Chapter 33
Lok's POV
When we returned from Vienna, Sophie subjected me to several intense training sessions, where I always lost. We were in Dante's training room, Sophie was wearing her Karate outfit tied with a black belt and I was wearing a sports shirt and slacks. I threw myself at her to knock her down, she put herself in a defensive pose, I tried to kick her in the head, she dodged it jumping backwards doing the handstand, she pushed herself with her hands and fell on her feet, where she pushed herself back to a low beam where she grabbed like a spider helped from the wall.
-Remember what Dante told us: Always start attacking even if you expect a counterattack- Sophie's tone was very annoying, almost as much as when talking about or with Zhalia.
- Are you implying that I do not practice enough? Electric-jum!
I did not bother to hide my anger. I took a run and jumped against Sophie, I pushed myself on the wall to reach it. Sophie jumped to the ground and when I tried to go after her I hit my head with the beam and fell to the ground on my back.
-Very well, do you want to train, or are you going to continue fighting against yourself? - That comment made me angry even more. I sat up a little while rubbing my aching head.
-Now you will see, Miss, I have been trained to be a seeker.-Despite my tone, Sophie, it seemed that she did not realize my anger with her.
-Dante said that talent for spells should be an innate technique in oneself. You, you are too obvious, and very clumsy.
-I always understand Dante's theories- I got up and pointed to Sophie with my hand- Electricray! Sophie pulled my hand away and sweeping the floor with her leg she threw me and I returned to the floor- But when I put them into practice I always end up on the floor.
-Lok, we train every day, but you have not improved anything since the last mission.
I was thinking about going to the library, but since you were yesterday, like a good bookworm, I thought the books would still be exhausted.
-Sure Lok, what you say. You know I've come to the conclusion that this is all your potential and you do not get to more, in short, you're pretty harmless.
My anger only increased, Sophie approached me feeling superior, when she got close enough I kicked her and threw her to the ground, I placed myself on top of her and immobilized her.
-But what are you doing?! Get rid of hairball!
-Why do you always behave as if you were superior to me?
-Because I am in many ways- Sophie's tone was increasingly insulting, I crouched down and put my face close to hers, showing my fangs.
-Don't forget what position you are in and who you are dealing with. I advise you to start treating me with more respect because I am already getting tired, and I assure you that I have much more potential, but pay attention to me, you do not want me to show it to you.
Sophie was surprised, and somewhat scared, I know she will do everything she can to take revenge on this, but I did not care, she did not know anything about me, or anyone, only about herself, I was fed up with her, whenever we trained she behaved in an insufferable way and she downgraded me so much that she made me hate her, normally I did not get so angry, but the last times her behaviour worsened, she was more smug and conceited in the workouts and on the street so she treated me badly, even in front of Dante and Zhalia, so little had fulfilled his promise to play with me, is more I barely did something about it and when I did it was not for good, and for a long time I stopped tolerating being mistreated.
Cherit flew into the training room.
-Lok, Sophie, Dante is talking to Guggenheim about a new mission- Cherit fell down suddenly, neither of us had looked at him and there was a lot of attention between us, although Cherit misinterpreted everything- This..., interrupt something, if you are busy I can go back later.
-We're going Cherit.-I got up releasing Sophie and went to change my clothes.
-Are you crazy or what?- I turned a little to look at Sophie, I had my arms crossed and frowning. -I advise you to think better about the things you do foolish fox.
I could not stand it any longer, I took a step forward brusquely and growled at him, showing him my sharp teeth. Sophie let out a small scream and fell backwards, I tried to regain my composure and left leaving her and Cherit perplexed and a little frightened. I stayed a few minutes in my room reassuring myself, I did not want to go down to the room in a bad mood and pay it with Dante or with Guggenheim.
Once calm down the stairs and I met Dante, who was reclining in the armchair in front of the TV, and Guggenheim, who was on the screen very happy, as always, Sophie joined immediately even raising a sock, I looked at her from the corner of the eye and I focused all my attention on adults. Dante was explaining something that I assumed was related to the mission.
-According to Greek mythology, the Argo ship was built around the divine tree, and...
-What means he probably was charmed by a search engine. You're talking about Jason and the Argonauts, right?
Dante nodded at Sophie's comment, Guggenheim greeted us with a nod, Dante continued to talk about the mission and the Argonauts, which he or Cherit would have to explain to me later.
-It is right. It is likely that the hull of the ship is intact.
-Mission: Jason and the Argonauts. Arrives at the port of Velos, finds the ship of Argo, retrieves the diary of Jason and the hoplites.
On the television appeared images of very picturesque villages and then a picture of the ship and finally the mission card. When hearing Guggenheim give us the details of the mission I knew we had to pack and leave, Dante seemed excited about this mission, and accepted without hesitation for a second, once confirmed Guggenheim said goodbye and disconnected. Dante picked up his cell phone.
-Before I let Zhalia know, can I know what happened in the training room?
I did not say anything, just look away, Sophie turned her head releasing a sound of annoyance, I rolled my eyes and went to my room leaving Dante and Cherit missed. I stayed in my room all day, I did not want to see Sophie because I knew it would piss me off again and things could get out of hand. I heard Sophie argue with Zhalia when she got home after running errands, that's what she said, I think she was just running away from Sophie. The rest of the day was quiet, or at least I did not hear any more discussion, Cherti came to my room and played with the ball for a while, until he asked me about my bad mood, I took this opportunity to vent and tell everything, Cherit gave me the reason for Sophie's behaviour and how strange it had been, he advised me to talk to her and apologize for my outburst during training. Dante came to look for us to go down to dinner, from the depths of my being, I wanted to tell him that I was not hungry so I would not have to see Sophie, but I was starving and there was meat for dinner. Surrendered to my biological instincts, I went down reluctantly and ate in silence while the others talked about what we would do tomorrow, when I finished dinner I got up and went back to my room leaving the conversation at the table.
The next day we travelled to Velos, Greece, and we started asking the fishermen, we split into two teams, and luckily for me, I played with Dante, although I think it was to watch over me, since he kept looking at me from the corner of his eye and He scolded me if I stayed behind, and Cherit and he would not stop talking, so I think Cherit told him about my rage yesterday. We stopped for lunch in a cafeteria and as Zhalia did not want to continue holding Sophie, it was my partner's turn, it was very uncomfortable, and although we did not talk to each other the tension was there. Finally Sophie broke the silence.
-Lok, with respect to what happened yesterday..., I ..., I'm sorry.
-I also regret it, I'm too impulsive and there are times when I do not control myself. Let's keep going.
-What? Hey, things cannot stay that way, we have to talk.
-Why?
-We have a mission, and we will have to work as a team, if we are wrong, we will not be very effective.
-Do you really want to talk? - Sophie nodded- Can I know why you have been treating me so badly? You ignore me all the time and when you remember my existence you treat me very badly and in training you are insufferable, it's no wonder do not improve with you as a companion.
-Lok, me, I had not noticed.
-Really? Because even the waiters in the cafeterias have noticed, even the neighbours.
-The... neighbours?- I nodded at his question. -Lok, I'm sorry, I do not know what's happening to me.- Sophie dropped onto a bench, rested her elbows on her knees and hid her face in her hands. -I do not think I liked it.- the idea of being helpless, like in Vienna, that idea scares me, I think that's why I mistreat you so much in training, and I may have taken that discomfort to other situations. I promise I'll try to behave better. But as you go back to doing yesterday, I'll kill you while you sleep.
-It seems fair to me.
Once things were fixed we continued with what we were doing, looking for information. It did not take us long to find a group of fishermen who spoke to us, rather to Sophie, from a place where the ship was possibly, we said goodbye and went to meet the others.
When we arrived Zhalia was smiling and she and Dante had a very lively conversation. Zhalia was sitting on a bench and Dante was standing, he had leant one leg on the bench he was leaning an arm on his knee
-I would love to solve the mystery of the Argonauts.
-I should work hand in hand with Dante, and we would solve it in a jiffy.
-Jealous me?, and why would I be jealous of someone who puts on makeup with a paint roller.
-Okay, whatever you say. You should trust her, she has saved us many times.
Sophie's bad mood before Zhalia made me suspect that her behaviour had nothing to do with what happened in Vienna, but with the permanent presence of Zhalia, in any case, I had to pay it to me. The two looked at us curious waiting for answers.
-There is a river several miles north of the coast- Sophie answered.
-Yes, the fishermen call him Stavro... I do not know what. A very strange name- I said something down because I was unable to pronounce it.
-The fishermen call it Stravropolous.-Sophie corrected me.
-What I said, a very strange name.
-We already knew- Zhalia said amused.
-It may be a local legend, but there is a possibility that the Argonauts would sink the ships there so that no one could use it. So, let's find out.
I could not help but get very happy and wave my tails happily when Dante told us that we had to find out, that meant we would have a great time.
Lok's POV end
Third person
In a black car parked near the Huntik team, an agent of the Organization watched them as he made a call to his superior.
Defoe was in an excavation, supervising the agents unearthing various contraptions, he was not very happy with his new job as a distributor of the Organization. He kept walking along one side of the excavation, while a group of archaeologists opened a coffin they had just found, the head excavator took out a sword, it was thin and silver and his wizard was made of bronze, you could tell the years passed in that coffin. His excitement disappeared before the hard look of Grier, who was supervising the excavation,
- Mr. Defoe! It's the sword of St. George.
Defoe stood up, and snatched the sword from his hands, lifted it and watched it in the light meticulously.
-On agreement with our information, there is a titan inside the dragon Lindorm!
Defoe shared a look with his subordinate, now thoughtful.
-That does not matter, because the Organization believes that I am not worthy of forming a bond with a titan like that. Now get out of my sight! I have only been authorized to take the titan to Prague, I am a messenger, that is what I am. I'm in the middle of nowhere when I should be chasing Dante Vale and his puppy. -Defoe's phone started ringing, finally, after his speech Defoe answered the call after releasing a small grunt.-Defoe speaking. What?! Aj, it's about time, do not lose sight of them.- Defoe hung up and looked at Grier very happy -One of my spies have seen Dante Vale and his team in Greece.- Defoe prepared to leave the grave.
-Sir,- Grier interrupted him, a little annoyed.-Do not you think we should finish the mission they have commissioned us?-
-I will tell you that we delayed looking for the sword of San Jorge.
Third person end
Dante's POV
We hired a boat and sailed along the coast of Stavropolous, it did not take long to find a huge cave.
-We'll go in there to have a look.
Once inside we dropped the anchor and took out the Holotomo, the team gathered around me to observe the details of the mission.
-I downloaded the topography in the Holotomo.- A 3D image of the cave's bottom appeared in the Holotomo.
-It's the best we can do,- Zhalia explained to the boys. -Anywhere else they would have spotted it. Holotomo, add a ship right there.-The Holotomo obeyed and an image of the ship appeared.
- Fit perfectly! - Lok exclaimed.
- We will swim up there and enter this side- Three red figures appeared in the Holotomo heading to the boat.- Although the magic there preserved the helmet, we must be alert.
-Can we summon titans under water? - Lok asked somewhat worried.
- Of course! - Cherit exclaimed flying around his head - but only heavy titans like Freelancer or Kilthane, they will be able to walk in the background.
-Cherit, stay here and warn if someone is coming. The rest prepare.
Lok and I let the girls change first, Lok was leaning on the metal railing dropping his body on the seats, he did not stop looking at the water with reluctance, I knew he was not a fan of water, but a mission is a mission and I would have to help like everyone.
-Are you still in a bad mood for what happened with Sophie?- Cherit asked. Lok looked at him and then at me. -I already told you, there's nothing to hide.
-It's not that, besides, I'll fix it with her.
-And what was it that made you so bad?- I asked.
-She is jealous of Zhalia and hates her a lot.
-Did she really tell you that?
-Lok it down- Lok shrugged his shoulders with a mocking smile.- Dante, do we all have to go? - I nodded- I do not feel like immersing myself, I know it did not end well.
-You know how to swim, right?
-Clear.
-Well, there will be no problems.
-I have never dived so much, nor have I swum with a bottle.
-Lok, everything will be fine, we'll help you, stop worrying.
-And if I choke?
- You're not going to drown.
-But if I do, I want a bowl of chocolate ice cream for myself.
-Okay, but you're not going to drown.
Finally I convinced Lok, once ready we submerged, Zhalia and I wore long wetsuits, mine was black and Zhalia black and green, Sophie a short neoprene pink and black and Lok a semi-long yellow and black, all We wore glasses, fins and gloves. Sophie and Lok were not comfortable having the bottle between their wings, but they seemed to adapt. We started swimming towards the boat, I was in the head followed by the girls, Lok seemed to have more difficulty, although it is a demon of earth and not water, I guess that has something to do.
When I was quite close to the ship a kind of shockwave pushed me backwards, the ship must be protected by a shield, I told Sophie to take care of the shield, she nodded and destroyed the shield using "Breakspell", the shield disappeared immediately , nothing else to do it, the main mast broke and fell to the bottom. We cautiously approached the ship so that nothing would crush us, on one of the sides there was a perfect hole for us to enter, wait until we were closer together to tell them to follow me, since Lok was falling far behind.
Once inside we all lit our lanterns and illuminated our surroundings, we were in the main room of the ship, there were multiple stairs and many columns, all were wood worn by water. I led the team through the corridors of the ship until I reached the main cabin, the door was closed, I tried to open it using my powers, but all I got was that the whole ship rumbled, and creaked, making pieces of wood fall from the ceiling. There were several schools of colourful fish swimming from one place to another, they must have been frightened by the small collapse, for a few seconds I envied them, unconcerned about everything and everyone, while I had three responsibilities. I turned to look at the team and realized that two of my responsibilities were gone, Lok was not there.
Dante's POV end
Lok's POV
I was not really enjoying this underwater adventure, the bottle weighed, it was difficult for me to move in the water, my coat was dense and I was left behind. The only good thing was the fish, but I could not eat any, I could only settle for looking at them. Once inside the darkness was absolute, I only saw what our flashlights illuminated, I even found it difficult to differentiate the figures of my friends. A figure passed by me and I could not help but turn scared, I felt very foolish when I saw a school of fish swimming from one side to another and disappear through a hole in the wall, when I looked back, I was surprised to see me Alone, I lit everything around me, but my friends were not there. I could not help but be frightened, but I had to restrain myself, if I emitted electricity I could kill the fish, destroy the boat and damage my friends, I do not think the shock would kill them, although if the ship came down they would be crushed, in any case to hold back and endure, because I wanted to emit sparks. While looking for my friends the whole boat trembled and the roof began to collapse, I dodged several of the pieces that fell, but due to my difficulties to swim underwater, it was quite slow. A piece of pointed wood hit my bottle and the air began to come out, I tried to reach whatever was causing the leak, but I was unable, I was drowning and in a few seconds I lost consciousness.
Lok's POV end
Dante's POV
I swam through the ship as fast as I could looking for Lok everywhere desperately, I finally found him when I thought he would give me a heart attack, although things did not improve, Lok was floating to the ground, I swam up to him and held him, I was Unconscious, the tube that connected his air mask to the cylinder was cut off. I took a breath of air and put my mask on, took off his bottle and dropped it. Use "Touchhot" on one of the walls of the boat to make a hole and I went swimming as fast as I could with "Firerace", when I reached the surface I took a big breath of air leaving my lungs to rest, now Lok was my concern. I dragged him to the shore and carefully placed him on the floor, took off his glasses and checked that he was alive resting an ear on his chest, luckily his heart was still beating and breathing, I got up and took off my glasses to examine it better, he had no apparent injuries. Lok did not take long to gasp and start coughing, sat up a little to the side to continue coughing water. Cherit approached worried.
-Oh, wow!
He exclaimed. Sophie and Zhalia came out of the water and approached both worried.
-What happened?- Sophie asked. Lok was still coughing.
-I dont know. Everything began to collapse, I was trapped.
-Lok nothing, you were out of your element, nothing more- I tried to reassure him.
-I do not think he has an element.-Zhalia rolled her eyes. -You should know your limits, for your own good." His tone was a bit poisonous.
-Speaking of limits, your bad manners do not have them, right?-Sophie snapped, leaving her speechless.
-It's dangerous to get back in there, the ship is very unstable. Tomorrow we will try something different.
-What is the plan? -Zhalia asked.
-If we cannot go down there, we'll get the ship out.
We went back to the boat, we changed and took things out to camp, I forced Lok to rest because I did not trust him to recover quickly, he also had to dry his tails and fix them a bit so we would not die of laughter with his The only thing I let him do was to help me plan how to get the boat out of water. I informed Zhalia that Lok had already warned me that he did not want to go down since there would be problems, so it was not all his fault, besides, the collapse that caught Lok must have been the one I provoked when I used my powers to open the door. With a quick dinner of sandwiches, we went to sleep.
Dante's POV end