Boreas POV
As I descended deeper and deeper into the depths, I marveled at the newfound clarity of my surroundings, the once murky waters now crystal clear and teeming with life.
With each stroke of my arms and kick of my legs, I propelled myself further into the heart of the ocean as I swam much faster, my senses heightened by the nymph's blessing. I could see with a clarity that bordered on the miraculous, the vibrant colors of the coral reefs and exotic fish dazzling my eyes with their beauty.
But it wasn't just my vision that had been enhanced by the blessing. I could hear the sounds of everything happening around me in the water as well. I arrived at the underwater ruin and Mari was already there.
"What took you so long?" she asked
"You can teleport?"
"I can, but I didn't. Anyway, loot this place to your heart's desire."
As I explored the depths of the underwater ruin, my heart raced with excitement at the prospect of discovering ancient treasures hidden within its crumbling walls. But as I sifted through the debris scattered across the floor in the ruin, I quickly realized that most of the items were little more than relics of a bygone era, their significance more symbolic than practical.
I picked up a rusted sword, its blade dulled by centuries of corrosion, and examined it with a mixture of disappointment and fascination. Next, I uncovered a tattered banner, its colors faded and frayed from years of exposure to the elements. As I unfurled it, I could make out the faded emblem of a long-forgotten kingdom.
I continued to sift through the debris, my excitement waning with each passing moment as I realized that most of the items were of little use to me. While they may have held historical significance or sentimental value to someone else, they were useless...apart from the fact that I can sell them for good money.
As I rounded the corner, I found a sword embedded in stone, and not only that, but the sword itself looked new and usable. It was this gold and silver blade, kinda boring looking, but I ain't complaining, because powers are the important part.
I couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement at the prospect of wielding such a legendary weapon. With a determined expression, I grasped the hilt and gave it a hearty tug, expecting it to slide effortlessly...
To my dismay, the sword remained firmly lodged in the stone, as immovable as if it had been welded in place by some ancient sorcery. I frowned in frustration, giving the sword another futile tug before resigning myself to the fact that it was beyond my strength to remove it. I then read the instructions on the rock...
"Within the stone, dormant power awaits its master. Only the worthy shall claim its might."
"Well, that's anticlimactic." I grumbled aloud
Its writing style is familiar...I then remembered the bat, the one that said isekai or something, but it's the same style, so this means that this word used to belong to him. I don't know who he is, but he's definitely a helper of the goddess by sorts.
"This sort was placed here by a former hero." Mari explained, "The blessing you have is the same as the one he received from his wife, a water spirit that got stronger once it merged with him...it's said that his soul is now serving the afterlife right beside the goddess herself."
'What's his name?"
"Craven Moorehead."
"Pft." I held my laugh in time but Mari was glaring daggers at me.
"Do not make fun of the hero, he was brought here by the goddess herself all those years ago...he was one of the 3 heroes to seal the demon lord."
3...I'm the 3rd and last...I see why I'm here now, this is going to be fun.
'="Sorry, Mari, continue."
"Do not call me that." she retorted
"Why?"
"It's not my name."
"But I've already been calling you that in my head, won't it disappoint the fans to have me call you differently...besides, don't you have a nickname for me in your head as well?"
"Well, no matter, you'll never wield it." she crossed her arms, "You are simply way too lackluster to wield such a weapon, this weapon is one of the 3 in the world that was bestowed upon our heroes by the goddess."
"Promise me something."
"What?"
"Just promise me you won't say anything, but I'll wield this sword by the end of it."
"...Fine...I'm interested in what you'll do." her eyes shone for a slight moment there.
*****
"They called you a hero?" I scoffed, "More like a legend in your own mind, you weakling. Remember that time you came at me with a bat?! Yeah, good times. You swung like a blindfolded toddler at a pinata. And to think, people actually look up to you. PUAHAHAAHAHAHA."
I laughed aloud while Mari looked at me like some sort of crazy person as she murmured under her breath about much of a disappointment she was.
I mean, I beat you senseless without breaking a sweat," I continued, "If it weren't for your precious goddess swooping in to save your sorry hide, you'd still be licking your wounds like the pathetic excuse for a hero that you are. You couldn't even fight your way out of a paper bag without tripping over your own two feet!
"And don't even get me started on your strategy or lack thereof. Charging in like a headless chicken would have been an improvement! I mean, seriously...I didn't even have any fighting experience, you tried to attack a hungry guy and LOST! I had you on the ground before you even knew what hit you! And let's not forget how you cried for mercy like a sniveling coward.
"The way you cried like a baby when I had you pinned to the ground? Oh, it was priceless! I've never seen someone blubber so pathetically in my life! I mean, I knew you were weak, but I never realized you were such a crybaby, they should have given you a pacifier instead of a sword! And what kind of name is Craven Moorehead, anyway? Sounds more like the punchline to a bad joke than the name of a hero."
"I mean, what were they thinking? Were they hoping you'd grow into it? Because if so, I hate to break it to you, but you fell short by a long shot! You're nothing but a crying pacifier-sucking coward!"
A lightning bolt then struck the ground before me with a deafening crack and a figure materialized from the smoke and sparks.
"2 for 2."
"You dare to mock the name of Craven Moorehead!" he screamed, "I'll kill you right here!"
Boreas POV
As I descended deeper and deeper into the depths, I marveled at the newfound clarity of my surroundings, the once murky waters now crystal clear and teeming with life.
With each stroke of my arms and kick of my legs, I propelled myself further into the heart of the ocean as I swam much faster, my senses heightened by the nymph's blessing. I could see with a clarity that bordered on the miraculous, the vibrant colors of the coral reefs and exotic fish dazzling my eyes with their beauty.
But it wasn't just my vision that had been enhanced by the blessing. I could hear the sounds of everything happening around me in the water as well. I arrived at the underwater ruin and Mari was already there.
"What took you so long?" she asked
"You can teleport?"
"I can, but I didn't. Anyway, loot this place to your heart's desire."
As I explored the depths of the underwater ruin, my heart raced with excitement at the prospect of discovering ancient treasures hidden within its crumbling walls. But as I sifted through the debris scattered across the floor in the ruin, I quickly realized that most of the items were little more than relics of a bygone era, their significance more symbolic than practical.
I picked up a rusted sword, its blade dulled by centuries of corrosion, and examined it with a mixture of disappointment and fascination. Next, I uncovered a tattered banner, its colors faded and frayed from years of exposure to the elements. As I unfurled it, I could make out the faded emblem of a long-forgotten kingdom.
I continued to sift through the debris, my excitement waning with each passing moment as I realized that most of the items were of little use to me. While they may have held historical significance or sentimental value to someone else, they were useless...apart from the fact that I can sell them for good money.
As I rounded the corner, I found a sword embedded in stone, and not only that, but the sword itself looked new and usable. It was this gold and silver blade, kinda boring looking, but I ain't complaining, because powers are the important part.
I couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement at the prospect of wielding such a legendary weapon. With a determined expression, I grasped the hilt and gave it a hearty tug, expecting it to slide effortlessly...
To my dismay, the sword remained firmly lodged in the stone, as immovable as if it had been welded in place by some ancient sorcery. I frowned in frustration, giving the sword another futile tug before resigning myself to the fact that it was beyond my strength to remove it. I then read the instructions on the rock...
"Within the stone, dormant power awaits its master. Only the worthy shall claim its might."
"Well, that's anticlimactic." I grumbled aloud
Its writing style is familiar...I then remembered the bat, the one that said isekai or something, but it's the same style, so this means that this word used to belong to him. I don't know who he is, but he's definitely a helper of the goddess by sorts.
"This sort was placed here by a former hero." Mari explained, "The blessing you have is the same as the one he received from his wife, a water spirit that got stronger once it merged with him...it's said that his soul is now serving the afterlife right beside the goddess herself."
'What's his name?"
"Craven Moorehead."
"Pft." I held my laugh in time but Mari was glaring daggers at me.
"Do not make fun of the hero, he was brought here by the goddess herself all those years ago...he was one of the 3 heroes to seal the demon lord."
3...I'm the 3rd and last...I see why I'm here now, this is going to be fun.
'="Sorry, Mari, continue."
"Do not call me that." she retorted
"Why?"
"It's not my name."
"But I've already been calling you that in my head, won't it disappoint the fans to have me call you differently...besides, don't you have a nickname for me in your head as well?"
"Well, no matter, you'll never wield it." she crossed her arms, "You are simply way too lackluster to wield such a weapon, this weapon is one of the 3 in the world that was bestowed upon our heroes by the goddess."
"Promise me something."
"What?"
"Just promise me you won't say anything, but I'll wield this sword by the end of it."
"...Fine...I'm interested in what you'll do." her eyes shone for a slight moment there.
*****
"They called you a hero?" I scoffed, "More like a legend in your own mind, you weakling. Remember that time you came at me with a bat?! Yeah, good times. You swung like a blindfolded toddler at a pinata. And to think, people actually look up to you. PUAHAHAAHAHAHA."
I laughed aloud while Mari looked at me like some sort of crazy person as she murmured under her breath about much of a disappointment she was.
I mean, I beat you senseless without breaking a sweat," I continued, "If it weren't for your precious goddess swooping in to save your sorry hide, you'd still be licking your wounds like the pathetic excuse for a hero that you are. You couldn't even fight your way out of a paper bag without tripping over your own two feet!
"And don't even get me started on your strategy or lack thereof. Charging in like a headless chicken would have been an improvement! I mean, seriously...I didn't even have any fighting experience, you tried to attack a hungry guy and LOST! I had you on the ground before you even knew what hit you! And let's not forget how you cried for mercy like a sniveling coward.
"The way you cried like a baby when I had you pinned to the ground? Oh, it was priceless! I've never seen someone blubber so pathetically in my life! I mean, I knew you were weak, but I never realized you were such a crybaby, they should have given you a pacifier instead of a sword! And what kind of name is Craven Moorehead, anyway? Sounds more like the punchline to a bad joke than the name of a hero."
"I mean, what were they thinking? Were they hoping you'd grow into it? Because if so, I hate to break it to you, but you fell short by a long shot! You're nothing but a crying pacifier-sucking coward!"
A lightning bolt then struck the ground before me with a deafening crack and a figure materialized from the smoke and sparks.
"2 for 2."
"You dare to mock the name of Craven Moorehead!" he screamed, "I'll kill you right here!"
