Rage of the Ocean

We have been dealing with the waves on the ocean for almost two whole days but this is getting violent. We were to trade off for firewatch this evening but it seems that no one can sleep with this violent shaking. We have our equipment under our cots to prevent it from flying around. The light we were using had to be removed before it hit someone. I let a floating ball of light hang around the container so we could continue to see.

Sergeant Blatz was looking a little worse for wear. He always kept a straight face but looked like he was turning green. Carter was the only one doing ok but that was also barely. Being a frog, he had sticky pads that he could use to hold himself up. He was almost hugging the wall to stop from shifting around. It finally got to Blatz and he finally pushed me too far. "Welch! Can't you do something about this with your voodoo magic?"

"Oh, sure! Let me just caress the ocean to calm it down!"

"I don't care if you have to give Posiden a reach-around! Just make it stop!"

It was finally getting to him. There's nothing I can do about it though. We have to take this on the chin and wait for it to be over. The minutes turned to hours before it seemed to even try to lighten up. We were still shifting back and forth violently. I was starting to get sick at this point.

We could only wait in the silence of our container. The silence was broken though. Someone was shouting rather loudly in a language that none of us spoke. By the tone, we could tell that it was in a panic. Was the ship sinking? Did something happen to the engine? I didn't need Blatz's order to send out a ping to see what was going on but he did it anyway to make himself feel better.

The first ping I sent out didn't reach far beyond the boat. I was fighting with the rocking and trying to see past the waves. I kept expanding my reach until I was at my limit. It started turning into a slideshow so I could get the power needed to see further out. Something caught my attention. I kept pinging outward trying to see what it was. Blatz was in my ear demanding information until I finally snapped "Shut up! Shut the fuck up! I am trying but you are ruining my ability to focus and see what is happening! Sit down!"

I bared my teeth as he wanted to fight back. The next step was going to have the other three hold him down. I keep pinging trying to get focus on something in the water. My eyes don't look in the direction of where I'm trying to focus. "Three boats." I'm finally able to zero in on an area. "They're within radar range of the boat. The crew is scrambling." Blatz barked, "What about the boats?"

"I'm getting there! Unknot your underwear."

I focus my ping into a cone to get finer details. "Three boats coming towards us at high speed. Can't tell the type of boat. Each has 4 engines on it, an upper and lower deck." I focus further trying to refine the details. "Four to seven occupants each. All rats. And… uh oh."

"I don't like 'uh oh', Welch."

"AKs, small arms, SMGs, pistols. They're not friendly."

"Pirates."

"More than likely."

"Using the storm to get in close."

We don't have weapons other than knives and my magic. I have to call everyone's attention, "Sergeant Blatz, what's the call here?" He takes a deep inhale to answer, "We wait. Welch! Keep an eye on the boats and the crews. See if they're able to push them back or chase them off. If they get on board we hold up here and fight back. Do you know offensive magic?"

"Yes, sir."

"We may be relying on you for this fight."

I nod in agreement. For now, all they can do is wait. As for me, I'm pinging constantly as they get closer. The boats come up alongside our ship. Gunfire begins to ring out from both crews. They throw hooks up onto the side trying to board. A few sling their rifles as they climb up. The numbers are too much for the crew and force them to surrender. "We're in trouble. They've taken the bridge and the crew."

"What are they looking for?"

"Couldn't tell you. I can't read minds. Not yet anyway."

I keep watching as they move. "Four of them are watching the crew on the bridge. Rifles. AKs. The others are moving around with the captain looking for something." He keeps pointing to random containers as they go. He has people open them up and start pulling some of the contents out. "They're going through the containers. They're getting closer." I steady myself as the others get into a ready stance.

The sound of the latch being jostled echoes through the container. I douse the light leaving us in the dark. The door opens up giving us the element of surprise. Both of the men shout in surprise before one of them is blasted with dense air. The rat staggers before falling to the floor in a heap. That spell is the same one that I used on Uncle Thomas. It's effective but it's also silent. The captain looks at us with fear but he is not our target. Blatz steps forward and tries to communicate with him. For as rough as he treats us, he's good socially. The captain seemed to understand that we were not here to harm him. We got him to understand that he needs to find a place to hide while we work on the pirates.

I use my ping skill to try and get a feel of where everyone is. There are still the four on the bridge holding the rest of the crew hostage. There are another dozen floating around the ship booking through other boxes and personal belonging for valuables. "They're ransacking the ship. I'll bet their next step is to try and hold the boat and crew for ransom." Blatz wasn't having it. "Well guess what? They've pissed me off and I'm going to make sure they know who they've crossed."

I get the desire but we still have to be smart about this. We are better trained, but we are not better equipped. Even with Carter taking the rifle, we are still outgunned. He takes point, as is his role, as we begin to move up toward the bridge. I have to keep an eye on those up there and those scattered around the ship. This is a mess. I'm at a disadvantage when I ping. I can't cast multiple spells at once. I can either watch around us or attack. We move up to the bridge through the rain on the main deck. On Carter's go, we hit the door.

One pop. Two pop. Three pop. And three hit the ground without a fight. The fourth turned around dropping his weapon. It was obvious they weren't expecting us. He starts babbling in some language I don't understand. It's clear he's giving up. Blatz takes him to the deck to restrain him. We undo the hostages and use that rope to bind this guy. "Absolutely textbook!" That's the nicest thing Blatz has ever said to us.

"Carter! Keep watch on the door! Fringer and manny! Get yourself armed. Welch! Where are the rest?" I send out a ping to try and get a reading on where they are. They all look to be moving with purpose. "I think the gunfire alerted them. They're moving quickly."

"Where are they coming from?"

"Everywhere. Three below us. Four outside towards the bow. Another four at the stern."

"Fuck. We need to get to where we can defend. Options?"

I ping again to look at the layout of the ship. "Move up a level and defend or we lock up here and do the same. We are limited on time and options."

"We stand and fight then. Let them come to us and waste their energy."

There's a round of "yes, sir" as everyone does a weapons check. Manny grabs what he can from the dead pirates throwing me a janky pistol and a few magazines for it. Better than nothing. I know how to use it. I was trained with it but if I can, I would rather not. I already hate using my magic offensively.

I keep my ping going as the rifles are trained on the entrances to the bridge. I warn the others, "Here they come." One door opens with a creak before the motion is met with a barrage of gunfire. The door is immediately let go as a rifle barrel comes in and sprays wildly. It's deafening as the sounds bounce off the walls. It's amplified and echoed by the steel. Another door opens with Manny laying fire there and getting one before his rifle ran out of ammunition. They didn't have a full magazine and he doesn't have one to replace it.

Everything started to fall apart quickly. The weapons weren't of great quality. Manny already ran out. Carter was dealing with a jam and Fringer's misfired blowing out the bolt and damaging her talons. I look at the rusted pistol in my hand. I'm not risking it. I drop the magazine and empty the chamber before dropping it to the ground. I can't fight on these any fronts. All three doors were pushed in with multiple barrels trained on us.

"Welch! Do something!"

"I can't! I'll kill all of us!"

I'm not wrong about it. I would have to use a spell so massive to cover all three doors that it would hurt everyone in the room. Hostages and us. They move in shouting at us in a language that none of us can speak. It's obvious what they want. We get down on our knees with our paws up. They walk around and get us tied up and in line. Whoever was in charge of them stepped forward. His accent was thick but we could understand him, "Which 'an of you is duh leaduh?"

We're not supposed to have ranks. We're not supposed to have names. We're not supposed to be here but we needed to keep some team cohesion so we could properly function. And if Blatz had remembered that, he may not have died.

"These are my men and I…" The shot rang out cutting him off mid-sentence. I looked down at the floor as I heard his heavy body hit the ground. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see how he fell. He was looking towards Fringer and she watched him fall. Her beak flapped as she tried to comprehend what happened. "Dat is a warning for all of you." He moved down the line where another shot rang out. Carter was the next to go. "Dat! Is for killing my men!"

Down the line he got to Manny who got off easy. He punched him in the face. "Dat! Is so you know who is in charge!" One more step and he was at Fringer. "You! You will pay me back wit your body later. Very pretty bird." I felt my skin crawl at his words. But it came down to me next. He looked me over pushing my head up with the end of his pistol. "I don't like this 'an. Trow 'im ovahboard."

A few of the rats begin to cackle as they grab me. My wrists and ankles are bound so I can't fight back. I can focus my magic in this state. I need to have the motion. I fight and squirm as they take me out into the rain. One good kick and I get a fireball off. It shakes them but doesn't stop them. I feel my body roll over before I go into a freefall.

I can't tell how far I fell. I couldn't tell how long I had to get a breath before I hit the icy cold water. It's too dark to see anything other than the occasional flash of lightning above the surface. I try to kick to move upwards but I can't get the push needed. The pressure is getting greater. I can't… I can't hold my breath.

The last bit of air escapes me. I try to breathe in but it's not what I need. It's so cold but it's making my lungs burn. I feel so heavy. Everything wants to cry out and scream but it can't. I'm trapped in the abyss of the ocean. I blink as the last of my vision starts to fade. Everything just feels numb. The cold and the burning have faded. I'm dying. I know it. I can feel it. But something deep down refuses.

A voice echoes in my mind. It's not screaming like my body was. It whispers to me but I can't hear it. It gets closer as I watch the last bit of light fade away. I close my eyes one last time before the voice becomes all I can hear. It only says one word.

"Live."

The image of a mythical beast crosses my mind. A behemoth of the deep that raged in the waters for centuries bringing fear to the hearts of sailors. They sang songs of warning from the destruction it wrought. A creature by no mistaken identity. The Kraken!

My body feels light as I see the surface again. I'm carried through the water with ease to a height above the ship I was tossed from. I can see the whole thing as the pirates come scattering out. Their weapons do nothing. The water catches them as they try to harm my beast. This being I control is made of the water they sent me to. It's the shape of the legendary Kraken that I saw in my mind. I surround the ship with my many tentacles grasping the ship, holding it in place. I can hear them yelling below as they try to find a way to escape. Their tiny boats are crushed against the side of the cargo ship leaving them stranded.

I tighten my grip around the ship. The sides begin to bend to my power before the cave. Water finds the easiest way into the ship. The lower decks begin to fill but that won't matter. I tighten further snapping the bow off. Again, I tighten my grip splitting the ship in half. The stern is still in my grasp with the pirates in a panic. The tentacles I freed up surround them and begin to squeeze. The metal creeks and groans as it tries to fight back but it crumples like paper.

The screams subside as the metal mass finds its way into the cold water. I am left looking at the aftermath. I know I did this. I know this is that untapped power that lies dormant. I am in control of it for the first time and this… This feels good.

I am the Nine-Tailed Fox.

I am a God.