Hero of Harmony (Continued)

Chapter 236: Kidnapped At Sea

"B-Before we make any decisions, let us at least look inside the ship. Maybe the exterior is only ugly since it's been used a lot; the ship may actually be in great condition." Said Alexander softly as he looked at Lazuli, who was walking away, causing her to stop before turning around.

Lazuli didn't say anything and simply gave me a blank look before sighing, which was a rarity for her, but she did stand beside me, seemingly at least giving Cinc's ship a chance.

"So, how do we board the ship?" Asked Lazuli blandly as she observed the ship, prompting Alexander to awkwardly rub his head.

"Umm, we jump onto it?" Replied Alexander in uncertainty as he glanced at Lazuli, who glanced at the ship before immediately turning around and walking away, though he grabbed her hand, stopping her.

"C'mon, don't be like that, Lazuli; we can't just judge a book by its cover." Said Alexander sheepishly as he yanked Lazuli into his embrace before lifting her into a princess carry, prompting her to stare into his eyes.

"I believe it's fair if that same supposed book is meant to sail us across the dangerous ocean." Said Lazuli indifferently as she eyed Alexander, who nodded at her words, unable to refute them.

Knowing Lazuli would win any arguments, I stopped talking as I leaped off the pier and onto the ship, only to widen my eyes when I spotted the deck.

'S-Shit!' Thought Alexander with an ugly expression as he stared at the rotting wood that lined the ship's deck.

Just as I was about to land on the deck, I swiftly lifted Lazuli higher into the air, which turned out to be the correct move as the rooting wood deck gave way under our weight, causing me to crash right through it.

"A-Are you fine, Lazuli. Talis?" Asked Alexander wryly as he violently coughed before raising his head and gazing at Lazuli, who was still above deck.

"Ugh, ouch. Yeah." Said Talis in annoyance as she stood up, flapping her wings and ridding herself of dust and debris before returning to her spot on Alexander's shoulder.

"Can we go now, or do you wish to continue looking around?" Asked Lazuli in slight annoyance as she twisted her head in a complete one-hundred-eighty to glance at Alexander, who sighed before reluctantly nodding.

"Haa, I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt, Cinc. You can't be mad at that." Muttered Alexander softly as he slowly lowered Lazuli through the hole until she was at chest level.

"Good." Said Lazuli with a small smile as she gently patted Alexander's cheek, causing his expression to constantly twitch before he simply shook his head.

Ignoring Lazuli's behavior, I turned and started walking through the second floor of the ship, searching for some stairs, but for some reason, I didn't find anything that led to the upper deck, causing me to tilt my head in confusion.

"There is something seriously wrong with this ship. This is a ship that's supposed to be on display, not one that's actually meant to be sailed with." Muttered Alexander with a slight frown as he observed the lower deck before shaking his head.

"Also, is there a storm coming or something? Why is the water so rough right now?" Added Alexander in slight confusion as he glanced at the floor before sighing, doubling his efforts to find a way out.

In the end, I didn't find a proper way out and just used the hole I crashed through to leap out, though this time, I didn't end up crashing through the floor. Thankfully. However, while we didn't crash through the floor, we were met with something worse... Something much worse.

There was no dock surrounding us; matter of fact, I didn't see anything nearby except for water and more water. Actually, off in the distance, I did see land, along with a few large ships, but it wasn't anywhere close.