Tthor Prayer and the Orffelios' paila

7- Kraken

   Tthor had no idea what a “kraken” could be, but from the urgency in Murk's voice, he knew there was no time for explanations. They went down a couple of stairs, passing along the way sailors of different ranks who were coming and going getting ready at their stations, who stopped awkwardly to greet the Vice Admiral, as part of the protocol.

   They entered the cockpit just as the Captain gave the order to prepare the guns.

   Tthor looked at Darius out of the corner of his eye, not daring to ask what was happening. He didn't see his mother anywhere. A pair of officers hurriedly marked lines on a map spread on top of a wooden table, in front of the helm, which was held with visible tension by a young boy who, Tthor thought, was no older than him.

   The Captain looked out, towards the raging sea, through the front wall, which was nothing more than a huge glass, filled with drops of water and illuminated from the outside by two powerful lights.

   " We will turn twenty degrees to starboard, point guns directly at him and wait for my order," said the Captain "Murk!"

   "Sir!" The Vice Admiral answered with a firm voice, looking at the map on the table and running his fingers along some dotted lines. "Circling to the east, we will pass by his tail. He will be less likely to turn around if he smells us. This way we can avoid the canyons so as not to wake up the water people..."

   "But we will go straight to the dragon triangle..."

   "We are ready, Sir."

   "Okay, lower the sails, engines on in silent mode until we cross next to him. But, just in case, let's have the cannons ready."

   "Yes, Captain!" Murk responded, bowing.

   Murk ran into the hallway. Tthor followed him on impulse and reached the figurehead with him. The waves hitting the boat caused an intermittent, cold rain that soaked them in seconds. Murk, who had not seen Tthor behind him, began to climb the mainmast with incredible skill and speed. Two officers did the same, each in the other two minor suits. In just a minute they reached the top and began the delicate task of unhooking the sails and furling them down. Three young cadets, standing at the foot of each of the masts, pulled the thick black canvases and, with great skill and speed, as it seemed to Tthor, they folded the sails and put them into some sort of holes in the ground and the They covered it with wooden boards.

   As quickly as they had climbed, the two officers slid down the now bare poles. Murk also began to descend, but when he was halfway there, a loud crash was heard at one end of the ship and a giant wave covered them. Tthor was completely submerged under all that water for a moment. He opened his eyes, just in time to feel himself being dragged away violently. He knew that he had to hold on to something or he would end up in the open sea. He saw a shadow that passed by him and grabbed it as best he could. The shadow turned out to be the edge of the bow. Tthor submitted to her with soul and life. His hands were slipping and something seemed to have caught on to his foot. The wave curled around itself and returned to the sea. Tthor gripped the railing more tightly and looked askance at his foot to understand what was pulling him out. His eyes widened in terror when he saw that some kind of large, slimy, black tentacle had him pinned and he was completely coiled in several coils up to his knee.

   "Help!" He shouted desperately, while he moved his leg nervously as if trying to get away from that thing.

   A dark face, with a bushy beard and deep blue eyes looked down at him. The stranger took it with both hands and pulled it towards his body. Another shadow, next to him, drew a shining sword. He raised the sword above his head, with both hands, and brought it down without hesitation, with such strength and speed that Tthor only managed to close his eyes and pray that his leg would not fly off his sword. body towards the sea. But the pain he expected to feel did not come. Tthor opened his eyes, just in time to see how the tentacle that had grabbed him was now cut at its base, releasing black liquid everywhere. Tthor felt himself pulled towards the ship and remained motionless on the wooden floor, unable to believe what he saw.