Extra's POV: My Obsessive Villainous Fiancee Is The Game's Final Boss-Chapter 249: The Hungering Deep

"I know what you’re all wondering." Ren said as the group stood together, watching the way the sun reflected over the water.

They were standing at the shore of the sea, not so far away from the pier. There was no need to take the walk back to the inn they’d been in when they’d have more privacy out here.

"What is the Hungering Deep?" Ren crossed his arms over his chest as he turned to face them. "Good question."

"The most simple answer is that the Hungering Deep is a living abyss in the sea. Unfortunately, that doesn’t clear up anything, does it."

"Not in the slightest." Thorn tilted his head to the side. "What is even a living abyss?"

"Stop teasing us." Lilith groaned. "Just go straight to the point."

"Let me have my fun, will you?" Ren huffed.

"The Mare Dulce sea is large and home to many dangers." He glanced behind him at the sea in question.

"There are the monsters that live deep within it, including the fearsome sea dragon. Then, there are the predators above it, the Tidecallers."

"But none of them mean anything in the face of the Hungering Deep." He stared straight at them, holding their gaze one after the other to show how serious he was.

"The Hungering Deep is a sentient rift that grows over the sea. It’s exactly like Old Willis said. The sea grew a mouth. A ravenous one."

"But this isn’t just any mouth. This is a mouth that grows."

"It’s a good thing we heard of the rift this early. Right now, all it does is swallow what’s around it. If it had grown in silence, it would’ve been much worse."

"The Deep can not only swallow the sea around it, it can also influence it. It can create tsunamis that are capable of devouring the coastlines around it."

"It can spawn monsters to attack whatever it wants. The sea itself becomes hostile to the presence of anything in it."

"If left unchecked, the first significant damage it would do is to destroy the homes of the Tidecallers."

"That doesn’t sound so bad." Elias said. "The world will be much better without the Tidecallers in it."

"Ouch." Ren chuckled. "They’re not so bad, you know."

"Riiiiight." Elias nodded, clearly not believing Ren. "They’re not so bad that they go to war just for the heck of it."

"Well, they have their reasons, but that doesn’t matter. Either way, war is bad." Ren said.

"Anyways, just like most Calamities I know of, the Deep starts small and continues ramping up its damage until there’s nothing left to wreck."

"The Red Plague keeps spreading until all living beings in the world are infected, but we stopped that. As for the Deep, it uses tsunamis."

"It keeps producing its water, the tsunamis moving further and further inland with each wave, until it touches everywhere."

"And with each wave, it scours the earth clean, dragging back whatever it can uproot into its ravenous mouth."

"It does this, until there’s nothing left anymore. Until the world is empty."

There was a beat of silence as everyone considered the implications of such a Calamity.

"Fuck." Thorn said, echoing the thoughts of everyone.

"Fortunately," Ren grinned, "it hasn’t grown big enough to cause tsunamis yet. And even better, it’s possible to kill it."

Lilith tilted her head to the side. "How does one kill a sentient mouth?"

"In order to stop the Hungering Deep, we have to go deep into the rift itself and kill it by destroying its heart." Ren answered.

Everyone’s expression brightened.

"It’s not going to be as easy as you guys think it is."

Lilith raised a brow. "Can’t I just touch its heart and rip out its soul?"

"It’s not that easy. First, there’s no guarantee that the Deep has a soul. We don’t know if it’s a living being or a construct."

"And second, the most dangerous part isn’t really the destination. It’s the journey." freēnovelkiss.com

"The Deep isn’t that smart, but it’s designed to protect itself. From the moment we enter it, we’re targets. And that’s why we’ll need a Tidecaller for this."

"Oh, hell no." Thorn swore.

"Hell yes." Ren grinned. "We’re going into the belly of a Calamity that drinks the sea as a snack. Why won’t you want to go with one of the children of the sea?"

"That’s like walking into fire without someone that can control the flames. We need a Tidecaller."

"You do make a good point, but would the Tidecallers even come with us? They don’t like anyone that’s not themselves." Elias said.

"The Tidecallers are not who you all think they are." Ren answered.

"They come here to fight us once every two decades or so, but they’re much more than that. They fight wars as a rite of passage for their young adults."

The other stared blankly at him.

"They’re much friendlier when you meet them outside of a war." He added.

"That doesn’t change anything." Lilith said flatly.

"Okay, I’m glazing them too much." Ren chuckled. "I just find their culture incredibly cool."

"Cool?"

"They’re basically pirates that can control water. Who wouldn’t find that cool?"

Elais and Lilith raised their hands, and Ren stared at them in mock betrayal. "Traitors."

"So, what’s the plan? How do we get a Tidecaller?" Thorn asked.

"Simple. We’re going to Patino."

"Patino?!" Thorn asked incredulously. "No outsider is allowed to go there!"

Patino was the network of islands that was home to the Tidecallers. Most have heard of it but few had ever been.

"Wrong." Ren corrected. "That’s another one of those urban myths. Anyone can visit Patino. But no one is allowed to see or know where their Water Trees are."

"Well. I was already itching for another adventure." Lilith stretched, a wide grin on her face.

"Ren has never led us wrong before." Elias shrugged. "Let’s go."

"If I die on this trip, I’m haunting you forever." Thorn said.

"Good." Ren nodded. "Let’s go find ourselves a boat."

"Hopefully, we don’t run into any pirates on the Mare Dulce sea." Thorn jokes. "Or worse, the Hungering Deep itself."