King of the Tempest

Chapter 9

The journey begins

But the nature of this trip

Still remains unknown

"I don't think I've ever seen Bjorn happier." Jiao grinned, leaning against the railing. The ocean breeze blew through his hair. He glanced towards Edward hung over the side of the massive war-ship, heaving. "Having trouble getting your sea legs, matey?"

"Fuck... Off." The knight managed between his breaths.

"You know, I haven't seen Tenshi since we started sailing. That guy is really unsociable," Jiao muttered, more to himself than to Edward. "I was worried he'd just off and leave us, but I don't think we need to worry about that now. Even he wouldn't go on his own in a hostile kingdom."

Edward moved back, swaying tiredly. "There's no telling what goes on in his head, but it's important he stays with us. His skill would be quite the boon. I am going... to lie down. Perhaps by the time I wake, I'll be healed of this vile sickness."

Jiao nodded. "Sleep. I anticipate once we get off, we won't be able to have a peaceful night."

He stared blankly out over the water. The ocean is always so peaceful. The sun cast shadows over the water, spinning clouds blocking his view of the depths of the ocean. His eyebrows arched. Wait... He quickly glanced up, looking at the sky. It was the clearest sky he'd ever seen, not a cloud in sight. "That can't be good." He turned and quickly climbed the stairs leading up to the wheel, where Ælfgar stood, watching one of his underlings steer. "Ælfgar. I have a bit of an issue."

The Captain looked up. "And what the fuck would that be? What could possibly be so important you must interrupt me?"

"Shadows in the water, but no clouds in the sky. There's something big under us." Jiao smiled, biting back his anger.

"It's just a Rindaro. They won't hurt the ship. It may be something else, such as a shark or whale, but those are even less dangerous."

"How big are these Rindaroes? What do they look like?"

"They're about five hundred feet long, and they look like serpents."

Jiao turned, looking over the ships edge. "The shadows aren't that big, only about a hundred feet. And there's... hundreds of the shadows."

The Captain jumped up and looked over the edge with Jiao. "What the hell is that?!" He watched it moving throughout the water. "I've never fought anything that looks remotely like it, it's almost as if... No..." he muttered. "Leviathan wouldn't be here; he was banished from the mortal realm!"

"I'm sorry? Mortal realm? Leviathan? What are you talking about?" Jiao pressed.

An explosion ripped through the ship, and Jiao was knocked to his hands and knees. "Move!" the Captain shouted. "You know what to do!" He looked at Jiao. "Stay out of our way."

Jiao nodded as he stood. "We'll stay out of your way, but we will try to help." He took off down the stairs. He slid to a stop when he saw Bjorn. "Bjorn, how accurately can you throw?"

Bjorn cocked his head to the side. "I do not miss. I throw well."

Jiao pointed to the front of the ship. "Go. You will see a group of men on a ballista. Throw harpoons at it. You'll do just as good. Hurry!" Bjorn turned to run, and Jiao spun to go inside the ship, in hopes of finding Tenshi and Edward. Before he could, the door was flung open, and Tenshi emerged.

"What was that?" Tenshi asked. His eyes were red and his skin marked with lines from him laying on something, possibly a pen and stencils.

"No clue, but it's some ocean creature. He mentioned something about a..." Another explosion rocked the ship, and Jiao was knocked into the wall. "Look, find someone to help, and do it. I'll trust your discretion. I need to make sure Edward is awake."

They split directions, Jiao running inside the ship. Men were pushing cannons around, and Jiao was barely able to weave through without getting run over. A loud screech pierced the air. Jiao grimaced, nearly collapsing. He put his hand to his head and somehow managed to reach the bunks. Edward was inside, putting on his cuirass. "Are you taking enough time? Hurry!"

Tenshi dove behind a barrel on the deck. A moment later, the creatures arm smashed into the boat, right where he'd been standing. Splinters flew around him. He watched Bjorn leap off the upper deck, bringing his axe down on the arm before it could retreat. A loud piercing screech shook the air around them. Tenshi felt blood running out of his ears. He dodged his way across the boat. One of the sailors was wrapped up in the things arm, and he leapt, his katana slicing through its arm as if it were air.

The man collapsed onto the ground, and Tenshi barely had time to leap back as an arm shattered the floor at his feet, killing the man he just saved. "How do we fight something we can't see?!"

A harpoon whizzed over his head, impaling another arm. Bjorn stood in the middle of the deck, fighting off three of the arms. His axe sliced through one arm as soon as it hit the ground. One of the arms went for his back.

"Bjorn! Move!" Tenshi shouted, but an arm smacked him aside while he was distracted. He slammed into the stairs, coughing out blood. His katana was dropped fifteen feet away. When he looked back towards Bjorn, he saw Edward in his full plate mail, fighting beside the Kriger. Jiao ran towards his katana, picking it up and flinging it to him. He stood, catching the sword.

The two fought beside each other, watching the others back. "Jiao, how do you fight these without a weapon?" He stabbed an arm and impaled it to the deck. He stepped on it and ripped the sword out.

"Very carefully!" Jiao managed a laugh. He wasn't doing well, as he couldn't cut the arms off. Bjorn and Edward themselves were beginning to get overwhelmed.

The Captain stepped onto the deck. He strode across with a barrel on his shoulder. "I suggest you brace yourselves." The barrel had a fire lit, and he tossed it overboard. "NOW! Get down!" he shouted.

The barrel exploded. A blast of heat cleaved through the air. The ship rocked to the side, almost knocking it over. A ringing went off through Tenshi's head. He slowly stood up, and his eyes widened at what he saw.

A massive creature floated in the water. It had massive bulbous eyes, bluish leathery skin, and a gaping mouth. It roared, and although Tenshi couldn't hear it, he felt the vibrations through the air. His katana fell to the ground. He saw Jiao turn, and he was screaming something at him, but he couldn't hear a word he said.

Jiao turned back to help the others. He and Edward were fighting off the arms, keeping them away from Bjorn as he threw Harpoons, but even with his strength, he couldn't pierce the skin. The Captain picked up another barrel. Jiao yelled something else at the Captain. Ælfgar ignored him and lit the barrel. He went to toss it at the creature, but it grabbed the barrel and held it over the ship.

Tenshi's eyes widened, and he scrambled away. He jumped onto the railing of the boat and leapt overboard. A blast of heat hit him in the back, and the ocean hit him like a rock wall. He blacked out, and the only thing he felt around him was water. His lungs felt like they were going to burst, and he couldn't swim up because he couldn't tell which direction was up.

He finally broke the water surface, and he reached out, for anything. His hands grabbed onto a hard piece of wood, likely the boat. He pulled himself up onto it, it was barely big enough to hold him.

Time passed. Tenshi didn't know how much time had passed, but it had definitely passed. His wooden nerigawa armor had cracked and broken, so he felt the wood on his chest and the sun on his back. He still couldn't hear or see, but he tasted blood and the ocean water. Eventually, even this feeling passed, and he lost all feeling of awareness.