, Snake-folks, although I don't think they are Snake-folks since I've met one and he didn't look anything like this," Liam said.

"What?! Let me see!" Omira shouted a she quickly made her way to the door. Liam moved out of the door way allowing everyone to see seven snake-like bodies with the upper half of a mutated human. However, judging from the snouts protruding from the open area of the hood, they didn't have entirely human faces. Omira let out a gasp as she stated in shock, "Naga! How is this possible?!"

"Naga?" Liam questioned as he looked back at them. He had an inkling that's what they were, but he didn't want to assume since there was a chance they could have been Snake-folk instead. However, with Omira's confirmation, he now knew his hunch was correct. However, that last part made Liam grow concerned a bit.

"What the hell is a Naga?" Roman questioned as he tried the word out.

"They are an underwater race, covered in serpent scale with the lower half of a water serpent and the upper half of a human," Omira started to rush. Her hand was already on her forehead as she leaned against the wall looking exasperated.

Mercer saw Liam give him a look of worry and concern. He understood what he needed to do. "Why did you ask how is this possible after seeing them?"

Omira opened her mouth and was about to answer but stopped as the boat suddenly tilted to its side fast and almost flipped upside down. After crashing into the walls and almost on top of each other, they heard shouts and cries from above.

As they quickly got to their feet, Blair yelled out, "We can talk about this later! First we need to get up there and see what's going on!" The others agreed and followed closely behind her. Before leaving the bottom floor of the ship, Liam called back all of his daggers and put them away.

Liam stood in shock the moment he appeared on deck. The scene before him was crazy. There were twice the amount of monsters fighting against the crew members, Key, and Uncle Naro. There were also new types he hadn't seen before that ranged from them having multiple legs to tentacles, claws to hands, and even fins that were used as wings which perplexed Liam to no end. However, his stupor didn't last long as Uncle Naro sliced a small group and then called out to them to make their way towards him.

After the group approached him, Uncle Naro didn't waste time and instructed, "All of you work as a group and take out two to three at a time. Gimmel, have a couple of scout puppets flying around to keep an eye for great threats as well as back attacks but do not focus on all your efforts on that. Artem, hybrid front line and healing. Use your judgement on when to switch roles. Blair, if you can try to lock some of these creatures in place with your Gravity magic and let the others take them out while defending any free ones close by. Roman, you know what to do. Ariyana, let Barty out to play and support everyone with your aromas the best you can. Minstrels, you know what to do but Mercer fire arrows whenever you can. Avery, don't be afraid to go all out with your fire abilities. Key gave the okay, but she also said try not to burn the whole deck down. Omira, do what you can. I don't know your full capabilities, so I can't give your proper instructions. And Liam…"

Uncle Naro paused for a brief moment contemplating his next words. Deciding to go through with it, he instructed, "Don't hold back. Use your Lunar Magic we've practiced but do lead out with it. Utilize it as you see fit. Also, time when you use your Bestial Takeover. Don't tire yourself out its going to be a long fight. IF a creature is too strong don't take it on call out and we will handle it." He then looked at the battle before them and said, "This Sea Parade feels like a strange one so keep an eye out and be as cautious as you can. Got it?"

The group let out a loud confirmation before Uncle Naro ran off ripping into a cluster of giant crab looking monsters. After he did it everyone started getting ready. Sand suddenly covered Roman's shins and feet as solid rocks covered his hands. Sparks of lightning ran across his chest to both of his arms before bouncing back to his chest once more.

Mercer and Val summoned elemental instruments. Around Mercer a violin made of water and a flute made of ice took form as a venom green lute formed by Val. The three instruments harmonized as Val's silky and mesmerizing voice started softly singing giving everyone around them a buff while pulses of a poisonous fog, a light stream of water, and a breath of frost wafted out towards an enemies close enough for them to effect.

Three octopus looking creatures that were hit with these pulse turned their attention to the group and raced towards them as fast as they could. Ariyana stood in the way and as soon as they were almost within striking distance, Barty emerged from his tattooed form and chomped down and the three. As Barty made quick work of them, Ariyana started laying out plant buds full of Burnout Aroma and Captivation Perfume around clusters of creatures before using her plant magic to create shooters from afar and roots to trap them in place.

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Artem sent out healing mists around the fighters who he was able to determine were injured already. After healing those he could he rammed into a giant crab looking monster, knocking it onto its side on top of a group of slithering snake creatures. Blair chanted her gravity magic and used them in cluster of monster making their way to a group of unsuspected crew members who were in the middle of a fight with another group. She then used her Arcane Battle Scream to attract four creatures before attacking with an Arcanic Heavy Strike with her axe. The ones she wasn't able to take out right away quickly fell to their death as Avery and Roman jumped in and attacked.

Gimmel created three Illusioned Bird Puppets and had them circling above. He tried to work on multitasking, keeping one part of him switching between the views of the scouts while attacking where he could. He had to make more every now and then when he had them dive bomb into monsters that tried to surprise attack anyone. These acts weren't enough to kill the monster or do a lot of damage, but instead it allowed the ones who were about to be attacks become aware of their surprise.

Liam summoned a Lightning Hand, Arcane Hand, and Gravity Hand. He used Mana Blend on his Arcane Hand with his Toxo Needle while giving his Gravity Hand his hammer and gave his Lightning Hand a cleaver. He then activated his Inner Beast Aura and Cat Reflexes allowing him to increase his Reflex Sub-stat and create an aura that allowed him to increase his senses as well as give off a presence to any who stepped within it.

After making all these preparations he looked at Omira who blasted off magical attacks here and there at any creatures Blair had trapped with her Gravity Well. Ariyana, Val, and Mercer circled around her giving her space so she could move and not feel stuffed but also was within distance in case they needed to protect her.

Once he determined they were good he raced over towards the monsters Avery was fighting. She had three monsters she was dodging, parrying, and striking by stepping in and out or off to the side and getting behind them. Lines of flames followed after her rapier when she slashed down or erupted moments after piercing a small hole in their skin or carapace.

Once Liam arrived he shot his Toxo Needle through the chest of one monster spreading poison through its inner system while slicing through a limb of another with his cleaver cause a spark of lightning to numb the rest of the appendage still attached. He then used his hammer to collide with a claw that had aimed for his head after he got within striking distance. With the creatures standing in his aura and with his heightened senses being increased he was able to utilize his increased reflexes to move around the monsters like he was doing some interpret dance while also using his Mana Type hands to cause more strikes before arriving by Avery's side.

She looked at him and gave him a wry smile before asking, "Care to dance?"

Returning that smile with one of his own, Liam responded, "I thought you'd never ask."

Almost like a rehearsed choreography, Liam and Avery started with the closest creature to them. They both ran on opposite sides of the creature and attacked it while making their way to the other side. Flames erupted from the side Avery attacked while an arm was severed with a cleaver, a hole made from a needle weapon erupted from its back spreading a toxic poison, and a collapsed rib cage caused by a hammer strike happened on the other.

Both of them stepped in close enough to each other that they high fived before launching their next attack on the next monster. Avery jumped up into the air running her blade up the chest and head and down the back as she came down while Liam slid underneath, attacking the hips and one of the legs with his tool weapons.

As Liam emerged from underneath he swiftly placed his feet up, giving Avery a spring board as her feet matched perfectly with his. She bent her knees as Liam did the same before pushing his legs out as hard as he could giving her a boost to drive her sword right into the gut of the next target. Liam spun around to get back to his feet while sending his tool weapons to finish off the monster they had just attacked before it could land a retaliatory strike at him.

The two continued this press of attacks on the monsters around them. They tried out different angles, attacks, and more to see how well they could sync up while attacking. While they succeeded a good portion of the time, they stumbled or almost collided just as much. They weren't entirely sure what it was that caused them to stumble most times, but Liam's theory was that their sub-stats, specifically the Dexterity sub-stats had a part to play on that. He had abilities that increased his Dexterity Sub-stats while Avery did not.

However, that didn't mean she was slow. As they continued their dance they slowly corrected mid battle where they failed earlier or adjusted to make up for rough movements or bad timings. All in all though, they were having fun doing this. This was something Mercer had suggested he do with both Avery and Roman. While the two were their frontline attackers, Liam was trying to adopt a more wild card type of role. One that either distracted the enemy with his Mana Type Hands wielding his tool weapons, or a skirmisher that jumped in with all his tool weapons, landed a strike, and quickly got out. Either way he would be the distraction Avery and Roman needed to land final blows or heavier strikes.

It was Avery's idea, though, to try out this version of what Mercer was suggesting. They both would go in and strike on both ends or even a top and bottom attack like earlier. Her Dexterity sub-stats weren't as high as Liam's were, but she was working on correcting that as time went by. This fight was showing the fruits of their training, and it made them both happy.

After they finished off two clusters of monsters, the two retreated back to the group to receive healing from Artem from the strikes they weren't quick enough to dodge or the moments their carelessness caused when they crashed into each other. After getting healed and replenishing their stamina, Avery went to fight alone while Liam searched out Roman.

It didn't take him long to find him. All he had to do was find the loudest person shouting while punching a creature hard enough to send it flying a bit up into the air. Like with Avery, Liam rushed over and used the moment he had stunned the creature he just punched to send his tool weapons in to strike at the monster's head. After the monster died Roman looked at him and asked while wiping a line of sweat off his face with a grin, "My turn to play?"

Liam let out a chuckle as he nodded. Liam's coordination with Roman was completely different than with Avery. Where Avery had higher Agility than Roman, Roman had higher Speed. While Avery and Liam could literally dance circles around the monsters, Roman was able to burst into a fight after Liam caught a target's attention.

During the training Avery, Liam, and Roman identified what to call their coordinated attacks. The Avery and Liam combo was a battle dance while Roman and Liam combo was a switch tactic. The Switch Tactic was when Liam took the full attention of a target getting it primed, soft, and becoming completely unaware of Roman suddenly appearing when the time was right for his flurry of heavy attacks. When Roman started his flurry of strikes Liam would step back and assess the surrounding making sure nothing would attack them.

After that, when the monster gained its balance back, Liam would switch with Roman and regain its attention to focus on him as he struck and danced around the target with his tool weapons. If Avery's and Liam's was a high paced dance of strikes, Liam's and Roman's was a powerful hit and run style. Just like his coordination with Avery, while he and Roman succeeded a good portion of the fights, they still had moments where their timing was off leading the target to notice Roman right as he came in to attack or them crashing into each other trying to switch in and out.

Liam and the others continued doing what they could as time went by. They took this time to solidify what they had been working on as well as try out some things they hadn't had the chance to do. For Liam, it was trying his coordination attacks with Avery and Roman while Bestial Takeover was active. To their dismay it was too much. While a good portion of his stats rose, they made him too quick for the others to keep up.

Instead of trying to slow down and wasting his ability, Liam took the opportunity to attack targets by himself. Like all the other times he was still slow getting used to the sudden jump, but he felt he wasn't taking nearly as long to adjust to them after activating the ability like he had before. It was something he needed to get used to after using the ability so many times. Also, even though Uncle Naro had told him he could use his Lunar abilities during this fight, he hadn't seen any need to. While this could be great practice, he was still reluctant to use it out in the open so soon. Something Uncle Naro praised him for later since after seeing him fight, he also agreed there wasn't a need to reveal that hand yet.

After an hour had finally past all the monsters, including the Lotan Spawn leading them, had fallen. Both Key and Uncle Naro took care of the boss monster since it was too much for them to handle it yet. Something Liam and the others were alright with since they were extremely exhausted from all the fighting they had just endured. They weren't complaining at all as well due to the level gains they had received during the fight.

Liam had a few sub-stats level once after the fight. The stats he received a level in were Agility, Reflex, and Speed making they now level thirty one. His Stamina Endurance was now at level twenty six. His Power was now at level twenty six and his Body Strength at level twenty four. His last two sub-stats saw him at level twenty nine for HP Recovery and twenty eight for MP Recovery. While he thought that it was a bit unfair to only receive one level after all he had done during the fight he quickly reigned in those thoughts remembering that it was going to be tough to raise his levels now that most had reached level thirty.

He had also reached level sixteen in Needlework Precision, level eight in Inner Beast Aura and Cat Reflexes, level nine in Bestial Takeover, level fifteen in Gravity Hand, level fourteen in Lightning Hand, and level twelve in Arcane Hand. He didn't see any level ups in Mana Blend for now, but he felt he was close to the next level up in it.

After they all checked their notifications they looked around and saw everyone harvesting or cleaning the dead bodies of the monsters. Watching them doing this reminded Liam and the others about a certain group of Nagas dead on the bottom floor of the ship. Realizing this they all swiftly made their way down there. However, the moment they reached the bottom floor they were shocked to see no bodies there. Not only that but the blood that had spilled out was also gone as well.

"Well, fuck," Roman muttered as he stared at the spot.