Fishwhacked: Reign of the Walrus Witch

Chapter 26

Ebb awoke from a series of violent nightmares to see the Head Milliner furiously scribbling onto a scroll. She sputtered and quickly sat up. The infirmary was a sparse room with hefty jugs of murky liquids lining the shelves. An open window allowed sunlight to beam directly at Ebb's face. The Head Milliner was sitting on a stool beside her bed. "Good morning, Ebb," the Milliner said. "It's been an exciting day. You slept through most of it."

"Sounds about right. What happened?" Ebb slurred. The alchemical painkillers clouded her mind.

"We found you on the beach. You had a broken leg, but Curio was able to do something to it, it'll be fine to walk on later today. Poor man, he's terrified of what the Collegerium is going to do to him since he helped King Whatsit get here with the warp slab."

"That's... great." Ebb was overcome with nausea and fell back into her pillow.

"The Omnifish is okay. He's been talking with Paistra all morning. The Chum Knights are rounding up any stray cultists. A lot of Chum Knights vanished, I think the one turncoat convinced them to join the cult. But all this cult business, don't worry about it, you did your part."

"What about..." Ebb began and strained to remember what she wanted to ask about.

Wharf entered the doorway, on crutches. He was in common clothes, and his girth was able to be itself without his armor constraining it. He hobbled in.

"You're okay!" Ebb said.

"I swear by Concussian Armor," Wharf replied. His skin was covered in welts where the crossbow bolts pressed his armor against his flesh, but he was otherwise fine. Without his helmet, Ebb saw that his head was completely bald. The sunlight reflected off his scalp and glared into Ebb's eyes.

"Speaking of Concussia, they're sending aid to help rebuild the city," the Milliner stated, not looking up from his writing.

Yawp knocked on the door frame, making it splinter. He ducked his head and stepped into the infirmary. "I knew you'd be alright!"

Ebb shrugged.

"I wasn't so sure about myself. And apparently, the lightning that Jumbo shot at me wasn't be same color or intensity as the lightning he uses to choose a new bloodline. So I don't get to be king."

"Jumbo. What happened with him?" Ebb asked.

"Well... nothing. After everything calmed down, he surfaced again and hasn't left. He's been sitting in the lake all morning. Not roaring or shooting lightning. Just swaying back and forth, and watching everything. People are crowding the lakeside to get a good view of him. Paistra started charging admission and selling pretzels to help raise funds for rebuilding," the Milliner explained.

Jumbo, out in the lake, blocked the sun from shining into Ebb's face for a moment. She could feel his imposing presence and the static still in the air.

"Anyway, I was hoping to see you before I left," Yawp said. 

Ebb frowned. "Left? Where?"

"The Reign of the Walrus Witch is over. I can't stay here for much longer. There's much more to be done out in the world." Yawp gently brushed a stray hair out of Ebb's face with his forefinger. "For someone who didn't want the 'chosen one' thing, you did a good job. Teach me how to use those roosters and we'll keep in touch. And maybe a convoluted series of events will lead me back to Drownvale one day."

"Yeah..."

"Ebb!" Rocko rushed in and pushed his way to the bed. Arbort followed him.

"You got my egg-mails?" Ebb asked.