NOVEL NEXT 3.02: Club
Ash tilted her head back and looked up at the giant trees stretching toward the sky.
A tiny part of her mind still refused to accept the sight. It made no sense when contrasted to everything she'd seen and experienced. There wasn't even an island, so how were trees just growing out of the water, in the middle of the ocean? It boggled the mind. As she stared up, she could pick up some movement as well as the structures that were supposed to be lived in.
The boat groaned under her feet, and while her heart jumped in her chest, she had no visible reaction to the stimulus. This last week had been… something. Even though she had still managed to get some sleep, the attacks had been relentless, and every time, Ash had to wonder: was this going to be it?
Curious sharks. Enraged drakes. Serpents. Fish of all kinds and forms. Even a damn eagle had tried to nab Fabian once. But thankfully, most encounters had only been with B-ranks, and the captain could scare those away easy enough.
Less easy were the A-ranks. Yesterday, they'd encountered the first one, a giant turtle thing that Velistraine had to battle for nearly a full hour before the stubborn beast decided to call it quits, and earlier today, it had been a territorial barracuda that had forced the crew to make some emergency repairs lest they sink.
Ash's gaze slid away from the giant canopy toward the crow's nest. Velistraine was still up there, watching for threats. She had mentioned something about the frequency of the attacks, but Ash still struggled to believe it.
I thought the monster waves were unique to the Reach. I didn't know they could happen out here as well…
Ash had read about it. While the event didn't really come in waves per se, the monsters still grew wilder and bolder a few weeks every year. It was one of the main reasons why holding the Reach was so difficult.
From the corner of her eyes, Ash saw the captain stiffen, and instantly, adrenaline shot through her body.
What is it now?
The captain jumped over the ledge of the bird's nest and came down in one smooth motion. All around, the crew went quiet, waiting for orders. Or for any information, really. After a few seconds of staring past the port, Velistraine grinned.
"Kraken. Watching us. And I'm almost sure it's a clone…"
Clones? Ash swallowed. Did that mean they'd finally found a Trickster?
With one swift movement, Velistraine took off her coat and boots, leaving her with her blouse and pants as she turned to Ray. "Give me the sealing—"
The captain's voice died in her throat as a wild, heavy presence fell over the ship, and Ash's throat closed up as she stared fearfully up at the looming trees. It was as if they had suddenly woken up, and a sharp, terrifying gaze had fallen upon them.
Ash felt the instinctive part of brain screech at her to run, but no muscle would respond to her will. Then she saw the shape coming down at them. Even though her eyes told her it was maybe not that much bigger than her, her soul screamed in fear as if a god was coming to smite her down.
Still, through the sheer panic running through her mind, a fresh memory popped up and gave her pause.
Didn't Ray say something about a guardian?
Before her thoughts could catch up with what was happening, Ash saw Velistraine jump up, sword drawn to meet the oncoming ape. The oncomer already had his gnarled club raised above his head, and as Velistraine approached, he swung down. The club met the sword, and as much as her instincts screamed at her to get away from the ape, she still expected Velistraine to cut through the wooden weapon, or at least to parry it.
Instead, there was a massive cracking sound, like a slammed fist on a wooden table, and next thing Ash saw was the sprout of water resulting from Velistraine hitting the waves. Hard.
Ash whirled toward Ray, hoping for an order or something. Anything. But instead, the man was smiling as he looked up at the still-hovering monster. She blinked, then the captain came flying out of the water once more and landed on the prow, hair and clothes dripping as a trail of blood streaked down the side of her face.
"Is that how you say hello to your favorite student, you old bastard?"
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Student?
"Favorite? You haven't visited in three years. And you were never my favorite to begin with, you little shit."
Next to her, Ray spoke, while a few of the crew were alternating between looking up at the guardian they had never met, and then at their invincible captain who, well, just got smacked down. "Kids, this is Zerathstra. The guardian of Thalis, and probably one of the strongest beings in the world."
Both Ash and Fabian stared at the first mate for a second, then looked up at the hovering ape. When Ash realized he was levitating lower, she took an unconscious step back and glanced toward Velistraine, who was rubbing at the painful but already healing wound near her brow.
The captain looked down at the blood and shook her hand toward the water, sending it away from her precious ship."Well, as much as I'd love to catch up, there's a Trickster kraken I'd like to get my hands on. Give me a second and I'll come on up, alright?"
The ape's feet landed softly on the deck, and Ash realized he was barely a foot taller than her. He wore studded leather and loose, billowing brown pants that tapered at the ankles, and no shoes. The stranger tilted his head at the captain. "You mean Henry? He's a guest."
Velistraine was about to jump back in the water, but slowly, she turned to the ape. And so did everyone else.
A kraken as a guest?
***
Henry watched from a distance as Zerathstra and the woman met in the air, and he shivered. It all happened in a fraction of a second, but he noticed how she'd twisted mid-air and mid-swing to change the angle of her attack, only for Zerathstra to react so fast Henry hadn't even seen him move. He only saw the club smack her down—which she barely parried, and a fraction of a second later, she was under water.
And she looked toward him. Not at his clone, no. But where his real body was… nearly 500 feet away.
A-ranks are freaking monsters.
He knew she was one. His Identify wouldn't even show him the rank, which meant she was A-rank, though clearly, Zerathstra was still a bit stronger than she was.
Is she an enemy, though?
Peeking above water through his closest clone, he saw the two talking. The woman was standing on the prow of the ship, though from this angle, he couldn't see her features or hear what the two were saying. But they weren't fighting. Which was good.
A moment later, the familiar figure of Zerathstra peered over the water and waved. At Henry.
Is he telling me to come over? Shit. What should I do?
As much as it was fine to head into the city and talk to people, this somehow felt more embarrassing. A whole crew was going to be staring at him. Sizing him up.
Don't overthink it.
Should he show up as he was? Should he get bigger for the intimidation factor? Should he take human form?
Dammit. Stop overthinking it!
Henry began making his way toward the ship with his real body. Clearly, these were guests. Even if they got weird, Zerathstra was around.
***
Ash watched as Velistraine put her boots back on. The captain was giving the ape a look. She wasn't quite glaring, nor was she narrowing her eyes or frowning. But her gaze was intent. As if she was trying to figure something out. As if she was trying to read between the lines. But her target kept grinning at her, twirling his gnarled club around. It looked like regular wood to Ash's eyes, but as far as she could tell, there wasn't even a scratch from Velistraine's sword, which was… extraordinary.
"You're telling me this Trickster kraken has a name, and it's friendly? Fully sapient. Are you sure, Zer?"
"Yup! Very friendly. He came here a few weeks ago with a couple of other awakened beasts. I'm sure you two will get along, once you get to know him. Give him a chance."
Velistraine rubbed her ears vigorously, trying to get some of the water out. "That sounds just… crazy. You know krakens as much as I do. They're not all bastards, sure. Some keep to themselves. But not Tricksters. You know how weird this is. Weirder still, it's not even B or A-rank to display this level of intelligence. What am I missing here?"
In response, the ape just grinned wider and made his eyebrows dance. "You'll have to figure it out."
Velistraine groaned in her throat and cracked her back. "Fine. But let's keep going. I want to hide the ship and get a break. The wave's coming early this year, and I haven't had a good night's sleep in a week."
Zerathstra looked to the side, down toward the water, and nodded. "I'm glad you got here in time."
Velistraine hopped and landed next to the ape, then gave him a one hand hug and a gentle nudge as both stared down in the water. "Don't mention it. Now, let's see this mysterious kraken."