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A hunter is walking on seacoast way♪

With homeland left a mile behind, his path lies ahead♪

From his forebears and children, he was torn♪

Into the seas his lover was swept away, floating in the deep, dead♪

A hunter is walking on seacoast way♪

With homeland left a mile behind, they must lament and pray♪

There is no end to his path♪

The road ahead is shrouded in gray♪

A hunter returns by seacoast way♪

His journey ended, his home close at hand♪

Sound of waves past above the spray♪

Why do his feet disobey his command♪

Why ever does his heart still sway♪

Long time no see, Skadi.;Hello, Skadi.

Been a while, Doctor.

You were supposed to meet that chatty Liberi, but you don't seem surprised to see me.

You and Elysium are both Rhodes operators.;This is a lot closer to your homeland, after all.

Hmm. True.

You're an hour later than Kal'tsit estimated.

I guess the Inquisition's review process is strict, even with an official notice from a Saint.

After only three months, nearly all the town's residents have moved inland, aside from a few workers. Replaced by lots of people from the Penal Battalion.

They must be preparing for something.;They look pretty tense.

Ægir contacted Iberia a week ago. This forgotten town has become a lot less quiet since.

Being surrounded by sea scum already sets the young soldiers on edge. Hearing Ægir's voice only made it worse.

It demands a response, maybe caution.;When the undersea nation finally speaks, you have to listen.

Turn left at the sculpture, and the sea is a quick ten minute walk.

We'll head straight to the Eye of Iberia.

Say, Doctor, do you hear the sound of the waves?

Skadi turns her head slightly into the sea breeze. Her hair dances in the wind, the same color as the shadows in her eyes.

Their layering has gotten complex. I hear... the sound of stars drifting across the sky. The never-ending song of nature. And a language, forever incomprehensible...

Ishar-mla.

I'm here.

The hardship we suffer is ever present.

The life we thirst for is ever present.

Are you alright, Skadi?;Did reconnecting with home put you on edge?

It's like I get more nervous the closer I am... Never mind. It's hard to explain.

Maybe I'm sleep-deprived. Ever since our last voyage, I feel like I've inherited Shark's nightmares.

Speaking of the sea, why did Dr. Kal'tsit call you over so urgently?

I don't remember you having anything to do with the ocean.

I wouldn't recall even if I did.;But it doesn't feel unfamiliar, at least.

Not much of an answer.

Right, I forgot about your condition. No wonder you gave such an answer.

Oh well. I'm sure she had her reasons.

Let's go. It'll be dark soon.

I would take a step back if I were you. I need to shake myself dry.

Hey there, Dr. Kal'tsit. Not many people can track us Abyssal Hunters. Did Swordfish tell you we'd be coming ashore here in advance?

Elysium deployed a data collector in these waters. It's had a direct connection to the Eye of Iberia's central control system ever since its calibration.

And it can already track underwater targets? That Liberi's not half-bad.

Am I to understand then that Rhodes Island and the Inquisition have deepened their ties?

One week ago, the undersea city contacted Iberia via a special comms frequency, informing them that Ægir would be establishing a 'Waterway' between the Ægir home territories and dry land.

In the face of such a grand project, Iberia could only gather intelligence through the great lighthouse's positioning system.

Evidently, your position as Chief Designer of Warfare did not afford you any knowledge of this.

Tell Kal'tsit what we discovered, Shark.

The captain and I have swum out to where the Stultifera sank three times now. Our last dive was only ten days ago.

The first time, we could still see the exploded wreckage on the sea floor. Under what little light filtered through from the surface, the gilded interior was more like a smudge of paint.

But this time around, the entire thing had completely disappeared, replaced by a cluster of coral, thrumming with life.

I may be accustomed to dreaming, but that felt unreal even to me.

That monument to a lost civilization and its history stood for but a brief time.

The Stultifera Navis has been completely claimed by the sea.

Or to be precise, it's become part of a Seaborn nest.

Their environmental assimilation is accelerating.

At a frightening pace.

But there was something even more noteworthy. We found traces of battle. Recent ones.

A completely barren patch of sea, lacking even marine snow. A warped and shattered stretch of sea floor, clearly pockmarked by micro-singularities.

Only the fleets of Ægir's Legions could be behind that.

As a landwalker, Kal'tsit, the knowledge of and interest you hold towards Ægir are nothing less than extraordinary.

Though separated by the boundless seas, Ægir has always been a part of Terra.

Regardless, Gladiia and I have decided to head to that city.

A risky decision, no doubt.

Perhaps a tad.

Considerably.

As such, we Hunters have been observing it for a while.

Before our final operation, I attended a military conference between the Academy of Science and the Academy of Technology, as the Abyssal Hunters' Chief Designer of Warfare.

Among the battle plans they drew up together, I do not recall anyone calling for a military stronghold to approach dry land with, nor any project involving 'Waterways.'

Ægir has, without a doubt, undergone great changes.

Our contact with the home territories was completely severed after we slew Ishar'mla. It is difficult to determine the truth of the matter from the information we possess.

Yet still hardly reason enough for you to return to Ægir. I don't believe I'm the first to try to dissuade you, either. Didn't your colleague already do so?

Do you mean... Ulpianus?

He would understand that the land holds no answers for us. We must return to the sea.

If his strategy is to maintain a distance from Ægir, then all the more reason for us to return in an official capacity.

...Ever since I awoke from my dream, the waves would tell me, time and again, that the lost should return home.

The Abyssal Hunters <i>must</i> return.

Very well, I understand.

Then I'll go with you, Gladiia.

That would indeed be a rare opportunity for you.

I will be representing more than myself on this visit. More than Rhodes Island, even.

Iberia as well? Even with all that you already bear, they would give you another burden?

It was also my decision.

Rhodes Island's cooperation with the Iberian Inquisition has only just begun. Much like our own.

Kal'tsit stares at Gladiia. The Hunter's face remains devoid of expression, even the blowing sea wind failed to crease it.

After a short moment of silence, Gladiia nods her head.

How many days has it been since we were contacted by Ægir, Irene?

Eight, Su Santidad.

And outside of the necessary deployments, meetings, and to rest, you've spent those eight days here, watching the sea.

They haven't given us a concrete time frame for their next contact. I understand you don't wish to miss their next move, but...

Look at the sea before you, Irene.

The colors of the deep sea bubble up, nearly indistinguishable from one another. Against the vastness of the ocean surface, the sky seems gloomy.

The water crash against the reef, whipping up waves several meters tall, their roars dashing against this small corner of the land.

By Iberian standards, an ocean without a hint of Sea Terror flesh is a gentle one, no matter how noisy it may be.

An old friend of mine was once the most talented bard of the port.