Tidal Forces

Chapter 02: The Armory

Adrianna departed swiftly from the palace. Her sister could be in all kinds of trouble, perhaps even life-threatening danger, so Adrianna didn't waste a moment. Once outside the courtyard, she turned sharply and swam through a water-filled cavern tunnel to reach the armory. Similar to the palace, the armory was concealed inside a sizable cave; it didn't have spires or towers but was more squat and rounded. Ornamentation of shells and tridents marked the exterior in glittering splendor. The door was already open, so she swam right in.

The soldier in charge of the armory had a shaved head, and he lacked the horizontal flipper at the end of his tail most merfolk possessed. His tail was smooth and lacking any discernable scales, and the flipper was vertical when he swam, swishing back and forth in a resemblance of a shark. He moved from place to place, gathering items and rearranging them for maximum efficiency. When he felt the currents around him shift, he knew someone had entered, and he turned around, his dark eyes brightening when he saw her.

"Greeting Adrianna," he said happily in welcome. "Have you been given a new assignment?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "I'm going to the surface, and I'll need some specialized equipment. What can you help me with, Thresher?"

"I have your usual gear," Thresher explained. "I also have a few enhanced items and new ones you may wish to try out. Let's start with the standard stuff."

Swimming over to the corner, he retrieved a large chest made of coral. Opening it in front of her, he pulled out several large scales of dull gray color. Straps of woven kelp for securing the armor pieces hung down from each scale.

"Armored scales of the crag-fish should provide strong protection against most attacks," Thresher said. "For the areas between the scales, we have a shirt made with the discarded skins from the serpents of Deepwater Canyon."

Reaching back into the box, he pulled out a long sleeve shirt of snakeskin. The scales, equal in size to her thumbnail, alternated colored bands of black and white. A number of fasteners ran down the center.

"It'd be stronger if we had the actual hide of the snake and not its castoff layers," Thresher explained. "But, it's only needed to protect against attacks that get past the outer armor."

"I understand," Adrianna accepted. "The serpents aren't to be trifled with, especially the ones over a hundred feet in length. It seems the longer they get, the shorter their temper."

Adrianna was currently only wearing a pair of appropriately sized seashells as she didn't encumber herself with armor when she wasn't on a mission. Taking the shirt from Thresher, she slipped into it immediately. The shirt was long, allowing it to reach halfway down the length of her tail. Although seemingly excessive, its length would be useful for cover when she was in the surface world and had legs instead of a tail. Once it was secured about her, she picked up the pieces of scale armor and strapped them on her arms, shoulders, and the largest ones over her chest and back.

Thresher glided over to a wall mounted rack and pulled down a pressure launcher.

"This one is the latest model and has several improvements," he explained. Similar in design to a surface world rifle, the pressure launcher had a trigger underneath at the rear of its long barrel. One primary difference was the twin canisters inserted into the housing under the barrel at the midpoint. The canisters were oval in shape and clear as glass.

"I haven't seen one with two pressure chambers before," Adrianna mentioned.

"We've installed a small motor here," Thresher explained, pointing to a location directly behind the twin canister assembly. "When the launcher is fired, the canisters will rotate to exchange places. The lower will automatically begin pressurizing again, reducing the amount of time required between shots."

"Impressive," Adrianna commended. "What about the darts?"

"We've made some progress on the toxin," Thresher replied. "Where it used to cause paralysis in minutes, it can now achieve the same effect in seconds, allowing you to neutralize enemies almost instantly."

"I may get a considerable amount of use out of that," she said.

"If you're going to the surface, you'll also want this," Thresher offered. Reaching under a counter, he removed a glass jar the size of his fist. It was tightly sealed at the top. "This salt has been altered in the dry air caverns to intensify its absorption rate. Spread some of this on your tail when you come ashore, and you'll be dry and have legs within moments."

"Excellent," Adrianna accepted, taking the offered jar and looking closely at the salt held within. The crystals were larger than the coarsest variations she'd ever seen before, and they sparkled with greater intensity.

"I have your stealth serum," Thresher informed her as he plucked a teardrop shaped bottle from a shelf and handed it over. "The mixture has been improved to last for up to six hours. Can't have that red hair of yours giving away your position."

"No we can't," she agreed with a chuckle.

"You'll also want these," Thresher said as he removed a palm sized clam shell from a lower shelf and opened the latch with his thumb. Housed inside was a set of rounded goggles. "They adjust automatically for changes in light intensity. We're used to the dark, and with these, you won't be blinded by the surface people and their unnatural light."

"Thank you, Thresher," she offered. "You always have just what I need."

"It is my honor to be of service," he replied. "Come back safe."

"I will do my best," she promised.

Putting her gear into a carrying pack, Adrianna departed the armory and headed for home to pick up the tracer. It was time to find her sister.