I rushed topside and raced across the deck, heading in the direction of the screams. The ship rocked treacherously but that wasn’t unusual. Violent waves were the norm and the vessel bucked wildly at the best of times. Other fellow Apolake Warriors rushed toward the bow, where the bedlam was originating from.
Many voices joined together, everyone shouting instructions as I came upon the scene. The first thing I noticed was a massive rubbery arm slung over the rail, with rows of suction cups that gripped the floor of the deck, sea water drenching the wooden boards and warriors slipping on the precarious surface. The creature’s hold provided the leverage for another massive arm that held an Apolake Warrior’s leg, attempting to lift him from the deck and deposit him into the inky black waters of the Garvan Sea. Numerous deck hands held unto the man’s arms and upper body, wrestling to win him back from the massive creature.
Stories have been told of sea monsters like this but never had I, in my lifetime, seen one. We all believed they’d long gone instinct, presuming that massive sea creatures could not survive such violent waves and the constant storms that ravish the waters of our world.
The creature’s head, if that’s what it could be labeled, hugged the edge of the rail with its eyes studying us. Inky black irises stared back at me, reminding me of Casimer’s cruel, obsidian soul. A tremor raced through me but I pushed the terror away and focused on the task at hand.
As I moved in to help, I noticed another large, suctioned-covered arm slowly lift from the churning sea and appear over the rail. I feared it would grab another of the crew and snatch him away right under our noses. I withdrew my sword and ran toward it. Slashing at the appendage, it withdrew slightly, changed its projection and came around at a different angle. I jumped and sliced at it again. This time it extracted and didn’t return but the other two arms of the creature remained, determined to leave with its prize.
The numbers of Apolake Warriors increased as they came to the rescue, withdrew their weapons and joined in the attack. Even Einar, our captain, appeared, removed his sword and joined in the assault. Blood began to rain down to coat the floorboards as the rubbery arm holding my comrade took the brunt of the injuries. The tentacled arm suctioned to the deck also sustained damage but the focus was on freeing our man.
After countless cuts and slashes from swords and knives, the sea creature finally relinquished its hold of my comrades’ leg and withdrew quickly. The tentacle holding to the deck also released, slipped over the rail and vanished into the sea.
All of us stepped back toward the center of the ship and stayed on guard waiting for a second attack. It didn’t take long.
This time the assault came from the opposite side of the bow, the creature lunged up onto the rail, cracking it in two, and splinters of wood flew across the wet deck. The bulbous body of the sea monster balanced itself by suctioning three of its rubbery arms to different parts of the deck floor. The limbs reached halfway across the ship and we all jumped back to avoid being hit. Two other suctioned arms rose from the sea and reached for the closest warriors. They were met with every sort of weapon. We were quick but the creature’s tentacles were agile and his appetite determined. One arm lunged in low to a man to my right, grabbed his leg and scattered his balance, lifting him off his feet, his head dangling just above the deck. Onndria screamed in terror.
I charged the appendage, stabbing over and over to save my comrade. This time it withdrew but it did not let go of its prize. Onndria, my fellow Apolake Warrior, disappeared, along with the tentacled arm, into the inky black Garvan Sea. Every other rubbery arm disengaged its hold and slowly withdrew until the creature, sitting on the broken rail, slid off and landed with a mighty splash in the churning waters below.
All of us stood staring at the spot, realizing that the creature would not return. It got what it came for and its appetite would be satisfied for a time.
“Below deck!” yelled Captain Einar. “Now!”
All of us followed him to the hatch. Once below we listened as he spoke.
“We all know the dangers involved in farrin patrol, this high service to our Lord Casimer. Obviously the risk has exponentially increased. The Tonrar will be summoned to accompany us throughout our journey instead of appearing only for farrin visits.”
Audible groans escaped a few lips in response.
Captain Einar said, “I will go out at midnight, accompanied by four warriors and will summon the Tonrar.”
“What about the risks of their constant presence?” asked one man.
“It is a hazard we will deal with. Better a known danger than the unknown from the sea.”
I spoke up and said, “I agree with Captain Einar on this point. We all know the Tonrar are ruthless wraiths, known to enact their cruelty without provocation, but we’ve dealt with them before. Einar has experience in manipulating their cooperation.”
Captain Einar leveled his intense gaze to me and I saw respect in his eyes.
“I second that,” said another man. “We have no experience with sea creatures and desperately need the Tonrar’s protection.
Discussion broke out with many expressing their views.
“The Tonrar won’t come willingly and who knows whether they will protect us or side with the sea creatures against us.”
“But what choice do we have?”
“I think I’ll take my chances without them.”
“Take our chances without the Tonrar? How do we know how many of those sea creatures are out there? All of them hungry and ready for some warrior meat.”
“If there are more monsters out there and they are all as determined as the one that took Onndria, how will the Tonrar protect us?”
“I think we’re still better off with the Tonrar with us, fighting on our side.”
“We’re all aware of what the Tonrar are capable of if they don’t have specific marching orders. Too much idle time on their hands can be lethal for all of us.”
“We have no other option.”
“We have our swords and knives. Even some heavy powered guns.”
“If we do have heavy powered weapons, I’ve never seen them.”
“Neither have I.”
Many crew members agreed.
All eyes turned to Einar. I knew it would come to this eventually. If we did have the firepower, why didn’t Einar order for it to be used to save Onndria.
Our captain leveled his icy gaze to each man before beginning. “We did not think it necessary to bring heavy firepower. We’ve never used it before and had no need of it. If I’d known about the sea creatures ahead of time, I would have ordered some other weapons to be brought along on this farrin patrol. But, none of us knew of this new danger. If I’d secured some heavy weapons for this trip, I would have ordered them brought to the skirmish.”
Grunts of derision and discontent flowed through the crew but no one was brave enough to voice their disapproval. Einar ruled his ship with the utmost control and brutal discipline and did not allow disrespect. Every ship captain is required to keep a tight rein on his men. Division is not allowed and challenging the hierarchy is dealt with speedily, usually ending in death. To challenge Captain Einar was not worth it for any of us.
Einar looked over the group once more. “Let’s assume that there is only one sea creature we need protection from. We all need to keep in mind that we have never seen something like this before. We have no reason to believe that there are other creatures stalking us through these violent seas.” After a few moments of thought, Einar continued. “I will require the following four men to accompany me at midnight – Ritthirong, Satwaki, Telemachus and Razmig. We will meet topside at Waist Deck. For the remainder of our tour of farrins, warriors will take shifts manning the deck guarding the work crew to make sure no more are lost. That is all.”
I was one of the four chosen for the midnight foray and I dreaded it.
The conversation was done when Captain Einar turned to leave and the rest dispersed to their stations.
Every Apolake Warrior was on high alert as we kept a lookout for any more sea monsters. We were all on edge and uncertain of our lives. I took one of the first shifts to guard the helm.
The rest of the day dragged as I waited for the night. I had no illusions of grandeur of what I would face as we summoned the Tonrar at midnight. Dread dodged my steps the rest of the day.
