The New Story of Lona Falldin

Chapter 8

-...I wonder if I have the courage to tell God to his face that he is a goat? - I asked, against the background of information about the undead being armed for the sake of one of the local deities.

- Even if it is enough, you won't live long after that. You shouldn't joke with the gods and everything connected with them. - the man warned me.

- Personal experience? - I asked.

- Yes. I've come across a divine artifact before. An ark that had the power to level a city to the ground, and so some bastards who actively wanted to take over the world were actively looking for it. Having gotten their hands on it, they ended up dying because of their own curiosity. After all, the power of a god is not meant for humans.

"You have a fun life," I smiled, having completely calmed down after the archer's sudden attack.

- Yeah, it couldn't be more fun.

- By the way, since we're talking about gods, I know where a weakened sea goddess is, who has descendants, and the female representatives among them have the opportunity to receive power from this goddess.

- Really? That sounds pretty interesting, what kind of goddess is that? - the archaeologist asked.

- Sea witch, mother of fishmen. Just in case, I'll warn you, if there's even a hint that you're approaching her, run as fast as you can. It's mortally dangerous for men to be near her.

- She's an extreme feminist who kills men?

- No. It's just that because of her smell and appearance, absolutely any man would want to fuck her, even an impotent man would get an erection. And then such a man would most likely die from snu-snu.

- Snoo-snu? - the man asked again, and then, remembering the context and realizing the meaning, he grinned. - I've known men who would be happy with such a death.

- You know, it seems to me that such a death would be one of the most painful, because when a man can no longer produce semen, he will still be hard, and the sea witch will begin to squeeze out blood until the poor guy finally dies, most likely turning into a bloody mess.

- Ahem. I understand and will write down, "is there a sea witch nearby? Run as fast as you can!" - it seems that such details impressed the archaeologist so much that he actually took out a notebook in which he began to write, until he suddenly froze from the thought that visited him and, after sniffing a little, looked at me suspiciously. - You were talking about descendants who can receive power from her?

"Yes," I nodded.

- Could a half-breed of a fish-man and a human woman be included among the candidates, purely theoretically?

"Anything is possible," I smiled.

- I see, - Jones answered, slightly tense. - Let's get back to work.

After the experience with a sudden attack by a skeleton archer, which could have easily been fatal for me, I began to pay much closer attention to my surroundings, which saved my life several times. Skeleton archers, despite being predictable, began to shoot more accurately, and if I had been even a little less attentive, they would have finished what their colleague could not do.

"That was the last one," said Jones, who was clearly a little tired. "Let's get back to the gravedigger."

- Okay. - I agreed, much more tired than my companion. To be honest, I already regret that breakdown on the skeleton that caught me off guard. My arms feel like they're ready to fall off at any moment. The only good thing is that I was able to level up to 10 and if I'm not mistaken, when I complete the quest, the experience should be enough to reach 11. - But let's take a short break after that, I have some smoked meat with me, so we can have a bite to eat and I need to rest at the same time.

- Oh, yes, it is a pleasure to deal with you! - the news of the imminent meal clearly raised the archaeologist's spirits, so he moved with a slightly faster step towards the gravedigger's house, which was already waiting for us.

- Well done, you managed it and even without losses, and I was already thinking that I would have to dig a grave again for another failed mercenary. - the gravedigger grinned. - Here are your tokens. Until next time.

Having each received a token, we left the cemetery and after a little searching we managed to stumble upon an abandoned house, where we decided to rest until the morning. It turned out that Jones had a pretty decent quality sleeping bag and some camping gear. I wasn't stingy with the food and simply divided one of the two-kilogram pieces of meat in half. I gave one half to the Archaeologist.

- No matter how many times I've tried it, this is your meat, cooked in a dark cauldron, and every time it tastes especially delicious. How much did you pay for it? - Jones asked, eating the meat with pleasure.

- I didn't buy it. I own the dark cauldron myself, and I got the meat myself.

- Yes, a companion like you is nothing but advantages! - the man said contentedly.

- Well, I haven't learned magic yet, and then I'll be able to explore the world and even leave the island if I want to. - I said, pleased with the praise.

- So you want to leave the island?

- I'm not sure yet. First, I just want to gain strength, visit a couple of ruins, and then maybe I'll try to help in the fight against the dark mist, although if everything turns out to be too neglected there, I'll try to swim away.

- Dark mist, yes. - the archaeologist said gloomily. - I was also "lucky" to see what this abomination is capable of. I don't think I want to go up against the demons of the flesh ever again.

It was obvious that the mention of the dark mist had spoiled his appetite. And now he sat, lost in his thoughts, looking at the piece of meat in his hands.

- Don't worry, I'm not going to ask you to participate in something so dangerous. As I promised, I'm just asking you to accompany me at the beginning of the journey so that I can become stronger, and then we'll visit a couple of ruins together and then go our separate ways.

- Haaah. Where is my life heading? Before, I used to climb up a whole fascist camp alone. With just a pistol and a whip in my hands, and now...

- Alone for the whole camp?! Can you tell me how it all happened? - I asked with sincere curiosity.

- Heh, you know? Why not, I'll remember the old days. It all started when government agents visited me and asked what I knew about the Ark...