Konstantin merely nodded in response to these words. Sergey, on the other hand, was more nonchalant.
"Well, we don't have a state, not even a barony."
"Forget it. We are the only representatives of a rather strange species for this world. It doesn't matter what our group is called to everyone else. For ourselves, we are indeed a separate state. Locals will never be one of us. At most, we can live in harmony with them!"
No one else interrupted Gennady's digging or asked questions. By evening, the boat had gained several kilograms of extra weight. This additional weight included not only the precious root. Reflecting on his friend's words, Sergey collected about half a kilo of narcotic nuts. "It might come in handy for Maria's experiments, and we might need some later," he explained his actions.
By morning, they were supposed to reach the mouth of the river and, accordingly, the local sea-ocean, but about an hour before this important moment, an eastern wind brought something new.
"What's that strange smell?" As with all the previous nights, Sergey, sitting at the front, was the first to detect the unusual aroma in the air.
"Who messed up the air?"
The only response to Gennady was a string of curses, indicating that none of the expedition members could have created such a mess. And vampires don't pass gas, even though they aren't unicorns or princesses. Vampires had excellent health and didn't suffer from flatulence. They simply didn't experience gas, at least not yet.
As they moved forward, the smell in the air became increasingly concentrated and unpleasant. It was a mixture of something dead and something alive that had formed on the dead matter. Even describing it was difficult, and enduring it… it felt as though the air was material and absolutely dense.
After a while, everyone had to resort to using their personal magic and retreat into air cocoons, slightly modifying the magic they had used in the spring to hunt goblins, in order to mask their own odors. Now, they were concealing the surrounding smells from themselves.
The sight of the sea struck the trio in the boat deeply. Foamy waves crashing against the shore, the restless water surface a little further out, and a couple of icebergs on the horizon. In mid-summer! Stepping onto the shore and pulling the boat out, the three of them went to the seaside. Gennady immediately dipped his hand into the water.
"It's cold! Very cold!"
After this announcement, he immediately scooped up some water in his palm and drank it. The man promptly vomited. His comrades rushed to help him to his feet and inquired what had happened.
"I don't know. Terrible taste. Just disgusting. But it's salty too. But so vile in the mouth."
The man took a few gulps of blood from the flask hanging at his side. Sergey suggested removing the air cocoon that was masking the odors. Since Gennady was still recovering from the taste of the seawater, they decided to remove the protection with just the two of them. Stepping a few paces from the shoreline, the two of them ceased to maintain the magic around themselves…
It was then discovered that the smell of the sea was unpleasant to vampires. Beings with possibly the best sense of smell in the world, able to detect thousands of subtle nuances in the air, were unable to endure the sea air.
Even the most unpleasant smells were perceived negatively by vampires on an intellectual level. When you realize you're sniffing dung or a festering wound, it couldn't leave former city dwellers indifferent. But their noses perceived all these smells as equally neutral. The smell they now experienced was different. It smelled like the sea, and this odor was physically unpleasant to both them and their sense of smell.
Gennady approached the vomiting Sergey and covered him with an air-tight shroud.
"Thanks! It's hard to concentrate."
Konstantin, who managed to restore his own cocoon and was looking at the whole scene, merely shuddered.
"Just thinking about it… Ugh…"
I've got more interesting stuff on patreon
patreon.com/Chill76