Seabound

The Turn of the Tide

We scrambled across the rooftops, the sounds of conflict leading us on. Somewhere close ahead, Wojira shrieked into the stormy sky.

Clambering up a roof, the cruel head reared up into view, Kalmaar and Nya atop mid-fight. Purple lighting ripped through the sky, the noise was nearly deafening.

"NYA!" Jay cried, leaning off the edge of the roof towards her.

She stopped, lowering her guard, and gazed at us. "Jay," she murmured. Her voice had changed, taking on an ethereal air.

Kalmaar hauled himself upright, taking advantage of Nya's diverted attention, and prepared to blast her with his trident.

"Nya look out!" Jay screamed. But it was too late.

Kalmaar shot at Nya, and her watery body convulsed with red lightning until she burst into a thousand water droplets.

"No!" I breathed as I felt all hope depart from me.

Kalmaar smirked before jamming his trident down into the Wave Amulet. "Destroy the ninja!" he ordered.

Wojira roared, spitting a blast of energy at us. I cowered against the railing, but the blast just missed me. Master Wu and Jay were not so lucky, being sprawled across the roof.

In a flurry of rage and emotion, Jay grabbed Master Wu's staff and hurled himself off the roof at Wojira and Kalmaar.

"Jay! Wait!" Master Wu called after him but to no avail.

Almost instinctually, I dropped to the roof, my hands placed flat against the ground. "Let him go! We've got bigger problems." Turning, a company of Merlopians had just landed on the roof, weapons at the ready.

"Attack!" their leader shouted as they launched themselves towards us.

"Ninja- GO!" We spun into action. Literally. After slamming into a few Merlopians with spinjitzu, I whipped around, deflecting trident blasts back at the attackers with my sword.

Within minutes, we had neutralized the threat, at least for the time.

Jay was fighting a losing battle with Kalmaar. I watched as he struck out blindly at Kalmaar.

"Somebody help him," I pleaded.

"On it." Benthomaar leaped onto Wojira's head to confront his adopted brother just as Jay landed shakily back on the roof.

It was a nail-biting fight, neither brother seemed to take the lead. In an instant, it seemed, Kalmaar disarmed Bentho and was prodding him towards the edge, screaming at him to bow to his king before kicking him down towards the watery city.

In a last-ditch effort, Benthomaar twisted around in the air and flung an arrow at Kalmaar. Whether it was perfect aim, dumb luck, or destiny, none can say, but the arrow lodged itself square in Kalmaar's crown, breaking his trident, as well, in the process. In a burst of red light, it exploded into thin air, sending him flopping across Wojira's head.

"What have you done?!" He bellowed.

Wojira blinked. Her eyes flashing from red to blue. Kalmaar seemed to have been maintaining his "control" over the beast with the crown, and now it had been destroyed.

She tossed her head from side to side violently, trying to dislodge Kalmaar from herself.

"Destroy them! Destroy them!" Kalmaar implored angrily as he jammed at the Wave Amulet with his broken trident. But it was no use.

Wojira roared again, flipping Kalmaar up into the air and catching him in her mouth.

"Oh my gosh..."

Benthomaar, who was now safely on the roof with us, bowed his head in remorse.