Extra's POV: My Obsessive Villainous Fiancee Is The Game's Final Boss-Chapter 250: A Lesson On Tidecallers

"You jinxed us, Thorn!"

Ren cackled in delight as the sea came up in a threatening wave, the pirate ship bearing down on them.

"You fucking jinxed us!"

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Ten minutes ago.

The Mare Dulce stretched endlessly in all directions, a vast sheet of shifting blue.

The silence around them was broken only by the occasional cry of gulls and slight sound of the waves breaking gently against their boat.

It was like they were in a vast canvas, but they were the tiny dot of ink in the middle. There was nothing else around for them to see.

Lilith groaned. "I’m already tired of this."

She sat on the side rail of the boat, one hand gripping the vessel for balance, the other trying to keep her hair from running wild. Her white hair whipped in the sea breeze, and on her face was an expression of boredom.

"We’ve been sailing for a day and a half." Elias pointed out from the back of the boat.

"Exactly." She muttered. "That’s a day and a half too long."

Ren leaned against the side of the boat, arms folded over the edge, his gaze fixed on the horizon.

His vines were fixed to the side of the boat, paddling it forward, faster than a human could go. He’d essentially turned a rowboat into a speedboat.

"Come on, it’s not that bad." he chuckled. "We’re crossing the sea towards the home of a legendary pirate culture. You should be more excited."

"It’s wet, the ship creaks, and Thorn snores."

Thorn, who was napping in the middle of the boat, snorted and rolled over.

Ren laughed. "Fair. But still, we’re going to Patino. The home of the Tidecallers. Shouldn’t you guys be excited to break the myth that you can’t go there?"

Lilith perked up slightly. "You keep saying that, but you haven’t really explained what makes them so different."

Thorn sat up groggily. "Yeah. I still don’t get how a society can function on water and war."

"Oh, I’m glad you asked." Ren rubbed his hands together and stood, rocking the boat slightly as they cruised over the sea. freēwēbnovel.com

"Why do I feel like I’ll regret asking?" Lilith groaned again.

"The Tidecallers are a nation of seafaring warriors, but they have a unique system." Ren said brightly, ignoring Lilith’s words.

"Everything in their society revolves around the Water Tree and the sea. Their rites of passage, their politics, their economy. Even their spirituality."

"Please don’t tell me they worship the Water Tree." Thorn chuckled.

"Not... necessarily." Ren hesitated. "They believe that the Water Tree is the aspect of the water god, but they don’t worship it in the same way the Creation Church does the Creator."

"They view it as sacred, but not holy." He nodded to himself. "That’s the difference. That’s also why anyone not a Tidecaller must be put to death if they set eyes on it. It’s regarded as bad luck."

"Please tell me you’re not planning to see it." Thorn narrowed his eyes.

"That does sound like Ren." Lilith nodded along.

"Come on." Ren groaned. "I’m not that stupid."

"But you do want to see it."

Ren cleared his throat uncomfortably. He wouldn’t mind becoming a Tidecaller, but why did they have to call him out for it? "Can we get back to the subject of this lecture."

"So, how strong is the Water Tree?" Elias asked.

"Thank you for the question, Elias." Ren said with a big smile. "The answer is very."

"Unlike the Blood Tree where we have to work our way up each rank, the Water Tree gives the same level of power to all Tidecallers that interact with it. The power to control a large amount of water."

"But the Tidecallers don’t measure their power by their strength. Instead, they use control. The more control you have over water, the more powerful you are."

"Every Tidecaller can push water around with brute force. Most can shape it, mold it, listen to it. And only a handful has the control to rip the blood right out of your veins."

Silence filled the air as they all thought about it.

Lilith tilted her head. "Sounds almost like art."

Ren shrugged. "I guess you can call it that. But one of the most unique aspects of the Tidecaller culture is the fact that when you come of age, you’re expected to survive a war."

"So it’s true then." Thorn said. "They just pick fights with other nations for sport?"

Ren shrugged. "Sort of. It’s ritualized."

"It’s not senseless violence. They don’t want to conquer lands, they want experience. Their leaders select targets carefully. Places where they can fight without igniting all-out war."

"That seems... unstable." Elias murmured.

"Surprisingly, it works for them." Ren replied. "They keep their population in check, and their warriors sharp. This way, the islands of Patino never get overcrowded."

Lilith sighed. "It still sounds exhausting."

"It is." Ren agreed. "But it also breeds some of the most terrifying water mages in the world."

"If a Rank 7 Knight with the power to control water fights an elder Tidecaller, the Tidecaller wins eight times out of ten."

"What about their pirates?" Elias asked. "Are the Tidecallers just pirates with a fancy name?"

Ren smirked. "Depends on who you ask. The Tidecallers themselves would say no."

"They call what they do ’privateering’ or ’enforced sea tax collection.’ But the truth is, a lot of them do engage in piracy. Just highly organized piracy."

"So they’re pirates with rules." Thorn said.

"Well, I wouldn’t call it that because they basically have just one." Ren chuckled. "They don’t attack fishing boats."

"How noble." Lilith said dryly.

"Well, I sure hope they’re noble because if they’re not, we’re kind of cooked." Elias drawled.

"What do you mean?" Ren frowned.

Elias pointed behind Ren. "Because there’s a pirate ship coming in our direction."

Ren turned sharply to see a giant white painted ship speeding towards them faster than it had any right to.

"You jinxed us, Thorn." Ren grinned. "But this’ll be fun."