Chapter 57: Huh, Two Ragnas
“Who is this?” Brat and the other looked shocked.
“Magistrate Ragna, heh heh…” Anse deliberately changed his voice, and it really sounded somewhat like her.
This was a first ring illusion disguise self spell, also called Disguise Self. The size was fake, and the armor and great axe were illusory too.
But to see through his illusion, one must first produce doubt, investigate his appearance and posture, and then pass an Intelligence Investigation check.
Since a dead person could speak, let the slaver be a confused ghost, and by the way, drag the useless magistrate into the water.
It didn’t matter if he was seen through; it was just one attempt anyway.
“Let’s go.” He put on his hood and quietly went downstairs.
The first floor was dimly lit. On duty was a male elf waiter. He saw Anse’s back and looked puzzled, but didn’t stop or check him.
Anse walked all the way toward the western North Bay, with Greyhawk circling above his head.
【Conch】’s sea area was very remote, with no dock nearby, dim lights, probably deliberately chosen.
Twenty or thirty minutes later, he arrived at the seaside. It was very quiet around, no birds, no human voices, only dark sea water.
The moonlight was dim tonight, the sea surface very black, only vaguely seeing a large black shadow in the distance. For some reason, 【Conch】 had no lights on.
‘They wouldn’t try to run, would they?’
Anse took off his shoes, carefully stuffing them behind some broken stones, then placed his hand on the wand at his waist.
“”
He felt his cheeks and limbs itching. He raised his hands and saw the skin rapidly wriggling, secreting a kind of mucus, his fingers elongating with webbing growing in between.
The webbing on his feet was even more exaggerated, covering the soles and heels, flat and broad, soft at the ends.
This was Polymorph’s Aquatic Adaptation status.
‘The art style is a bit scary.’ He touched the gills extending from behind his ears to his chin, feeling incredulous.
After adapting for a moment, he plunged into the bay with a splash.
Before entering the water, he was apprehensive; after entering, all unease vanished, like coming home, indescribably free.
No sense of suffocation, no sense of restraint, moving freely. Just as he started swimming forward, his body shot out like a fish, smooth and natural, as if he was born a marine life.
He had worried before about not being able to swim there, but now this few kilometers distance was like a stroll. He hadn’t had enough of the novelty before swimming two or three kilometers.
If there was a drawback, it was that he couldn’t see clearly underwater. He had no Darkvision, didn’t dare to go all out, lest he crash into a reef and get laughed to death.
The sea surface was very black. He quietly surfaced to orient himself, then submerged again.
A few minutes later, he arrived in front of a massive black shadow, surfaced along the anchor chain, and looked up to see the words “Conch.”
He listened carefully, hearing waves around him, and faint conversation from the deck.
‘Climb up along the anchor chain, save a Misty Step.’
Actually, he wanted to cast Fog Cloud or Darkness for cover, but embarrassingly, both spells and Polymorph required Concentration. Once cast, the one-hour Polymorph would be interrupted.
And as long as Polymorph wasn’t interrupted, he could switch magical effects at any time, like Change Appearance or growing natural weapons like claws.
He was just about to move when he suddenly Perceived something unusual underwater, his heart jolting.
Before he could react, bubbles emerged on the surrounding sea surface, followed by four human heads surfacing one after another.
Anse’s nerves tensed instantly, nearly casting Misty Step. This was a scenario he hadn’t anticipated in several rehearsals.
He hadn’t anticipated it, and naturally the four hadn’t prepared either, but when they saw Anse, their expressions were calm, as if they didn’t find it strange.
It wasn’t until Anse locked eyes with a man with a head full of dirty dreadlocks that the atmosphere suddenly tensed.
Ragna!
Two Ragnas!
‘Bad!’ Anse’s scalp tightened. The fake had run into the real one; this was too coincidental.
The two Ragnas stared at each other, the other three watching. No one spoke, but they quickly Perceived who was fake.
An illusion was still an illusion, without physical properties. Seawater passed right through it, easy to distinguish, not to mention who goes into the water carrying a great axe.
Could that one even float?
“Shh—” Anse raised his long-webbed finger to his lips, making a quiet gesture.
The four Ragnas exchanged glances. One handsome middle-aged man pointed quietly at the deck with his grappling hook, making a throat-slitting gesture.
Anse nodded emphatically, secretly relieved. His guess was right; the other side had the same goal as him, not enemies.
Since that was the case, they had a basis for cooperation. He was mainly here for experience.
Ragna glared fiercely at him, raised her hand in an encircling gesture, signaling everyone to attack simultaneously.
Her three companions nodded, quietly circling the ship’s rail, looking for boarding spots.
Their stealth experience was clearly richer than Anse’s; almost all carried grappling hooks or climb tools.
Splash, Ragna flicked a string of water droplets at Anse, then pointed upward, signaling him to go first, clearly not trusting him.
Anse didn’t trust them either, never relaxing vigilance. After Ragna moved away, he dispelled 「Aquatic Adaptation」 and climbed up the anchor chain quietly.
Due to the current, the anchor chain was nearly taut, fairly thick but slippery on the surface, a bit hard to climb, but it didn’t stump him.
Upon reaching the bottom of the anchor chain hole, he paused for seconds, leaped to grab the ship’s rail, confirmed no one nearby, then flipped onto the deck.
【Conch】 had no lights, so others couldn’t see it, and the crew on board were equally blind, unable to see without getting close.
Anse hid behind the winch, extended his hands, mana flowing as his arms thickened rapidly, palms enlarging and thickening, growing claws over ten centimeters long, gleaming with metallic sheen, paired with chilling scales, like a pair of dragon claws.
He didn’t wait for Ragna either, barefoot and crouching, moving along the ship’s rail toward the stern.
After just a few steps, he saw a blurry back shadow. By the outfit, it should be a 【Conch】 crew member.
He slowed his breathing and steps, approached in stealth posture, then struck suddenly. His right claw pinched the other’s neck like grabbing a chicken, claws easily piercing throat and vessels. With a crack, the neck bone was crushed.
【……Target Death, gained 18 combat experience】
“What sound?” Another shadow figure emerged from the darkness ahead.
Anse startled, about to rush up, when a whoosh sounded by his ear, and the shadow figure fell.
He quick-stepped over, pulled the body down slowly, then saw a hand axe embedded in the forehead.
A burly hand reached over, a foot stepping on the head, forcefully pulling out the hand axe.
“Tch…” Ragna made a strange sound, glanced at him, and walked forward in small steps.
Anse pursed his lips, unperturbed, released the body, shook the blood from his claws, and followed behind her in small steps.
Thanks to madhatter, Super Great Tyrannosaurus Battle God, Wool Where Are You, Earn Dot Ming, Control Only Mind, Soul Severed Somewhere, Shenhe My Wife, and other book friends for their rewards.
Thanks to all reader masters for their support and suggestions!
