𝑊𝐻𝐸𝑅𝐸 𝐷𝐼𝐷 𝑇𝐻𝐸𝑌 𝐺𝑂?
The light from above penetrated some ways below the surface making it easy for me to see as I swam around trying to find the mermaids I saw from the deck of the Ranger. Then I catch a glimpse of a tail and swim after it.
I reached the spot where I caught a glimpse of the tail. 𝐼 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒.
As I'm about to swim up something grabs my leg.
I look down to see what has me, and my eyes partially pop out of my head from shock. The thing looks human—two arms—two legs—a human torso—but that's not what surprises me.
It's the other characteristics that threw me for a loop. Its face has a fish-like/reptilian appearance—big yellow eyes—webbed hands with sharp looking fin-like claws— the creature's coloration is moss green from head to toe.
It has my leg with its left fin-like claw and in its right is a black trident which it thrusts at me—aiming for my stomach with such speed and strength I barely react in time. I managed to grab the end tines of the trident—stopping it from piercing me, barely.
I can't quite tell given its appearance, but I think I pissed it off. Letting go of my leg it grabs the trident with both hands and starts pushing me backwards through the water, with great speed.
It slams me into the rock wall, hard, knocking some of the air out of me. Despite that I somehow keep the tines from stabbing me.
𝐹𝑢𝑐𝑘 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑎𝑑. The trident slowly moves closer to my abdomen, little by little.
Aaaah!! I scream as the tines break skin. Now I'm truly fucked as the last of the air leaves my lungs, tendrils of blood follow the bubbles up, up, and away.
𝐼…𝑚…𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑐…𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔…
Just as I'm losing consciousness I catch a glimpse of something slamming into the creature, or more accurately two somethings with tails.
A feminine hand grabs me, pulling me in for a kiss. For a second time I'm thrown for a loop. But then I realize it's not a kiss, she's blowing air into my mouth, filling my lungs.
I then felt a warm sensation on my abdomen. Looking down, I see her other hand glowing, healing me.
"𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢. 𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑒."
"𝐼'𝑚 𝐶𝑒𝑡𝑜. 𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑖𝑙𝑙-𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑠."
She swims off before I can say or do anything. I watch as Ceto races towards her comrades, striking the gill-man in the back with her orange tail, then all three race away from the creature or rather the gill-man. Luckily it forgot about me chasing after them, giving me a chance to swim to safety.
(Deck of the Ranger)
Hornigold had just exhaled cigar smoke when he heard a splashing sound at the bow of his ship. Glancing over the side an amused smile appears on his face as he watches Kino climb up the anchors chain, over the railing, and flops down onto the deck like a fish out of water.
"Enjoy your swim?" He asked, taking another drag from his cigar, enjoying the view before turning away from her, giving Kino some privacy.
I lay there trying to catch my breath before responding. "I was attacked in the water by something called a gill-man. Ever hear of such a thing?"
"Aye lass, that I have."
Despite answering her, Hornigold's attention is on his former crew over on the Kraken being marched out onto the deck.
Sitting up, "Inventory." I reach in and pull out a towel, As I'm drying off Yukino and Dante walk up to me.
"Thanks for waiting for me you guys." With the towel draped over me, I reach over and scratch Yukino under her chin, she purrs happily in response.
I scratch Dante behind his right ear, his tongue hangs out, his little tail wags joyfully.
After getting dressed I walk over to the captain. "I'll talk with Stephanie about my encounter. "
He doesn't reply, just stares over at his former crew mates.
"How close were you and June?"
Hornigold lets the question hang there, carefully choosing his next words. "As close as a captain should be with any of their subordinates." His voice cracks giving away his true feelings.
"And the other six."
"All of 'em have been sailing with me going on five years now."
"You've lost nine of your crew. And as far as I can tell your remaining crew is yourself, the quartermaster, and the Kaine's. I don't think four people can sail this vessel."
"There's five remaining crew members. She's been off ship working alongside a crew member from The Kraken."
"Still. I find it hard to believe that only fourteen people could man this ship."
Benjamin looks at me for the first time since I walked up beside him. "We were in the midst of a losing battle against Blackbeard and his crew when both ships got pulled into this sea labyrinth.
Us fourteen were the only ones that survived, till now." Benjamin turns his attention back to the deck of The Kraken.
We watch in silence as the first prisoner is tied to a line that's been looped beneath the vessel.
"I'd advise you not watch this if you haven't the stomach for it."
"I appreciate your concern, captain, but I'll be fine."
"If you say so." Hornigold raises his hand signaling to Edward that he may proceed.
(Deck of the Kraken)
Edward tips his hat in acknowledgement. "Hoist the prisoner."
Heeding his command the men hoist the prisoner up and over the water.
"Any final words?" Edward asked.
"Genocide is coming."
"To you lot it is." Edward walks over to former Vice Captain West. "What about you lassie. Anything to say?"
"Genocide is coming." Is all West says.
"Gahhahahahahaha!" Edward laughed, holding his belly, or rather the area his belly would've been.
"Boys, it seems I've made a mistake. I've been without a woman for so long I've forgotten how to be a gentleman; it should be ladies first. Bring that prisoner back aboard and string up West instead."
The crew quickly swap prisoners. Now with West hanging over the water, port-side, Edward gives them all one last chance to confess. No one takes his offer. Edward gives the signal, dropping West into the cold water.
Men on the starboard side start pulling the rope on their end. A scraping sound is heard with each pull of the rope. When West rises out of the water on the starboard side she's a bloody mess—skin and clothes are shredded.
"Does anyone feel like talking?"
All of them start chanting "genocide is coming, genocide is coming. genocide is coming. genocide is coming. genocide is coming."
Blackbeard rolls his eyes, metaphorically. "Again!" He shouts over the chanting.
West's body drops back down—now it's the men on the port-side that begin pulling their rope—again a scraping is heard, as West is dragged along the hull of the ship. West is barely conscious after her second trip under.
"Well?" Again Edward's question is answered with them chanting the same mantra.
"Very well. String 'em all up. Use their bodies to clean the shit from the bottom of me boat. Hey doc, make sure you heal' em just enough that they don't die."
As Hornigold and I watch, Stephanie approaches us.
"Excuse me Kino, are you free right now? I want to go over everything we know about the sea labyrinth thus far."
"Yeah, let's go. I need to tell you something as well."
"Will you join us captain?" Stephanie asked.
"I need to remain here, and see this through."
****
(Captains Quarters: Benjamin Hornigold)
Stephanie and I walk into the captain's quarters to find Stephanie's other half Dr. Ian Kaine, or as I have taken to calling him Dr. Pervert, Vice Captain of the Bone Pirates Seymour Dukey, and two others I don't recognize. One human and the other one not so much.
"Before we begin," said Vice Captain Dukey, "allow me to introduce Ulna, from the Bone Pirates , and Mia, from the Ranger, they're cartographers. Kino, do you know what that is?"
"Sorry, I do not."
"Do you youngins not pay attention in school? I weep for the future."
"I recently lost some of my memories. You walking pile… of bones." I state pointedly, looking directly at Seymour, unable to read the expression on his face. Mainly because he doesn't have one.
𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑦 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ ℎ𝑖𝑚. 𝐻𝑒'𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑡 𝑎 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒.
"My apologies. I retract my statement." Said Seymour, putting a hand over the place his heart would've been.
"Allow me to explain then," said Ulna, "a cartographer is a person who draws or produces maps. I along with Mia have been taking the information gathered by everyone to create a map of this labyrinth."
"Are you doing that to avoid re-exploring the same area repeatedly?" I ask.
"That and this is the first ever sea labyrinth to be discovered." Stephanie explained a childlike smile played on her lips as she spoke. "We're in uncharted territory."
"What about monsters? Have you come across any?"
"Oddly, no. Not even a hint of any monster activity whatsoever." Replied Mia.
"Have you tried asking the merfolk?"
Dead silence. If a pin were to be dropped it would probably sound like a bomb going off. Everyone eyed me curiously.
"What merfolk?" Stephanie finally asked.
"There's the three I saw swimming around the ships. I dove in after them only to be attacked by a gill-man."
"A gill-man?!" Stephanie is beaming with joy. "Tell us what happened."
"Lets see: the gill-man slammed me into the rock with its trident, knocking the air out of me, and it managed to stab me in the stomach.
I nearly drowned when Ceto, and her two companions saved me. She gave me mouth to mouth…"
"So she kissed you?"
"No, Dr. Pervert, she blew air into my lungs so I didn't die, and she healed my stab wound."
"Why are you still calling me that?"
"Because you are."
"It was a harmless joke. Can't you let it go?"
"Nope."
"What else?" Stephanie asked me, cutting into our bickering. "Did you guys talk about anything?"
"She gave me her name and asked me to 'save her people from the gill-man and its allies.'"
"Is that it?"
"That's it. I watched as Ceto tail-smashed the gill-man from behind, and then fled with her companions, with the gill-man in pursuit. I took the opportunity to surface.
Also the water was really cold, and I couldn't risk hypothermia, and falling into another coma."
"Another coma? When was this? How did you come out of it? Were you afflicted by the Eternal Sleeping Disease like Emperor Arsenio Sr?" Dr. Pervert fires off one question after another.
"Yeah, no idea."
"How can you not remember… oh right your memory. Never mind."
Seymour then asked me to describe the gill-man.
I told them it looked human with two arms, two legs, a torso, fish-like/reptilian appearance, big yellow eyes, fin-like claws, moss green body from head to toe.
"When you were underwater did you see anything?"
"Like an underwater city? A fish-man kingdom perhaps?"
"I was thinking more along the lines of tunnels, or you know the way out of here."
"Sorry Seymour, I didn't see anything like that, but then again I wasn't looking."
"What if we gave you the equipment needed for underwater exploration? Would you be willing to go back in?"
"You guys have that kinda gear?"
Stephanie smiles at me. "We do."
****
"Did you really think you could escape my reach?"
"You won't get away with this, Yacuruna."
"Sure I will. My army already has your kingdom's people under subjugation, your soldiers are either dead or locked up in here with you, and it's only a matter of time until we find the key needed to escape this place and take over the surface world."
"You don't have everyone We will stop you."
"You will fail, Princess Ceto. Just like your parents failed to stop me then and now."
Yacuruna leaves the princess to stew in her cell.
"Is this the one that allowed the princess to escape?"
"Yes Boss Yacuruna."
Yacuruna grabs the guard's spear and stabs the gill-man in its head, the same gill-man that attacked Kino. "Have the Four Generals gathered?"
"Yes boss. They're awaiting you in the main chamber." Replied the guard.
(Main Chamber)
Yacuruna enters the room astride a black crocodile — a boa around their neck, walking right down the middle of the room.
Marching past four others and reaching the front of the room.
The black crocodile does a one-eighty facing them — Yacuruna's Four Generals.
(Character Bio)
Name: Yacuruna, Age: ?, Species: Demon, Gender: Male.
Job: Boss of the Underwater Underworld, Class: ?, Subclass: ?, Rank: ?
Description: 193 cm, 90.9 kg, Aquatic Demonoid.
Appearance: Green Scaly Skin, Fins on its Forearms/Head, Webbed Hands and Feet, Blood-orange Eyes, Gills.
Gear: None
Weapon: ?
Yacuruna looks at them from left to right.
(Character Bio)
Name: Urchin, Age: ?, Species: Frog-man, Gender: Male.
Job: General of the Vodyanoy unit, Class: ?, Subclass: ?, Rank: ?
Description: 146.4 cm, 113 kg, Humanoid Frog-man.
Appearance: Bald, Long Green Beard, Fat Paunch, Long Horns, Enormous Red Eyes, Webbed Hands and Feet, Black Scaly Skin.
Gear: None.
Weapon: Bill-hook with Spike.
Name: Glagrid, Age: ?, Species: Gill-man, Gender: Male.
Job: General of the Gill-man unit, Class: ?, Subclass: ?, Rank: ?
Description: 243.84 cm, 136.08 kg, Amphibian-man.
Appearance: Pronounced Lips, Gills, Webbed Hands with Fin-like Claws, Big Yellow Eyes, Moss-green Scaly Body.
Gear: None.
Weapon: Double Sovnya.
Name: Dagon, Age: ?, Species: Piranha, Gender: Male.
Job: General of the Deep Ones unit, Class: ?, Subclass: ?, Rank: ?
Description: 216.5 cm, 157.5, Humanoid Fish-man.
Appearance: Grayish-green Scales, Webbed Hands and Feet, Spiked Fins on its Forearms/Calves/Back, Long-spiny finned tail, Fish-like Face, Sharp Teeth, Grey Eyes.
Gear: None.
Weapon: Yanyuedao.
Name: Krindal, Age: ?, Species: Kappa, Gender: Male.
Job: General of the Kappa unit, Class: ?, Subclass: ?, Rank: ?
Description: 152.4 cm, 54.5 kg, Humanoid Turtle-man.
Appearance: Yellow-blue Skin, Turtle-like shell on its back, Webbed Hands and Feet, Pointed Beak, Smooth circular dish on its head filled with water, Slimy Skin, Black Eyes.
Gear: None.
Weapon: Spetum.
From atop the black crocodile Yacuruna speaks.
"Dagon, tell me you've made progress in finding the key to leaving this place."
Dagon takes a step forward. "The search is still ongoing."
"Very well. Keep at it. Glagrid, report."
Dagon steps back as Glagrid steps forward. "Two ships have been spotted within the labyrinth. I'd like to start monitoring them with your approval."
"Granted, but if the situation changes I'll trust you to handle it."
"But of course."
Yacuruna is about to ask Krindal for his report when shouts of "halt!" "Stop her!" "She's a monster!" "Are those skeletons? How are there skeletons here?"
Can be heard outside the main room.
Dagon and Glagrid being in the center break for the door, while Urchin and Krindal take up a fighting position in front of Yacuruna.
Dagon and Glagrid make it half-way there when the doors are blown in. Two gill-man guards soar through the air along with the doors.
"Frenzied Slashing!" Shouts Glagrid.
"Perpetual Slice!" Shouts Dagon.
In a blink, everything flying at them is cut up by Dagon and Glagrid.
The intruder walks through cracking her knuckles — surveying the room — her eyes landing on Yacuruna.
"Who the hell are you?!" Shouts Glagrid.
"You, asshole on the black crocodile!" The intruder points a finger at Yacuruna. "My name is Kino, and I'm here…" She pauses for dramatic effect "well I'm here to kick ass."