Rot, salt, and stomach acid, decayed mixing all together into a rancid smell.
The damn whale that started his little journey was dwarfed by what just ate them. Even the shadow alone was as big as an island, but inside was unnerving. Like a whole ecosystem living underneath the earth, except it wasn't in the earth at all, and inside a massive beast in the ocean.
Naren's heavy eyes flickered as he yawned. He stayed awake in the bleak darkness, cold and shivering, with the added weight of a burdensome little girl clinging to his legs. Now, they were both inside the stomach of the creature, floating on some small rock.
"You wanna let go? We stopped falling a while ago."
Vera, opened her eyes slowly and looked around, still strapped around Naren's legs.
"Wh-where?"
The stomach was massive. Easily twice the size of the dormitory back in Naren's home island. Maybe even larger. The high ceiling — if it can be called that — was arched down, dripping the same thick dark waters that surrounded them. Murky and heavy, and a bit acidic. Naren could tell that much by how it was slowly carving onto the rock below them.
Thankfully, light came from the wall — a sickly bioluminescent glow that flickered as the flesh pulsed. In slow, irregular waves.
Naren crouched down to face Vera, his face dark from the poor lighting. An eerie smile, far too wide, latched onto his face.
"We're in hell."
Vera screamed, shutting her eyes and clinging tighter to Naren.
"Di-did we fall into Atlas?"
Naren burst out into laughter at the expense of the poor girl. She must've been really interested in Atlas as well. Or at least she bought the same story the soldier told him.
"Wha-what's so funny."
She punched Naren's legs in one of those weak harmless punches only children are capable of.
"Nothing nothing. We were just swallowed by some giant fish. Nothing to be afraid of."
"I-I wasn't afraid."
Vera let go of Naren, standing on her own. her legs still quivering.
Naren spared her a glance while yawning, before getting bored of her little act. It was fun while it lasted but now he should focus on getting out.
"Mhm."
He surveyed the area. Loud gurgling noises getting on his nerves. Though there was another, even more annoying noise he could hear from right ahead.
In front of them, faintly lit was an "island". Not a real island. Just various debris, bodies, partially dissolved organic matter. All compacted and piled high enough to just break through the digestive ocean. And on top of that fake island, tilted at an angle, barely held together, was half their ship: the back half.
The rest, from the bow, to the deck, to everything forward of the mast was sheared off cleanly. The exposed interior gaped open. Splintered wood and metal hung loose, a couple bodies pierced or hung lifelessly, hollow eyes still stuck with a moment of fear.
From that island, beyond the semblance of the ship that once was, Naren could make out the voice of the Sergeant. That and two more, a soldier and a prisoner.
He looked down at Vera, her eyes staring at the gruesome sight in front despite the fear on her face showing how badly she wanted to look away. The rest of her body followed in the same mindset, shaking.
Then, he looked at the twenty meters of acidic water, leading to the ship.
"Good luck shortstack."
He waved back to Vera before his body rippled like a reflection in water. In the next second, bare feet gripped the cold, wet surface of a piece of steel plating dangling at an angle. Just barely reflecting the golden eyes staring down at it. Though there was another set of eyes, shut closed, holding Naren's leg.
"I don't have service for extra bags."
Naren shook Vera off his foot. With a startled yelp, she fell off the dangling metal plate, grabbing onto his own leg in the process. They both fell with a crash, tumbling onto the tilted lower deck below. Just barely able to stop from falling off thanks to an overturned floorboard.
Naren picked himself up before suspending Vera by the collar over the waters in front of them. A plain annoyance present on his face.
"What's your problem?!"
She squirmed in his hands, kicking and punching.
"L-let go of me you stupid brute. I-I just wanted to make sure you were protected."
"What kinda safety is some shrimp gonna give me."
He slowly lowered Vera towards the waters below.
"Maybe I should just get rida you."
Vera's eyes widened looking at the acidic waters below. Bones floating about with little bits of dissolved muscle remaining.
"Wait stop. I'll protect you. I-I'm really strong."
"Please let her go, Aspirant."
The Sergeant stood right off the boat, on the island. Bolka and Boris to his sides. Boris immediately waddled over to Naren, snatching Vera with his cuffed hands.
"Who the hell are you? Why're you tormenting Vera?"
Naren gave him no mind, brushing him off as just another npc.
"Aspirant? I'm no Aspirant"
"Try not to lie. I can tell you are just from a glimpse."
Naren tensed up slightly. If he knew he was an Aspirant how would he react. This was the first shaman he met aside from Alice. He had no idea how welcoming they would be to their juniors. Let alone that malice that came from him before, Naren couldn't quite picture himself killing him at the moment.
"What're you gonna do if I am?"
The Sergeant took a step closer. Naren looked around for any other reflections at his disposal. He noted the metallic glint from Bolka's drawn sword.
Then, the Sergeant pulled out a piece of paper from inside his coat, along with a pen.
"If you are, I'll recruit you."
Naren's face dropped into a amusingly puzzled expression.
"Recruit me?"
—————————————
The five of them sat by a manmade fire, somehow burning despite the damp atmosphere. Naren held a filled out piece of paper in his hand. A bloody thumb print at the very bottom.
The Sergeant told him how as a superior officer he gets merit points for recruiting Aspirants. How the government was made up entirely of the military. Being only one of six factions that ruled over the world.
And blah blah blah blah. A whole lotta other things that Naren couldn't bother keeping up with. Though, one thing did stick. The government helps all military Aspirants enter their Marchen.
Naren shoved the crudely filled out form into the Sergeant's hand. A beaming smile on his face. If it was this easy to become a shaman, he woulda done this from the start. Curse Alice for not telling him of this cheat code. Though, she was the one who taught him how to write to fill out the form at all so she gets a pass.
"A bit enthusiastic aren't you."
"I'm just happy we're on the same page Sergeant."
The Sergeant stashed the form into his coat pocket. Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy after all. In fact, what did he actually do that was wrong. Naren hadn't seen anything.
"So do you carry that around with you at all time."
"Lower ranked officers tend to. It's how we can climb the ladder you know."
The Sergeant flashed a warm smile that immediately made Naren shudder. Then he was pulled in closer by the Sergeant, into a slight whisper.
"What I tell you stays between us. I trust you."
"Secrets already Sergeant? I didn't think you were that kinda guy."
The Sergeant paused before disregarding the stupid remark.
"The bait we are for isn't the Charybdis we're inside."
He leaned in closer.
"It's a parasite that lives off it."
Naren garnered as much already. There was no way the bait that the Sergeant was so proud to be was for a creature this massive. Unless he had some grand suicide plan, there was no feasible way to kill it. It was like a living natural disaster.
He also got a hint. A low, rhythmic scraping. He thought it was metal on stone at first, but later realized it was scales. It was faint, overshadowed by the constant rush of water and groaning of the stomach walls. But it was there, constantly, and persisting.
Then, a low deep hiss. Long and drawn out, like breathing, but wrong. It was deeper, something that hit the bones, and wet. Echoing through the cavern, reverberating off fleshy walls, it came from all directions.
Along, with it came a rattling. Deeper and lower than the hiss. Shaking the debris, rippling the water with every shake. Though it wasn't in burst, instead continuously rising and falling, oscillating.
Naren had kept track of the noises since the beginning, trying to figure out exactly what it was. Whatever it was, it was big. And smart. And it was hunting them.
"I am going to hunt it."
"Huh?"
"As a third-class shaman, if I bring back the head of a second-class beast, I'll surely get promoted."
For a second the warm mask of the Sergeant peeled off. For just a second. It wasn't on his face though, instead it was in his voice. Something that maybe only Naren could pick up on. A tinge of selfishness and coldness peered through his remarks, only slightly.
"As a shaman, we are born to hunt beasts after all."
"That's very noble of you."
"And as a private, you will help me."
"Sorry?"
"You'll help me hunt the Basilisk."