A Man for Himself (Norton X Eli) [Identity V] *UNEDITED*

Chapter 5 - Pretty

Norton found himself in the middle of an empty village next to a lake. The breeze originating from the murky water was sticky and salty. Wrecks of boats and rotting fish left in nets were scattered on the shore, adding up to the gloomy atmosphere. From what he could see, the place used to be a fishing village until its residents abandoned it. For what reason, he didn't know. There's one thing for sure: it wasn't safe enough for people to continue living there.

Despite the dismal appearance of the village, the sky above it was a complete opposite. Aurora shone over the lake, its waves of colorful lights serving as the only source of illumination in the village. It was beautiful, almost magical; but at the same time, it's a sign that a great disturbance was continuously occuring in that place.

There was a large shipwreck by the shore, its looming figure a clear sign of a tragedy which might have been caused by whatever wiped out the entire village. Out of curiosity, Norton decided to enter the ship through a wide gap in its hull. Every step he took caused the floorboards to creak and the water to seep through.

The ship was empty. There was no sign that life had ever walked on top of those creaky boards.  However, Norton noticed signs and paintings of a creature with tentacles on the walls. They were everywhere. It's almost as if rituals for a deity had taken place there before. It could be connected to what had caused the demise of everyone who used to live there. At least that's what he thought.

He continued upstairs to the deck and looked around until he found a cipher machine. There was a hole in the middle of the floor that would take one straight back to the hull. It's a good escape route in case the hunter started chasing him. Just when he was about to start decoding, an enormous, dark and slimy tentacle sprouted from the ground behind him. Startled, he took a few steps away from it. He wasn't sure where it came from, but he's sure it wasn't normal for a tentacle—one that was large and seemingly alive—to materialize out of thin air. Crimson slime oozed from its suckers. It's similar to what he saw from Fiona and Naib. The hunter was probably the one Eli called Hastur.

"Remove it."

A blonde girl stepped onto the deck and immediately sliced the tentacle off of its root with a pocket knife. It fell on the floor with a loud flop.

"It's Hastur's tentacle," she explained, placing her hands on her hips. "It means he already caught someone." Then she bit her lip, a look of worry crossing her face. "Sorry. I may have put Eli in trouble."

Norton's eyes widened. "Eli?"

Tracy nodded. "The hunter was so close to catching me, but Eli gave me his owl so I could run away. I think Hastur let me go because of him. After what happened to Fiona, I don't think his devotion will save him anymore."

Norton had seen what happened to Fiona and Naib. Eli shouldn't have to go through the same thing. He couldn't let it happen to a precious gem.

He clicked his tongue. "Where's William? Isn't he supposed to..." He shook his head. "Nevermind. Where's Eli?"

"I left Eli at the cornfield," the mechanic recalled. "When you go down this ship, you'll see a windmill, and if you continue forward, you'll see a shack. That's where the cornfield is."

Norton nodded. "Got it. Thanks, Tracy. We'll be back soon."

Tracy gave him a thumbs up and winked, a confident smile on her face. "Don't worry about the machines. I'll take care of the decoding."

Norton had never rescued anyone before. That's a role he never wanted to play. In Helena's case, he only distracted the hunter; so he couldn't really consider that as a rescue. But if it turned out that Eli was in trouble, this would be his first. He wouldn't mind taking the risk for him.