Chapter 9: Smokey island pt.2
"Is that the island?"
Sarah stood side by side with another subordinate, checking through their binoculars.
After a week with travelling they had finally reached their destination and mission, smokey island. It went smoothly for Sarah's surprise.
"...Well, from what the maps tell us... this is the island....".
"...Lower the anchor!" she shouted.
Many kilometers away stood a middle sized island, it wasn't the biggest... The reinforced galleons could probably sail around it for 8 minutes. It was mostly beach and in the middle was a tall rock hill and a bit jungle surrounding it.
"...So the boulders came from that island huh... Send several scouts out, we'll have to check it for ourselves...". She told them.
"Yes ma'am!"
Sarah stood at the bridge, her suspicion of the island continuing too confuse her.
"...Flying boulders they said....". She walked down the stairs and went into the cabin to see Solan sitting by himself. His eyes were dark and deep... He'd still had to recover from the incident days ago.
"...Are you alright Solan?" she asked softly.
"...Yes.. Its gotten better.... Though... I cant get the faces of the dying people in my head...".
Solan trusted Sarah more then anyone, after all she took him in as her own and gave him roof above her head.
"I see... Well, we've arrived at our destination... You'll have to stay on deck... me and the others will approach the island to find the leviathan...".
"You only here to watch how we work... Even if you killed a leviathan before it was luck holding you alive...".
"..:Yeah...".
Approaching upper deck Sarah and the others got into several rowboats, equipped with infantry rifles and bombs.
"Lower the boats...!" a crew member shouted out.
They started paddling towards the island and Solan who was watching from the edge looked to the island. He could feel an eerie feeling somehow meaning something was on this island.
"...Master! there's something on the island! please be careful!" he shouted out to Sarah.
Sarah smiled happy to hear him concerned.
"Yes of course Solan!"
***
In terms of the type of leviathans, there existed different ranks based on their threat. Its common knowledge that the bigger it is, the more aggressive it can become.
Lesser-Leviathans: Small leviathans the size of a carriage who showed almost no threat and ate usually fish or sea weeds.
Mid-Leviathan: Leviathans the size of a house, mostly lives in the deep waters they pose more of dangerous personality against humans, often ramming into ships and find pleasure in eating humans.
High-Leviathan: Beasts that could range from house to galleon size. These Leviathans are often territorial and are known for their high intelligence. They pose greater threats for nearby islands where people live and must be killed before any casualties occur.
Elder beasts: Leviathans ranging from all kind of size but have one thing in common. The ability to manipulate the elements beyond human logic. These beasts are said to come from far depths and are theorized to have lived a staggering millennial. These beasts are highly sought after due to their blood which can make a person invincible.
***
The deployed rowboats arrived at the beach, Sarah and her subordinates getting at work immediately.
"...Take a round on the island, look for any suspicious activity or where the monster has left it marks...". Sarah spoke with a loud tone which radiated the authority she had over the crew.
"Yes captain!" they shouted in unison before scattering away like roaches being discovered by a house owner.
Sarah got a good look of her surroundings before before getting out her flintlock laced in gold and white. Loading it with a special ammunition she shot it up in the air, leaving a red flare in sky.
***
"You see that Solan?" one of the crew members pointed out back at the ship.
"That means that they've made a safe arrival".
Solan gazed into the island, it was beautiful. Most of it was made of beaches with a simple jungle surrounding the lone rock hill. The seagulls were flying above the rock hill making their usual cries.
"Solan~"
An echo voiced through his head once more. But this time... it gave him a creeping sensation. Itching his head one or two times suddenly it started to tingle all over his body. Watching the island from afar the rock hill.... was suddenly moving?
Suddenly the ship started to shake and so did the island.
Getting a fast grasp of the situation Solan shouted loudly towards Sarah standing in the beach.
"MASTER! THE LEVIATHAN! ITS THE ROCK HILL-!"
"SKREEEEHH~!"
The screeching creak of a beast emitted from the island. Sarah turning back to the core of land. The rock hill started rising and all of the crew members back at the ship watched in disbelief, eyes widened and jaw's dropped straight to the deck.
"...What the hell is that...".
A gigantic hermit crab the size of their reinforced galleon, its scales and shell purple. Carrying a rock hill on its back. It had two enormous claws looked like it could cut down a ship in half and 6 strong supportive legs that carried the weight of the beast.
"Skreehhh!" it creaked on more time.
The bells started ringing, everyone onboard getting to their post immediately
"Don't shoot! The admiral and the scout-men are on the island!"
***
Sarah watched the hermit rise from the floor of the small land.
"...What in the emperor's name....".
The scouts-men came running back in a hurry.
"W-We need to get out of here ma'am!"
"...You don't say!?" she replied back sarcastically yet frustrated.
Some of them paddled away immediately and Sarah shouted.
"H-Hey! don't board the rowboats-!"
--Splat--
A huge boulder landed on top of the guys who were on a rowboat. Nothing left was but their blood splashed everywhere painting the sand beneath them in red.
The monster chipped away parts of its rocky back using them as throwing stones.
"DONT GET ON THE ROWBOATS!"
The scouts-men who were just normal men of the crew were panicking, frozen in shock by the sheer size of the beast.
"..G-GET AWAY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING-!"
One after one the men were either being pierced by the end of its long legs or crushed by its claws.
"Damn bastards... cant even listen orders" Sarah uttered in frustration.
She had expected to find nothing on the island. Only a leviathan maybe around the island.. but.. a land leviathan? that was something she'd never heard of.
Sarah shouted clearly "FIRE THE CANNONS! DONT CARE ABOUT ME!"
***
"She wants us to fire?! W-We cant possible do that!"
"hah! have y'all forgotten! our captain has the vessel of the thunder serpent -Tiamat-!"
"Mere cannons cant hurt her! so fire now!"
A subordinate shouted confident of his admiral.
--Boom!--
A barrage of cannons were fired towards the crab. Most of them missing completely and some even hitting it leaving barely any scratches on it. In the way you could throw a stick at a mountain wall and it wouldn't move at all.
"...Its shells are sturdy! at-least a first-rate!"
"....This is no ordinary leviathan.... this is at least a greater-leviathan!".
-Greater Leviathans, beast who stood in-between the high rank and soon to be an elder beast. High-Leviathans undergoing metamorphism. There were only a few reports regarding their existence since most of these leviathans were theorized to slumber inside the abyss until their transformation was complete.
Solan could only stand there and watch as the crew worked their ass off trying to protect their admiral back at land.
***
--Slash!--
Sarah used her vessel of lighting but barely got through even with her sword.
"Tch... What a nuisance...". she thought before dashing away to create a great gap between herself and the beast.
She looked back towards the ship seeing Solan watching.
"...Solan's here too... There's no way I'll die and let master Lumine take care of him".
***
Watching intently from the edge of the ship Solan kept observing and muttering to himself.
"Keep firing! distract the leviathan from our admiral!"
Suddenly a light bulb popped above Solan's head.
"Ah... So that's how we defeat it"