Chapter 42 - Reincarnation sucks

  Adam moved from light to light, looking for a soul on the brink of collapse. Flickering lights and a pull towards it were his only clues as to which souls were healthy and which weren't.

  He inspected a dozen souls before one finally caught his eye. He had noticed it move in a wild warping pattern as the light started to dim. Jumping on the opportunity, Adam's soul fragment approached the waning light. When he was close enough to reach out and touch it, an unknown force pulled him in.

  Just like he experienced the first time, his soul was squeezed and morphed from its spherical shape into something bigger and longer. It only took a second but he was able to feel the dying soul get pushed out as his own took its place. It was like a switch had been flipped as his soul connected to the dying host and its senses linked up with the new soul.

  That was Adam's great mistake, since as soon as he connected with the new body, intense pain overcame him. It felt like his entire body was being melted by fire. Memories flashed in his mind, a giant creature with thick scaly skin that breathed fire in his direction, a mad dash to escape the pain of his burning fur. And seconds later, collapsing to the ground with flesh turning to liquid. The creature's senses screamed in pure agony, and Adam's soul recoiled in horror.

  Being burned alive was a terrifying experience, and he had only felt it for a split second. He did not attempt to cling to the dead creature and instead tried to get his soul away from the poor beast. A moment later, he was back inside the soul realm and the light had vanished.

  “I have a feeling this is going to be traumatic.”

  The entire ordeal took under a second, yet his soul wasn't visibly changed after his failed possession, so he was correct in his assumption that his soul would only get damaged if he fought to stay in a dying body.

  He did the equivalent of shaking his head as he tried to forget the split second of absolute agony he had experienced through that poor creature. It was probably made worse by his inability to feel while as a loose soul fragment. Having felt such intense discomfort without warning, followed by absolute numbness was jarring.

  He looked around for another potential soul with a little less excitement and more apprehension now. That probably wasn’t going to be the last time he felt incredible pain on this journey, but he still hoped he would find a host that didn’t die a horrific death.

  Lights appeared and disappeared almost inexplicably as he focused on his surroundings. The next flickering light he found simply blinked into existence beside him. His mind couldn't properly process how this place worked. Space seemed to fold and stretch, hiding and revealing souls as if in some sort of incomprehensible 4th dimension.

  The memory of pain fresh in his mind, he opted to observe the failing light first before approaching any closer. It was mostly spherical and despite it looking rather blurred, he could tell that its flowing pattern was disrupted. The same was true for the previous creature, yet this faltering light was calmer, like a wind that lightly blew on the light at random intervals. Each time it flickered, the soul would shrink and destabilize.

  After several seconds, the light had dimmed significantly so the owner of this soul clearly hadn't died an immediate and horrific death like being burnt alive. Adam roused up his courage and reached out for the now extremely faint light.

  A second later, he had arms and legs, he had human proportions and it appeared that he finally managed to find a human body to reincarnate into… the only problem was that he was underwater and out of breath.

  ‘You've got to be shitting me’ he thought as he used his new arms and legs to kick and swipe his way to the surface. The water was dark and heavy, his lungs were filled with water and his body felt weak but he kept going.

  He lamented his luck as he literally fought for his life. This was the best reincarnation chance so far. He was finally back into a human body and he wasn't mortally wounded. If he could make it to the surface and breathe he would survive. He felt stupid to have waited for the light to get dimmer before approaching, had he jumped in directly, he probably wouldn't have sunk so deep to begin with.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  His new body was on the brink of no return when he finally took control, and it took a lot of effort and straining to hold on. He momentarily considered not fighting it and simply returned to the soul realm, but this was too good of an opportunity. He was finally back in a human body and only a few meters separated him from the surface now.

  His soul tensed as it anchored itself on his new body. His limbs regained thinner control as he steeled into the mold that was this new host. His movements became stronger and more precise as he committed to his decision. This was do or die and he had already died too many times for his liking.

  The dark waters were calm as the large boat traveled across the waters. The only sounds that echoed across the waters were the shouts and cries of people on the boat. Their fear and concern were directed toward the child who had slipped and fallen overboard during the Niorbo attack. Shouts led to confusion as no one would risk entering the waters to help a child who may already be dead.

  The captain was looking out over the dark waters for any sign of the fallen child, but the eerie calmness of the waters reminded him of what lay beneath. After a minute, it was clear the child was dead, drowned, or devoured. He had just turned his back to the waters as he prepared to instruct his crew to continue on and knew that he would have to calm the distraught passengers down.

  Just as the captain was about to give the order, the passengers screamed in unison, and many pointed fingers in the direction where the boy had fallen. The experienced captain spun around as his eyes widened in shock. Splashes in the water were followed by the child’s coughing and spluttering head as he breached the surface.

  His mind was filled with relief and dread at the same time. The child may be alive now but with the disturbance he was making in the waters, it would be seconds before the Niorbo found him.

  “Don’t make a move, stay as calm as you can.” He shouted at the boy, but he knew that that child's survival would be determined by his actions and luck rather than anything the kid could do.

  An experienced hunter himself, he had witnessed many others being devoured by the Niorbo even before becoming a captain. His honor forbade him from turning a blind eye to another in danger as he grabbed his trident and leaped overboard. The weapon wasn’t ideal when used in the water, but it had served him well during his years as captain and it was close at hand.

  Gasps could be heard as the bulky captain plunged into the waters. He moved with superhuman speed that would put any Olympic athlete to shame. It took him only a few seconds to reach the boy who was still barely afloat and coughing up water.

  Grabbing the kid's arm and pulling it over his left shoulder, he tried to push the kid further onto his broad back and out of the water. As he was about to swim back to the ship, he noticed the telltale sign he had long since learned to detect, the darkening of the water that indicated the incoming attack of a Niorbo.

  His trident at the ready, he gripped the kid on his back as tight as he could. The Niorbo reached the two in mere seconds. The captain was a veteran hunter, having spent decades protecting his people from the Niorbos, refining both his body and technique. Fighting one in the water, however, put him at a severe disadvantage.

  Aquatic Niorbos ruled the waters and fighting them in their own domain was madness. But now that he was here, what other choice did he have?

  The boy had stopped spitting up water and was vacantly looking around, a confused expression on his face. Blood dripped from his head from his tumble during the assault. But the captain had no time to care for the kid, if he wasn't careful, both of them would die.

  The experienced captain thrust out his weapon at tremendous speed despite the water surrounding him. It impacted the dark patch of water and he felt it pull back and down almost immediately thereafter. Capitalizing on the momentum, he kicked forward back towards the boat, knowing that he only had a few seconds before the second attack.

  Despite the kid clinging onto his back and his hand gripping the trident, he closed the distance incredibly fast. Seizing the opportunity, he grabbed the kid and threw him up onto the deck in a throw that no ordinary person could ever hope to replicate.

  His assumption was correct as mere moments after he saved the kid, the Niorbo struck from below. He had been expecting this yet it still caught him a little off guard. His first priority was to save the kid, but now that he was out of danger, his mind changed to that of the veteran hunter. The trident plunged straight down as his body was pushed up and partially out of the water from the force.

  The creature's maw was impaled by the descending weapon but its tough body wouldn’t yield from such a minor injury. But killing a Niorbo alone was not considered heroic or brave in these lands. Only the elders of the great cities could accomplish such a feat and attempting to replicate them would only be met with scorn and disdain. For the Niorbos were fierce and extremely dangerous, fighting one alone had a great risk of death.

  Grabbing his trident with both hands, he struggled to push the creature up to the surface. It wriggled and splashed to reach him, but the weapon piercing its throat held it at bay. Despite its injury, it continued to push forward, worsening its wounds but inching closer to the captain. But it would never get the chance, three surprisingly long spears descended from above and impaled the thrashing beast.

  Each thrust would form a severe wound but the attackers didn’t stop there, they repeatedly stabbed the dying creature without giving it a moment's rest. It was relentlessly punctured for a few seconds before all three spears jabbed deeper into the bleeding creature and this time, they didn’t retract.

  The captain left his trident in the creature's maw and climbed back up his ship. The crew was experienced in their jobs and knew how to deal with the Niorbos living in the waters. Fighting in the waters was a fairly new experience for the captain as most could simply get swarmed and devoured if they attempted it. Luckily, this night was calm and the Niorbos scarce.

  The captain shook his body as he stood on deck drenched in water. The kid he saved was being hugged and inspected by his family and friends, and the crew had begun to hoist up the fallen beast. The Niorbo that had attacked them minutes earlier–The one that had caused the kid to be knocked overboard–was laying dead on deck and the one they had just killed was being hoisted up now. Despite how dangerous they were, their flesh was very useful.

  The captain nodded at his crew and looked over at the child he had rescued. It was a dangerous situation, but one that he was now very proud of. His deed would no doubt go down as one of his greatest heroic acts, something he could brag about at taverns with other sailors. After all, if not for him, that kid would have died.

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