The creature's tentacles flail through the air and crash into the water, smashing apart what little pieces of the boat remain. The bags have ripped open and everything the elf meticulously packed lost to the sea, all our supplies gone. The carved section of boat I'm using to hide has drifted away from the monster, not far enough to be safe but we aren't at threat of being hit by accident. The thing has made no attempt to attack us directly, I'm not sure whether my Shadow Cloak is working to hide us or it just doesn't want to approach something so steeped in dark magic. Whatever the case I have no option but to sit and wait, if I were to try and swim away I'd risk drawing the creature's attention.

The ship had drifted closer, close enough that I can clearly see the humans running around on the deck and hear the crackle of the electricity from the hull. I can see now that the entire hull is plated in a coppery metal, large spikes sticking out of the sides spit arks of electricity at regular intervals the shoot through the water around the boat. Luckily for the elf and I it doesn't get close enough to shock us, seemingly deciding that there isn't anything worth saving from our ship and turning back towards the island. Unfortunately the tentacled monster doesn't follow it, instead playing with the few splinters of our boat that have yet to be completely destroyed.

I can't do much more than keep the elf's head above water and wait. It's good that I noticed the lungs when I was first summoned, as far as I can tell I don't need to breath and I'd have assumed that it was the same for elves without that hint to the contrary and some information from Understanding. I think I'm starting to get how Understanding works, it takes in and expands on information that I already have available. Farkas spoke the human language when he summoned me, so I started learning words in the human tongue for things around me. I found an elvish book in Farkas' library and started learning elvish. Elvira tries to cook in front of me, and I gain information on cooking. It seems to already know lots of things, but it only tells me if I have a reason to learn that information, if I know to look for it. If I didn't even know about the concept of breathing, hadn't noticed anything pointing towards it, Understanding wouldn't inform me of it.

For now, I hold Elvira's above the water and wait for her to wake up while we drift aimlessly with our shattered piece of boat.

It's getting dark by the time we drift close enough to shore that I feel safe swimming the rest of the way there. Luckily we were close to our destination, it could have taken much longer if we were attacked earlier. I probably could have started swimming earlier, but even after the tentacled monster retreated there were still shadows moving about below us. Better that nothing else notice us. Once I do begin to swim I find that my jellyfish-like style of swimming is fairly effective as we move faster than expected, even while pulling the broken section of boat. It's troublesome to pull around, but I'm not leaving behind such a good hiding spot, not when Elvira is still unconscious. I'm starting to worry about that, I don't know much about sleep but I have the vague notion that it isn't good that she hasn't woken up yet. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen her truly unconscious before. Even when sleeping she would sit upright and often have her eyes half open, she was never completely unconscious. She's breathing, so I know she isn't dead, but something is clearly wrong.

I drag both the elf and the broken section of boat onto land, pulling them to the edge of the forest just beyond the beach. Even while being jostled about she still isn't waking up. Well, nothing I can do about it. I place Elvira down at the base of a large tree with the broken piece of boat propped up over her, and begin taking count of what we're going to need. Food is the first thing that comes to mind, but we'll need to restock on everything. Containers to hold water in, cooking tools, a tent, rope, the list goes on. Maybe I can handle food by hunting but the rest can't be found in the forest, or at the very least I have no idea where to begin looking. However, if I were to go to the nearby port city I'd be able to find everything we need in surplus. I'm sure that Elvira would tell me not to, but she's conveniently unable to do so. She even has the perfect hiding place to ensure she isn't attacked, I doubt anything in this forest will see through that many Shadow's Marks. It's also getting dark enough that I can use my Shadow Cloak to hide, by the time I reach the city I should be nearly invisible in the darkness. My mind made up I write a quick note in the dirt in case the elf wakes up while I'm gone and set in the direction of the city.

The way there is quiet, nothing more than a few small animals rushing through the underbrush around me. It isn't long before I begin seeing light between the trees. The forest has been cleared near the city's low wooden wall leaving nowhere to hide while approaching. The odd guard wanders along the wall, staring into the darkness beyond the reach of their torches. None of them have a chance of noticing me, it's just a matter of waiting for one to pass and reaching up to pull myself over the wall and I'm in the city. Most buildings I can see are one or two stories, and all have at least one candle burning in a window. Or not, I notice a few fancier looking buildings have strange glowing stones set into the frames of their windows, and I notice a few smaller, more run down buildings that have bits of luminescent moss growing on their sills. The entire city is lit up despite the darkness of night, but most rooftops remain dark enough that I'm not at risk of being seen while I make my way around.

Whilst exploring the city I find an old stone building with a tall tower standing above it, a glowing boulder atop the tower. Something about the building is strange, it doesn't look too different from the other nearby buildings but it seems to thrum with power, almost seeming to glow with it. It feels... wrong. Completely wrong. Like the opposite of the Void, the opposite of me, but somehow it also feels right. Something draws me to it, something that I can't explain. Soon I find myself creeping across its roof and checking for open windows. To my surprise the first one I check opens easily, and quietly slip inside. The interior of the building is bright. Much, much too bright. Candles burn everywhere, glowing stones are set into the walls and hang from the ceiling like small chandeliers. On one wall is a gigantic tapestry depicting a white feminine silhouette surrounded by a halo of golden light, the colour spilling out to cover the altar in front of the tapestry and a carpet leading to the door on the opposite wall, passing between rows of low benches. It's so bright that it's disgusting, worse than the midday light of the sun, but still it calls to me. I carefully lower myself into the room and approach the altar, finding that it's topped with a pure white slate. A single piece of pristine white paper rests upon the slate, but to my disappointment there aren't any jars of ink lying around that I can take.

Receiving Divine Oracle, Please Remain Within Place Of Power

Well, that's new. "Divine Oracle"? "Place of power"? I can guess that this is a place belonging to one of the goddesses, probably Yehma. I can't imagine a being that created the Void would like somewhere this bright. But Yehma's reaching out to me, and before Thrane? If I have to speak to one of the goddesses I think I'd prefer the one aligned with darkness rather than light. If anything, I want to avoid Yehma as much as possible. As if to cut off that line of thought a voice rings out in my head, similar to Understanding but quite distinct.

Hello, little one. My new Champion. I wish to speak to you, but the power of this place is insufficient for a proper conversation. Travel to a stronger holy site. I'll give you a small gift to help along the way, you can expect more if you do as I command.

<Light Magic> Is Now Level 2

<Light Magic> Is Now Level 3

<Light Magic> Is Now Level 4

User Umbra Is Now Level 6

User Umbra Is Now Level 7

Please Proceed To The Church Of Yehma In Lucet

... That's a small gift? And I'll get something better at a different church? Maybe visiting Yehma first isn't such a bad thing after all, although I'm not sure I like the tone of her oracle. She's giving orders, and I don't intend on serving her. Well, it can't hurt to go check what those further gifts are at the very least, if she tries to tempt me into serving her I can just refuse. After all, Understanding did say that I'm not required to do anything, and something tells me Thrane wouldn't respond well to Yehma trying to take one of her spawn. I'm not sure I want to be stuck in the middle of a fight between goddesses, but hopefully they keep each other in check.

Well, before I can even consider any of that I'll need supplies for the journey. And medicine, I have no clue where this Lucet is but the elf probably will, so I'll need her to be healthy enough to act as a guide. That thought in mind I carefully climb out the same window from which I entered and return to surveying the town, wondering where I should look first.