Ball of Nothing

Chapter 603: Man of Sea (3)

"Thirty-six seconds!" Ottley announced with surprise.

Exactly what happened last night? What did his master tell Truen? This was a huge improvement! It has been almost a week since they started this training. Zero wasn't making much progress with his floating and swimming, but Truen struggled miserably without signs of improvement. The best was four seconds previously, and even so, Truen had to sit out for ten minutes before he collected himself to try again with a pale face.

Truen gasped and flailed as he got up. Today, they were trying this in a deeper part of the sea. Truen's feet no longer touched the sand when he surfaced. It was done according to the archer's request. Ottley was concerned at first, but he couldn't refuse Truen's resolve. Instead, the captain asked two more good swimmers to standby with a rescue boat should something happened to either student.

The otter lifeguards quickly assisted Truen and gave him something to cling onto when he resurfaced. Ottley waited for Truen to catch his breath with a huge grin on his face. Unlike the other times, Truen was less frightened of the water. Instead of simply dunking his face into the water and getting up at once, he allowed the water to completely cover him from head to toe. Seeing that the first stage was finally overcome, Ottley wondered if Truen was ready for the second stage.

"How did I do?" Truen asked in between coughs. Although he had the underwater breathing skill, it was still a challenge to use it correctly.

The huge smile on Ottley's face told Truen everything he needed to know. When the captain told him his timing, Truen didn't know who was more surprised. He had a feeling today was going to be the day he could finally face his fears head-on, but Truen expected it to take at least a few attempts. Thirty-six seconds in just the first try? That exceeded his expectations.

"You did well," the sea otter praised, and Truen climbed onto the boat to rest.

The sun scalded his skin the moment he got out of the water, and Truen groaned. Did he use up all his courage to do that? It was not even an hour, but already, he was tired.

Ottley noticed Truen's lethargy and called for a break. Bob, who was in the water with Zero, was ditched when the doctor heard 'break'. The doctor used magic to boost himself out of the water, landing perfectly on the boat. The dragon groaned as he was left to paddle back by himself as a lizard. Thankfully, one of the lifeguard otters noticed it and lent him a hand. Bob swore to give his master a piece of his mind when class was over.

"How was it?" Zero grinned and shook the water out of his hair like a dog, splashing droplets at everyone in the vicinity.

Before Truen could answer, Ottley proudly announced the archer's accomplishments like a proud dad. Zero immediately ran over to tackle and hug his best friend, rocking the ship until it capsized, much to Bob's frustration. Couldn't a dragon stay dry for a while?!

Now that Truen overcame his fear of the sea, Ottley thought it would be easier to explain what he was going to teach them over the next six weeks.

"To become a true man of the sea, you'd need to be able to swim, operate the ship, read the weather, understand the sea and prepare sufficient logistics."

When Zero heard the last part, he exchanged looks with Truen. Surely, they wouldn't have a problem with that, right?

"Since Truen overcame his first trial, we will be learning the correct breathing methods and how to float before we get to swimming in the sea. You will both be taught how to fashion emergency floating devices from the materials often used in ships should you find yourselves in a dire situation."

Ottley was a strict teacher, but he answered every question Zero asked with passion. Truen listened without asking questions. Now that he could overcome his fear of getting underwater, the rest of this training shouldn't be too difficult for him. Both he and Zero didn't have to do it the sea otter way. After all, they had the help of magic.

What intrigued Truen the most was knowing how to read sea charts, navigate the ocean, understand weather patterns and read the stars. He didn't know that there were ocean maps, and Zero didn't seem too interested in it. The doctor was already asking questions about being able to dive.

To appease the overly enthusiastic and energetic doctor, the otter lifeguards promised to show Zero their special diving spot if he did well in the lesson. Ottley thanked his friends and sent his students back into the water, paying more attention to Truen this time.

"To float gracefully without assistance from objects, you must keep your body relaxed. Keep your lungs half-filled at all times, or you will sink. for better buoyancy, keep your limbs spread out as far apart as you can."

Zero and truen followed Ottley's instructions, and the two lifeguards corrected their floating position, holding onto them from the side so that they didn't drift too far out into the ocean.

Floating in the ocean wasn't as simple as Truen thought it would be. Apart from needing to remain relaxed and calm when the water splashed all over him, Truen didn't feel too well from all the swaying motion.

It didn't take too long before Ottley had to recall truen back to the boat. After overcoming his fear of the sea, the poor archer now had to deal with seasickness. Zero quickly prescribed some seasickness medicine, but it didn't matter what Truen ate. He threw everything back up.

The instructor sighed. It was going to be an uphill battle. For now, they headed back to shallower waters so that Truen could get acquainted with land again to quell the stomach unease.