Chapter 164: Strange Sea

As I walked forwards, I noticed something moving in the distance. I couldn't quite make it out yet, due to the dust that has been raised but it could only spell trouble. A while later, the form of that something was revealed to me. It was a pack of what seemed to be dogs. On closer inspection, these were not normal dogs, no. Those things were half rotten, with some flesh missing.

'The north is really mysterious. I wonder how strong those things are' I thought and prepared myself for the confrontation. The Rotting Hounds, as I named them on the spot, were getting closer and closer. The pack contained around 30 of them and they were as fast as Black Wolves. While walking forwards, I took out my bow and prepared an arrow.

"Swoosh!"

I released the arrow. It sped through the air, hitting the middle of the pack. "ARWOOO" one of the Rotting Hounds screamed and died. 'Those things are nothing special, perhaps as strong or maybe a bit stronger than Black Wolves' I thought and released more arrows.

The hounds started to thin out quickly but never retreated. They got quite close but with 8 of them remaining, this was not a threat whatsoever. I decided to finish them off in close combat and learn more about their abilities. The Rotting Hounds might've seemed gruesome but they were quite weak to be honest. No abilities and it seemed, that their weapon was numbers and speed.

I quickly disposed of the remaining Rotting Hounds and dissected them. I wanted to find out why they could stay alive, even though they seemed to be rotting. The answer to my question never came. 'It looks like they mutated in that way. Is it because of the wasteland?' I thought.

Then it hit me 'I will need food in order to travel anywhere further. Without food, I will be doomed. This is not Great Forest anymore, these creatures are not edible in any way'. I had to go back in order to get some meat. Otherwise, the amount of food I had, would only last me a week or two. This depended on my energy consumption.

I went back to the border line and crossed it. 'Fortunately, I was close to the border, otherwise, I would have to waste a lot of time returning' I thought and started the hunt. I hunted anything that was edible but I did have to backtrack a day or two in order to find any animals that could be eaten and were healthy.

After a few days, I was back at the line separating the North from Great Forest. 'I have enough food to last me at least a month. That is under the worst case scenario. With the dry rations, I can last for about 2 months' I thought and resumed my journey in the North.

This time, the welcoming committee didn't appear. I didn't see any creatures for a very long time or at least, what I thought it to be a long time. The scenery didn't change much and besides that, there was no sun or stars in the sky. Only dark clouds that hovered endlessly over the horizon. This seemed weird to me 'Why are there no creatures? I get that this is a wasteland but then, why would people be scared of this place? Because of those Rotting Hounds or the Liquid Gazers? Sure, those things are creepy but not strong in any way'.

I lost track of time, as I travelled and rested when necessary. I could only track my days using the amount of food I had. I still had loads, so that would mean, not much time has passed. After what I assumed, a few days, I met something strange. 'This is… a sea?' I thought at the sight that was in front of me.

It looked like a sea or perhaps a huge lake but it certainly wasn't water. I came closer took a more detailed look at the sea. It was blackish and the waves never breached a certain point. It was as if they simply stopped in a specific place. I decided to test that sea and placed one unlit torch inside the sea. It wasn't liquid, that thing was like rubber. I even pressed the torch hard to pierce it but to no avail. Whatever it was, it was not a liquid but a sort of blackish rubber that was very tough.

I checked the torch but didn't notice any changes to it. 'This thing is not corrosive but it could be poisonous. I should test it out, before I try to touch it' I thought and took out a small piece of meat. What happened next was totally unexpected. The piece of meat started to get absorbed by the sea, until it finally disappeared.

"Don't tell me this is alive. The whole sea is alive? As in, one organism?" I said out loud, shocked. This was impossible, how could it be? A sea with not end in sight, was one huge creature? I stood there for a while and didn't know what to do really. This was something unheard of. 'If the whole sea is a creature, then what type of monsters live in this place?' I asked myself.

I decided to test it myself, I wanted to know if that thing was really a creature or simply the meat fell into a place that was actually not rubber. I placed my finger on top of the rubbery sea and focused. What I noticed, was the exact thing I already guessed. The rubber started to crawl up, onto my finger. I could see small, saw like teeth, growing out of the part that wrapped around my finger, when I focused very hard.

I quickly tried to pull my finger out but it wasn't that easy. The rubbery substance was acting like glue now. I pulled with the maximum of my strength and finally managed to retrieve my finger. There was still some rubbery substance on my finger wiggling about but causing no pain or damage. When I looked at the part of the sea that I touched with my finger. I saw something that was beyond creepy.

"Those eyes again! The same ones, as in the Fluid Gazer!" I exclaimed and looked at my finger. The black substance on my finger started to grow weaker and weaker and finally stopped moving. 'Is this were the Fluid Gazers are from? Do they leave this sea and travel outside?' I asked myself. The part of the sea that was missing one chunk, patched itself up. It acted as if nothing ever happened. The remains on my finger were gluey but didn't move whatsoever. I decided to study them later, I took out a container and stored it.

"No wonder people are scared of the North. The wasteland that offers no food, water or shelter, as well as all those monsters, that look creepy. Even more so, a whole sea as a creature. I hope that this thing doesn't move" I said to myself but then, I got an idea.

"Wait! What If I try to burn this thing? Will it catch fire, just like Fluid Gazers?" I said to myself and retrieved a torch. After lighting it up, I threw it at the sea. What happened next was also extraordinary. A small part of the rubbery sea, rose into the air and deflected the torch far away.

'So, it doesn't like fire either. I now know that it can do shit like, expanding upwards and maybe even contract downwards. It's possible that it can also became different shape when it rises. I don't know what height it can rise up to but my guess is, that it isn't short' I thought. The rubbery sea didn't try to attack me either. This would suggest, that it couldn't move, or at least move through the ground. My guess was that, it might've been a stationary creature and something had to step on it, in order for the sea to activate. I decided to call it Black Gazer Sea and noted all my findings in the Beast Scriptures.

I couldn't travel through it, I would be dead after just taking my first step on it. I had to go different way. 'Hopefully, this doesn't extend for miles on end' I thought.