In the lowermost floor of the destroyed ferry, hiding within the walls of the hull was Torq, bearing Runthral's appearance. He had perfectly camouflaged himself to the extent the vat wasn't able to detect him in the slightest.
From the moment the ferry crashed into Gollrakh Island's shore, Torq assumed Runthral's appearance and jumped into the ferry's walls. He moved through the hull, since it was thick enough to fully hide his girth without issues.
And by cautiously compressing the matter forming the hull around him to make space for him, and reverting it to its original assortment once he passed through, Torq moved through the hull without leaving behind any traces of his activity. 'This is well beyond what Runthral can manifest at the moment.'
'Only after he gets his hands on those two treasures from the Clan will he understand the intricacies necessary to pull this off with such perfection.' Since there was a chance, he would obviously berate Runthral mentally.
It was cathartic to talk shit about him, since the more Torq used Runthral's abilities, the more he fell in love with the Cooter Clan's Deities, and the more he realised how incompetent Runthral was, 'Even with his lacking abilities, he should still be capable of something like this.'
At a similar age, an average Empyrean Snapper was already capable of fighting against a Gold Grade Pranic Beast.
While shitting on Runthral's capabilities, Torq observed the vat assume its humanoid form and destroy Vice Captain Soso. He never revealed himself until the end, even though he could have protected everyone, 'Not only would it place too much strain on me to harness his capabilities, but I'll also end up exhausting Runthral's power.'
Hence, he waited, in patience, until the Narlakk exited the ferry. Only then did he emerge out of his hiding position and move through the submerged floor, quickly heading to the depths in a couple seconds.
He was trying his best to use as little of Runthral's power as possible, conserving it for the battle ahead. Hence, he moved slowly. 'It's here!'
At a spot on the floor, vertically below the location where Vice Captain Soso was killed, was a sphere of oil. It had been made to be as heavy as possible, causing it to sink to the bottom. Moreover, its immiscibility with water ensured it didn't drift around and remained steady in place.
It could at most retain this position for a couple hours, after which the water currents would start affecting it. But no matter how far it is moved, it would retain its form, unless acted upon by an impactful force.
It was a Rippling Tsloch Information Slip, left behind by Vice Captain Soso in the moments before her death. Those with a similar build to her would be able to detect it in due time, at which they would learn the contents of the Information Slip.
Torq, with his Gentle Coral Spirit Pool, would be incapable of detecting this Information Slip in the first place, much less access its contents. It was why he maintained Runthral's appearance, for all Cooter Clan abilities were like an open book to an Empyrean Snapper.
Their cultivation technique, Mystic Mist Art, was created by deriving upon the physical characteristics of an Empyrean Snapper in the first place, 'So, it's easy for me to access it in this form.'
The Rippling Tsloch Information Slip flew into his mouth as Torq swallowed it. In a matter of seconds, a stream of information appeared in his mind space, detailing everything Vice Captain had witnessed while under the Narlakk's influence.
'I see,' Torq heaved a sigh in relief, 'There's only one Narlakk here bearing that bastard's power. The rest are regular Narlakks.'
He promptly reverted to his original appearance and employed Mystic Mist Arts to protect himself from the water currents.
Then, he morphed his appearance, turning into a fist-sized object resembling his heart in shape. It was the Cooter Clan's Spirit Weapon Transformation, a form available to all Cooter Clansmen upon reaching the peak of the Body Stage. Torq was only one-third of the way to the peak, but could unleash this for one reason.
Mystic Mist Art–Subtle Weaponisation!
It was a Skill created based upon one of the Mammoth Clan's forbidden Natures, through which Torq was suppressing his Prana capacity to his current limit. Which meant, temporarily, he was considered to be at the peak of the Body Stage, allowing the Spirit Weapon Transformation to be used.
He would suffer a serious rebound once it deactivates, but in the present situation, the Spirit Weapon Form was a necessity.
The smaller size allowed a Cooter Clansman to focus only a small portion of their strength in terms of defense and allowed them to better camouflage themselves into the surroundings. Their Prana output was faster, since their Spirit Weapon form was treated no different to a Spirit Container, capable of quickly supplying the necessary Prana to unleash their abilities.
Since the circulation distance of Prana through blood disappeared, accumulating it consumed lesser time in comparison. And a smaller mass meant lesser energy consumption for travel.
Torq encased his Spirit Weapon form with Gentle Coral, which hardened seconds later and was no longer under his control.
This aspect made Gentle Coral shit. But in hindsight, since it was no different from regular coral now, he could avoid detection as long as he doesn't use his abilities.
The block of coral drifted through the floorspace, subtly guided by him using Mystic Mist Art from time to time, ensuring he left minimal traces. 'Since there are Cooter Clansmen corpses nearby, I can use their waning presence to hide myself.'
By now, the ferry had fully sunk underwater. Slowly, Torq moved out and applied a new layer of Gentle Coral on the existing form. He had moulded the whitish fluid to resemble a hook, which he anchored upon the deck.
This allowed the piece of coral to stay stuck to the place, allowing him to observe the ongoing battle nearby. His sights fell upon the Narlakk that was stealthily moving through the depths of the sea, positioned a safe distance underneath the ship, 'The Captain of a ship of that size should have around 5-Life Stage cultivation at least.'
'Maybe something happened to warrant the Empyrean Snapper's attention, which is why the Clan must have sent this ship to protect Runthral.' Torq analysed the situation and brought out his Empyrean Snapper pet.
Primary Nature–Subtle Terrain Domination!
Even though it barely used its ability, Torq's Prana reserves were draining fast. The Empyrean Snapper hid itself by wrapping the substance forming the ferry's hull upon itself. Having transformed to resemble a broken piece of the ferry, it floated to the surface, at which point it remained absolutely still.
'This way, I don't have to waste any more Prana.' Torq sighed in relief, now able to observe the entire situation through the Empyrean Snapper Pet. And upon seeing a Narlakk land on the deck and target Captain Trotro, Torq grew concerned.
He promptly eyed the Narlakk swimming deep underwater, 'Only this bastard has the Celestial's power supporting it. The one on the ship's deck does not.'
'If I were to reveal myself in advance, the bastard in hiding would slip away.' He gritted, 'I only have enough power to kill one of them, preferably the one underwater.'
'Unfortunate brother of mine, I hope you can pull your weight this time.' His only choice was now to frustratingly wait until it was the right time to reveal himself, 'I will only get one chance to pull it off.'
'If I were to miss encasing even one of them in my ability, there's a solid chance the Celestial would locate me.' Groaning once, he prepared himself. 'For that, I have to ensure that the Captain understands his enemy's abilities the best.'
Vice Captain Soso's Information Slip was the best in that regard, as consuming it will bring him up to speed. Thinking as such, a small amount of whitish liquid appeared beside him, assuming the shape of a vial before it hardened into Gentle Coral.
The water within promptly became an Information Slip. Once recorded, Torq caused it to drift towards the Empyrean Snapper Pet, 'I need to transport it without alerting the enemies.'