Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

Chapter 444 To Cross The Ocean Without A Ship

After meeting Maine again and taking the monster-holding bracelet back from Erika, Raven hurled orders to leave the island and make it to Elanavia. Bags were packed, and abundant food was taken as well, hosting it along with the black powder barrels inside the bracelet, there was one thing the party was still missing for the journey, and that was the ship itself.

All pirates were dead, all outlaws had left after the death of the false heroes, and the only people who remained on the island were nomadic farmers with no interest in sailing the ocean and thus they had little to no clue about repairing a ship.

”Was sending Reina away really that good of an idea?” Asked Mel while the party made their trip to the bay facing the island of Elanavia.

Glancing sideways at her, Raven went over the consequences of bringing a non-combatant against a fleet of naval ships and a witch with an all-powerful weapon. It was dire, there was no way she would survive.

”Weʼre not gonna need a ship this time,” was his only answer until they reached the bay.

Taking Arche out of the jewel, Raven glanced her over–ensuring that she was wearing the clothes woven by the Red Madam. The shore was shallow but once they got much deeper, even her feet would lose footing, but with the clothes from Madam that both increased or decreased in size with her as well as kept her afloat, there was no need to worry about her drowning.

As for the clothes themselves, it was a red dress adorned with transparent long sleeves glittering more than the night sky. Most of the dress was netted and transparent as well, except for the sensitive parts over which patches of glittered red cloth covered her body. Even as she stood tall in her colossal size, the long sleeves were dipped in the dark water, and the red jewel on her chest kept beating alongside her heart–its function? Keeping an eye on her health, although given Archeʼs vitality there was no reason to even look at it.

”So what exactly are we planning?” Walking up beside him, Linkle crossed her hand while looking at the giant spider.

”Weʼre gonna play ball,” Raven responded, his eyes focused on Arche as well.

”What?” Linkle blurted, unsure what he meant by those words.

However, once he turned around and held his hand forward, things began to clear up, especially as he took the teleportation ring off of Linkleʼs hand and handed it to Mel.

”I want you to encase that in a wooden ball, can you do that?” Taking the ring off of Raven, Mel was still left a bit confused but did as she was told before handing the wood-encased ring back to him.

As Raven handed the ball to Arche everyone moved closer behind him, curious as to what exactly had in his mind.

”Throw it as far away as possible, Arche!” He said to the queen, in the meantime, things finally began to make a bit of sense in everyoneʼs head.

Rising tall, the Arcahne turned around to face the direction of the island they needed to get to. Then with a long stretch of her hand and a smile, she hurled the ball so fast it caused a tear through the waterʼs surface before disappearing into the horizon.

”What now?” She asked, slowly turning back to Face Raven.

Drawing Melʼs help again, Raven had her conjure a wooden plank for everyone to stand on. Arche had to be excluded but sending her back into the jewel, he took off his shoes to let his feet touch the floor directly. Making sure the wooden plank would teleport with them like any other item on his body, Raven urged everyone to move closer and hold each other firm with him as the center of the party.

”Weʼre gonna teleport our way there. It might seem mundane but itʼll be much faster than repairing a boat and using it to get to that island.” Clearing all doubts, he activated the necklace and this unusual journey to the island finally began.

The wooden plank, although it wobbled for a bit on the other end, and the reappearance of Arche made a long tide wash over the party, with more and more experimentations, the group found a way to traverse with the utmost efficiency. Instead of sending Arche back, Raven simply kept one of his hands on her legs, and to avoid being washed by the waves, he conjured a bubble sheet of darkness that kept them weighed downward and protected them from the waves.

Throwing the ball and teleporting where it landed, the party was covering more ground in a single throw than what a ship could traverse in a whole day. Before long, not even an hour into the process, the party noticed a landmass curved at the horizon. They were at the delicate line where Arche was possibly invisible.

To avoid causing a ruckus, Raven sent her back into the jewel and the party began to row themselves on that massive wooden platform. It was much harder to control than a boat, but with the risk of being seen as an enemy using unknown powers, they didnʼt wanna freak out the islanders and squander the opportunity to strike a deal with their queen.

As worried as the party was, their arrival on the island had already been foretold. Not by some mere messenger, or something divine like a high priest or priestess to a god, both the rival islands served no gods but the spirits of their ancestors, after all. Instead, it was the queen herself that had watched their arrival before it even happened.

However, unbothered and careless as always, instead of readying a fleet of her, she was watching a jesterʼs show and laughing her heart out.

”AHAHAHA!” Her laughter echoed throughout the island, making the islanders smile as well.

Her laughter signified their prosperity as a happy ruler was one without trouble, not towards her and neither towards her people.