Chapter 8-213: Blood and Ice in the Water (1/2)
The drone’s call for help faded a minute later, but we had direction and distance, so that didn’t matter. Miles of ocean blew by under Sleipner’s tires as we headed that way.
There was some stormy weather ahead, with the localized flashes that indicated that something had been using Weather Magic. Given the number of people on the world who could use Weather Magic right now was exactly one, that meant something not human had done so, and didn’t that bode well for a vacation?
Given how Sama was humming certain two-tones, I felt like reminding her that sound travels much faster in the water, but left off.
“You’re good on aquatic combat?” I had to ask, impressed.
“Technically, I don’t have a Swim speed, buuuut...” Eight canines flashed, and sharks fled in envy, “a Vajra presses out against non-living, unattended material. With proper pressure manipulation, my, it is a wonder just how fast someone who gets in hours and hours of practice in the Missouri River and Lake Michigan and stuff can move down there.”
She was primarily a Flowing Waters swordswoman. Using a sword underwater would be nothing whatsoever...
Briggs chuckled deeply. “One of the reasons I didn’t have any problems leaving the Temple of the First Light is because after Sama arrived, she’d go hunting out in the harbor and the Chesapeake. I’ve definitely got to get a lot more practice in, but by the time she got done, the sahaug and their servants had fled from the harbor and the Bay entirely.”
“It had been too long since I let loose,” Sama admitted. “I may have gotten a bit single-minded about tracking them down, idiots that thought I couldn’t find them underwater...”
I was aware of the technique, but the Sama I remembered had come up with it outside the game, not inside it. Most people just used Flight spells or similar items to move around underwater, which worked just as well down there as up top.
Well, small surprise this Sama had done so here. She wasn’t dumb, and fighting in all terrains was kind of a Melee thing, being a Feat and Favored Terrain investment sort of thing.
I’d probably have to do the same at some point. So much stuff to buy...
In any event, if she ran into a megalodon down here or something, I could only pity the shark. She’d probably dive down its gullet and come out the opposite end as the most efficient way to kill it.
---
The ship wasn’t far now, but its lights were off, and with the Haze, there was naturally precious little light on a chopping sea being churned up by uneven gusts of wind and lit only by the occasional off-colored lightning up above.
Definitely some strong, unnatural Weather Magic at work. I could break it if I needed to, but that could wait until we wandered in and really messed up something’s day. Night.
Master Fred’s eyes were gleaming blackly as he looked into the distance, uninhibited by either rain or darkness at the moment. Stormsight/Mistsight/Cloudsight treated precipitation as transparent as glass, and of course Devilsight ignored darkness entirely.
He also had Eagle Eyes as of eight hours ago, which would last for sixteen more, courtesy of someone I knew. x50 magnification of the world leapt ahead, and he could see what we were coming up on.
-Numerous figures coming up out of the ocean onto the deck of the ship, climbing nets. Humanoid, scaled, probably sahaug. There is something in the water to the rear of the ship, tentacles are extending up at least sixty feet onto the deck, some of the creatures are using them as ladders. Giant octopus, squid, something?-
“Kraken,” I said before anyone else.
“Pop it,” Briggs said without hesitation. “Mass slaughter on the deck. I’ll start below decks. Is the area Stilled or Inter-d’d?”
“I don’t see any magic to that effect, but there’s a lot of wind.”
“An issue?”
“No, I’ve got a pretty stable ride.”
He thought I was talking about Sleipner. “Okay, bring us in on the starboard stern, and I’ll get up there. Nail the kraken on approach, if you would.”
I had inherited a massive dislike of aquatic monsters in general, kraken in particular, and I was pretty sure Briggs and Sama had, too. No, scratch that. The rumbling in Briggs’ voice promised devastation.
Back in the game, Briggs had been Commander of Redshore, elected/appointed to/taking command of all that city’s military and, in the end, civilian population. Even the Shore Mages of Redshore obeyed when he gave orders, as he was on the front line of the incessant attacks on the only port city in the game. Aquatic invaders backed by demons of Dagon and their spawn invaded and assaulted the city on a regular basis, harassing its ships and fishermen, messing with the fish stocks, poisoning the waters, and generally acting like total asshats who could flee into the deep ocean beyond our reach whenever they wanted.
He was drawn to port cities because he loathed those things... and he could fight them. They were right to fear him.
If he could pull off that Vajra trick and follow them down to their homes, oh, boy, were they in for a world of trouble...
The players had loved and hated the invasions. Just hearing the words sahaug and kraken brought that stinking deep-sea demonic fishy stench to mind, and the urge to burn it in vivus.