The soup is red, countless chili swimming in it.
"The famous hot pot from Erwing!" Aelita declares.
She winks at John. For a moment, I think I see Aelita's grin formed by John's lips.
"I am very surprised. Even Erwing's citizens only consume this kind of hotpot in the chilly days of winter," the waiter politely points out before leaving our table.
John and Aelita have a monstrous ability to consume ridiculously spicy food. "Well, I can just consume the ingredients without dipping them on the soup," I decide after smelling the stench of the soup.
"Oh, well, don't tell me you're going to eat chicken and vegetables raw," Aelita smirks.
Agatha, Nala, and Joe have put in their meat and vegetables in the soup and are waiting for them to cook, although their expressions can't be exactly described as happy.
I begrudgingly begin to do the same.
The restrooms are filled by Joe, Nala, Agatha, and me tonight. We are accompanied by Aelita's endless laughs.
"I swear if we get attacked, I won't help you, Aelita!" I curse.
The next morning, both Royal and Blazewing's ship depart. My stomach has finally calmed down. John and Aelita continues laughing regularly like idiots.
For a week, all seems once again fine.
"What mist is this?" John asks as we enter a misty area. This is the end of the first week.
"Hm? I have no idea. I don't remember putting such a misty area in our plans," I reply worriedly.
"This mist is peculiar," Alice notes, "This area isn't supposed to have such mist."
The mists are thick, enveloping a wide area. I'm sure many other ships are trapped in it, too.
"Now that I think about it, there is an area this misty, but it's far, far, to the north," Aelita recalls.
My first thought is that Alice has mistakenly navigated Royal, but she immediately says, "Mathematically, it is impossible to go to that area in a week."
I sense something below the waters. "There's something below," I mutter. Thousands of something are approaching us at great speed.
"Blood Sword!" I wield dual blades. John draws his axe and Aelita her spear.
What emerges from the waters truly surprise me; mermaids, foul creatures, half-human half-fish. Wielding shockwave magic, capability of transforming into humans, commendable fencing skills, and crystals encrusted on their foreheads, one of them can stalemate a Class II mage. Their elites can go toe-to-toe with a Class III.
"Alice, turn back! Mermaids!" I shriek.
But Alice stays silent and somewhat solemn. Tears flow freely from her eyes.
"Pardon me, Vio," she mutters as she draws her blade.
"What is the meaning of this, Alice!?" I ask in fury. Some mermaids have begun transforming and landing on our ship.
"Venus Trap!" Aelita shrieks as carnivorous plants begin to engage the mermaids.
"Divine Halo!" John follows, creating circular energy blades which he hurls at the mermaids.
"They know about my betrayal. The Puppeteer has turned me into his puppet. Right now, I'm fighting his control, but the would be victor is clear," Alice replies sorrowfully.
"Kill me ... Vio!" Alice shrieks as she loses control and lunges at me.
I dodge her lunge, but only barely. "Skeletal Maiden!" I cry as bones trap Alice.
"Iron Knight Transformation!" she bellows as pieces of iron stick to her body, breaking my bones.
"Blood Mist!" I shout as red mist begins to swirl around Alice.
"Blood Salvo!"
Waves after waves of large blood arrows bombard Alice's defenses. "Thunderstorm!" she retaliates, a huge ball of lightning hurled at me.
I leap out of the way, but Alice is waiting for me. "Lightning Zap!"
"Arrgghh!" I shout in pain, but manage to counterattack. "Blood Shockwave!" I shriek, but Alice avoids it.
"I ... beg ... you ...." Alice moans in misery, "Kill ... me ...."
"Tch! Just who is this Puppeteer?" I curse, "Blood Salvo!"
"Iron Wall!" Alice counters, "I ... don't know ... Puppeteer ...."
"Blood Orb Bullet!" I add more power, "Alice! Are you really going to stay like that?"
Alice gasps. "Puppeteer...." she mutters, "I won't let you do as you please with my body!"
She undoes her Iron Wall. "Finish me, Vio!" she shrieks as my Blood Salvo and Blood Orb Bullet bombard her.
"Black Chupacabra!" I shout.
I watch as Alice's soulless body explodes after being hit by Black Chupacabra. "Thanks.... Vio..."
Alice smiles for the last time. Tears now flowing from my eyes, I nod quietly.
John and Aelita are fighting with their backs against each other; both sustain fairly minor injuries. The mermaids balance their power with sheer quantity.
Hundreds of mermaids have died on the ship. I quickly wipe my remaining tears and join the fray.
"Blood Shockwave!" I shriek. About one and a half dozens of mermaids open their mouths, firing shockwave beams that match mine.
"Vio! This is madness!" Aelita complains, "we've slaughtered hundreds of them and they keep on coming!"
"I know!" I shout as I slash a mermaid's chest, "I sense at least ten thousand of them below!"
"Ten thousand? That's almost an entire colony!" Aelita shouts.
At this rate, we're going to be mince meat for sure! And they probably haven't even sent the elites yet!
"I'll go to my cabin and call for help via our communication orb! Aelita, cover me!" I order as I spread my wings.
"Aye, aye!" Aelita replies, "John, lend me your light! Divine Vines!"
White vines rampage among the ranks of the mermaids while I make a run for the orb.
Unluckily, about a dozen mermaids catch up, firing a combined laser attack.
"Blood Shield!" I put up my shield, but the laser still wrecks my entire cabin-including the orb.
"Crap!" I curse, "Blood Shockwave!"
My spell knocks out the mermaids. By now corpses start to stack. Aelita and John are literally surrounded by a wall of mermaid corpses.
A huge ship approaches. "What now?" I mutter.