“Watch out, here they come!” Martin shouted. “I’ll take the second one, Ginny!”
“I’ve got the third one,” Jason announced.
Charging toward us out of the tall grass were four of the kangos. Big, tall, imposing kangos. Every one of them towered over me by at least two feet. The one bearing down on me was at least three feet taller. They had tan fur but that didn’t do much to hide the bulging muscles in their shoulders and their legs. They sprang off their kangaroo-like feet and bounced ten feet in an easy hop. Just as I was bracing myself to take their charge, Jason and Martin both grabbed me by my shoulders and yanked me back.
“Whaa—” I cried out in surprise as they pulled but a moment later the kango sailed through the air to land right where I was standing. Its claws extended just as it landed, sinking several inches into the ground. Holy moly! These claws! I could easily imagine them cutting through my heavy shield.
The boys released me and struck out with their spears in lightning-fast stabs.
The kangos screeched and stumbled back. Seeing the opening I jumped into the fray. With a grunt, I thrust my spear into the kango who’d so enthusiastically tried to claw my head off scoring a shallow puncture wound. I pulled back on my spear and stepped forward with a shield bash. A jolt ran down my arm and the kango staggered back.
“Ha!” Martin shouted gleefully.
On my other side, Jason slashed with his spear tip, opening a slice across my kango’s leg, and then he twisted to engage the fourth one as well.
“Hey! That one’s mine!” I shouted in protest. Was he ‘kill stealing’ or what?
I sent him a glare before jumping back to avoid a retaliatory combo from the boxing kango. It was no professional boxer, even with it standing two feet taller than me, my spear compensated for my lack of height. I had a reach advantage and I used it. I leaped forward and thrust, putting my whole body into the strike. My spear flashed forward to strike the kango in the face.
Several things happened at once.
Its feet came up to try and gore me but I imposed my shield. The claws hit the shield and my strength contended with its attack. Neither had an advantage and the weak link couldn't take the force. The strap holding the shield to my arm snapped even as the kango’s claws ripped the wood apart.
As that happened, my spear scraped across its jawbone, missing its mouth by a few centimeters. That wasn’t all though, the kango swiped with the wrong arm trying to bat the spear tip away. Instead, it hit the shaft causing the tip to press against its face. As my strike reached its finish and I started to recover everything came together in a conflux of events.
The impact from my shield halted my advance and pressed me backward, and the spear tip jerked back. The back corner of the triangular spearhead caught on the jaw bone and when the kango tried to push the spear aside, instead, it forced the spear into its face. The force nearly yanked the spear from my grasp, but my adrenaline was up and I kept hold of it.
The spear sliced clear through the bone, and the spear tip ripped through its mouth and out the other side. The wooden shaft of the spear snapped under the strain and we both staggered back.
My kango opponent was reeling in pain. It had literally just pushed a spear slash through its own face. It stumbled unto Jason’s kango, its leg already weakened on that side, and the remains of my spear tip, still hanging from the kango’s face, plunged into its head as it impacted the ground, killing it in an instant.
I stood there frozen in shock at the sudden turn of events. I was trying to hold back and not reveal my strength and suddenly, my weapon, shield, and opponent were all broken. The fall of my kango left Jason’s monster off balance and he used the opening to attack. He expertly killed his foe with a thrust to the heart. He then turned his full attention to the other one. Martin finished off his kango and settled in to watch as Jason finished up.
In addition to the shock from the sudden death of my foe, the splash of hot blood spraying my face had left me stunned. I could feel it dripping off me and my shock turned to horror. I was covered in monster blood! My stomach wasn’t intelligent enough to be so stunned and promptly took full control of my body. I stumbled back, casting the shattered shaft of my spear side as I collapsed on my knees and heaved up my breakfast. I hate you too, stomach!
I coughed and tried to wipe the blood off as I spat out the nastiness left in my mouth. Martin joined Jason in killing the last monster and then they came to check on me.
“You alright?”
Thanks to my weak stomach no one seemed to be focusing on the quick fight. Small mercies. I hated puking and it was embarrassing. I downed some water to clean my mouth out and then drained most of it on my face to get the blood off.
“I’m okay,” I managed.
They looked worried but didn’t press me. Allison’s doing I figured, I saw her give them both a stern glare.
“Well, your spear is ruined, and your shield. You can’t really keep hunting without a weapon,” Jason said.
“Sorry, it just sorta, um, happened,” I stammered out an excuse without explaining anything.
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll grab the spearhead and reuse it. Let’s call it a day. We got four, so we can take three and come back another day to cull some of them,” Martin said.
“We can take those three,” Jason said.
“Hey! What about mine?” I asked. “I want to eat him.”
“What? Oh, well, I just thought with the blood…”
“Not raw!” I snapped.
He blushed. “That’s not what I meant… We’ll take yours so you can eat it,” he conceded.
I nodded, still scowling at him. Eating a steak, even rare, is way different than getting soaked in blood! It got in my mouth… I shook my head. The least the kango could do for me after coating me so horribly in blood, was to become my dinner. My delicious and very yummy food! I was definitely going to eat him for the offense. He was my kill and I wasn’t about to leave it for some scavenger. It was mine! I wasn’t possessive… Not one bit.
They showed me how to field dress and drain its blood while it was lying on the ground, and then we got even messier as we hauled them back. Allison had me help her carry one of them though she looked just as strong as the boys. My task was to keep the animal's head from dragging on the ground. It was simple and easy for me while she bore nearly all the weight.
The walk home took an hour and all of us were breathing hard and covered in blood and sweat. The locals were strong. I could tell they could keep going if necessary. Me? I was ready for a hot bath, or better yet, a quick bath and a cool swim. My body was fine though. Physically at least.
Instead of that, however, I washed up a little, stripped off the armor, and helped them process the meat. Only then did we change into our swimwear and run to the beach. I jogged right in splashing as I moved deeper into the water. I was in heaven.
I dove in once it was deep enough and ran my hands through my hair before surfacing. Even after rinsing off, I swear I could still smell the blood.
The others were right on my heels, laughing and splashing all the way. I calmed down and cleaned my hair, but I was smiling just as much as the others. I lost myself in the fun as we splashed in the water. After the swim, I lay on the beach to work on my tan and relax. Even with the bloody shower earlier, I enjoyed the day. I hadn’t been this happy in… Don’t think about it, Ginny. Such joy found me so rarely. Dwelling on it would only remind me of bad memories. I resolved not to mope about my life and instead closed my eyes and let the tension fade away as my skin soaked up the sun's warmth.
That night I enjoyed a delicious feast made from fresh kango meat.
* * *
For the next two days, we stuck closer to the town. The boys took me to the edge of the Fang Monkey’s territory to see if they had calmed down. They were still riled up. I grimaced, there were a few things I’d have liked to grab from the ship, but it wasn’t worth having Bob fly it over and reveal more of our capabilities to the locals. That was my backup plan in case something went wrong, or I was betrayed again.
We steered clear of the monkeys. They were resilient enough to be a tough fight for the locals, even with their enhanced abilities. They had hidden their abilities when I’d arrived, but even using them, the monkeys would be a challenge.
Liam and I talked a lot in the evenings at the pub. Martin and Jason continued with their antics and plenty of other young men pestered me but they had a high regard for Liam. All of them addressed him as Mr. Cross and I shamelessly used him as a shield to prevent too much hassle with all the eager young men. Liam was kind and interesting to talk to as well. He didn’t bring up the embarrassing scene from before. My past was messy and I was glad he didn’t mind talking so I didn’t have to. He shared past stories with me, telling me of his time before coming to this planet.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
I spent a few days swimming and lying on the beach most of the day. In the evenings I hung out at the pub but I grew bored. I wasn’t ready to leave the planet yet, but I wanted to do something. The fight with the kangos was exhilarating but I wanted to try something new. Maybe something with less blood splatter. The armor and weapons were awesome though.
One evening, I tracked Benedict down and asked if he’d take me out on his boat. He did a lot of fishing and was around Liam’s age. His hair had gone white though and his long beard made him look like some wise old hermit.
Liam had told me later he’d lied about the clam meat too. Benedict ate a lot of it and it enhanced him, but Liam wouldn’t tell me how. I pestered but he just smiled and sipped his beer. Eventually, he told me it was Benedict's secret to tell. Apparently, only some of the town folks knew what he could do.
The fisherman met my query with raised eyebrows. “You want to go fishing with me? Well, sure! I’d be glad to have a pretty young lady all alone on my boat!” he chuckled as he grinned. Given he was nearly fifty, he struck me as harmless. “Meet me on the docks at first light.”
“Thanks, I’ll be there!” Yes, he’s like a grandpa. Totally harmless.
I had to fend off some pushy fast talkers who wanted to drink and dance with me at the tavern before I could get myself to bed. It was a bit early, but I didn’t want to be late. Some of the young men were a little tipsy. The lowered inhibitions from the alcohol and their buddies egging them on was a trial, but even tipsy, the older men kept them in line. It wasn’t as bad as a typical bar. There were just way more young men than women their age, so even if I wasn’t attractive I probably would have drawn some attention. New Ports people and culture were too kind and neighborly for any real problems to crop up thankfully.
I woke early and ran through my routine. I stumbled to the bathroom to pee and then splashed cold water on my face to wake up. I dressed and hurried down and inhaled a quick breakfast before making my way to the docks. Benedict was already there and looked to be rounding up a few small things. I guessed he was usually gone by now but he’d taken it easy and given me a later arrival time than usual so I didn’t have to get up so early.
“Thanks for waiting for me,” I said as I greeted him and promptly yawned.
The fresh ocean air brought a smile to my face as we exchanged pleasantries, and then he welcomed me aboard. The boat rocked in the water as I moved to sit down. It was just a small fishing boat, any more than four people would be crowded. It was weathered wood and looked to have been built a few years back. There were eyes for oars to be mounted on the side and a central mast for a small sail but it had an outboard motor on the back too.
Benedict handed me a life jacket. I didn’t feel the need, but I put it on anyway.
“We’ll be fishing for Garbi. It’s a big fish, fifty to eighty pounds. There is a rock shelf about half a mile out. It’s only thirty or forty feet deep depending on the location, until the shelf drops off. That’s where we’ll be fishing. I spotted a great big shadow under the water some time back. That was much further out. The thing was massive. Don’t know what else is out there, or how big stuff gets, I’ve stayed closer to shore since then.” He paused. “Are you sure you’re up for this? We could run into something dangerous.”
I grinned. I probably look like a maniac. I didn’t particularly care. “Looking forward to some excitement! Liam mentioned the shadow thing.”
“You don’t want to meet that big monster, I can tell you that.”
I shrugged. “You’re probably right, but fishing will be new for me. Never done that before. Are they hard to catch?”
“Not particularly. They feed on smaller fish so our bait looks like their prey. The biggest challenge is reeling them in.” He examined me closely. “You handled the kangos fine. Shouldn’t have too much trouble landing the fish. They are heavy though, brace yourself after you cast and keep your center of balance low. They can jerk suddenly and pull you over the side. Keep a firm grip on your rod as well. Do that and you should be fine. Just let me know if you are getting tired or if it’s too strong.”
“Sure.” I doubted I’d had any trouble with my enhanced strength. That he was concerned however sent a thrill through me. This isn’t like normal fishing then. Cool! That always looked boring in those shows. I’d seen fishing tournaments on the TV, well clips. I never watch much. Just a few minutes and then I was flipping to the next channel. I was curious to try it out, even if it looked boring it would be something new. I rubbed my hands together. This is going to be great! I tried not to fidget in my seat as the motor sputtered to life and Benedict guided the boat out to sea.
* * *
The motor coughed one final puff of exhaust before falling silent. The sea breeze blew in, playing with my hair. I couldn’t help but smile.
“It’s so beautiful out here,” I said.
Benedict smiled, the skin around his eyes wrinkled even more than usual. “Peaceful too. At least on the surface.”
We fell silent for a few minutes and just enjoyed the morning stillness. The faint sound of the waves cresting on the coast and birds chirping were the only sounds. The moment passed. Benedict clasped his knees and stood, his back hunched as he moved to get his fishing rods. He readied one for me and got me started, then readied his rod and cast his line.
“Reel it in slowly,” he said. He idly worked his rod, reeling in the line as he jerked the tip of his rod irregularly every five to ten seconds.
After watching him, I gave it a try.
The fish weren’t biting, but I was having a blast. The sun rose from the horizon and then passed overhead. Benedict came prepared with lunch and we ate.
“Nothing is biting,” he commented. “We will try moving down the rock shelf.”
“Fine by me,” I said.
My sandwich was half gone before I remembered I had been baiting my hook with worms and never washed my hands. I wiped them on my pants, but it was a little late to fuss over it.
I inhaled the last few bites of my food as he set the oars. “Do you need me to row?” I asked.
He chuckled. “I might look old, but I’m still quite strong.”
I took a seat in the bow of the boat. He wasn’t joking. He worked the oars and we were gliding along in no time. The waves rocked us as we moved down the coast. Benedict didn’t want to use the motor and scare all the fish away. It wasn’t long before he took in the oars and handed me my rod again.
“Wait,” he said sharply.
My arm was back to cast, but I froze. My eyes darted over to him, but he was staring intently at the water.
“What is it?” I whispered.
He held up a hand and then seemed to relax. “It’s nothing, I thought I saw something.”
I frowned and paused. Is he messing with me? I didn’t think he’d do that.
I reset and drew back to cast, then I saw it. A huge black shadow under the water. I froze, my fight, flight, or freeze response kicked in hardcore and I froze.
Benedict picked up on my fear a moment before he too saw it and froze. It passed in front of us, about a hundred yards away, but it might as well have been in our lap. It was so huge. If the black shadow I was seeing was any indication, it was bigger than my spaceship!
Without moving I reached out with my new powers to connect with the blue glow of electronics in my wrist computer. I connected to it, and then the ship.
I used my mental voice. “Bob! It’s me, I’m in trouble. There is a huge monster in the water, I need you to get the ship here now!” I focused on what I could do, trying to ignore the fear flooding my mind.
Bob’s voice sounded in my head, “My apologies, but don’t think I can do that. I have a situation here, Ginny. A Triv dreadnaught jumped into the system a few minutes ago. Any ship movements will alert them.”
Not good. I stifled a curse. Of all the times to have a Triv ship show up! Gah!
Benedict interrupted my mental rant. “Ginny, remain calm. Once it passes again, I will start the motor and we will head for shore. It shouldn’t be able to come past the rock shelf,” Benedict whispered.
My nostrils flared as my focus returned entirely to the sea monster. It had circled back and was closing fast toward our position.
“I don’t think it's going to make another pass!” I hissed back, still frozen with my arm cocked back.
Benedict cursed. “I think you’re right. Get down and whatever you do, stay in the boat!”
I dropped my rod. It was clear the monster had spotted us and it was closing in on us. It felt like it was moving slowly, but that was deceptive. It was just so big we could see it from far off.
“I need you to drive,” Benedict shouted as he yanked the pull start. The engine coughed as it caught and then it was idling. He grabbed my arm. “Ginny, now!”
“But I don’t know how to drive a boat!” I shouted.
“Twist the handle, and turn us toward the coast!” He shouted back.
I did as instructed, even though I was terrified. The motor revved like a souped-up sports car as I twisted the throttle to max and the nose of the boat came out of the water. I pushed the handle away from me on the motor and the nose came around, and then we were racing toward the shore.
Somehow despite the sudden violent motion, Benedict was still standing, his feet and legs were wedged between the one seat and a bench. He lifted his hands toward the sky and his eyes had gone milky white. Static electricity danced between his fingers. It built in strength and expanded down his arms to his elbows and the sky darkened.
I looked up, there hadn’t been a cloud in the sky a moment ago, but they rolled in like a time-lapse set on fast forward. The big shadow was almost on top of us now. My heart was pounding. My free hand shook with a mix of adrenaline and fear. I’d never been in a position where I could see death closing in and there was nothing to do but sit still and hold the motor steady. It was terrifying and I loved every second of it.
The sky rumbled. Lightning flashed through the clouds, and all the while, Benedict had lightning racing up and down his arm. The electricity jumped back and forth between his hands raised toward the sky. His hair whipped wildly in the wind and electricity shot down his white strands of hair, several arcs shot out to hit the wooden boat, one even clipped my foot making me let out a yelp.
The storm cracked and boomed and lightning shot back and forth. Holy moly! Such power! What is this? Magic? I felt like I was seeing one of the wizards from the old tales come to life before my eyes. One minute we were fishing and now he was summoning up a storm! I frickin’ loved my life. If I survived this, I definitely needed to visit this planet again someday.
The sea monster exploded out of the water, or rather part of it did. A very small part. It still dwarfed our boat. It was a single appendage no more than a small percentage of the creature. It easily weighed several tons. It was like a tentacle, but instead of reminding me of an octopus, it had ridged scales on it like some kind of cross between fish scales and those of a dinosaur. The appendage hung in the air above us for a moment and then it started to fall.
I pushed the handle to alter course, but it was no use, the thing could see us, and despite its size, it had no problem adjusting its aim. Then a blinding flash fell from the sky. A deafening boom cracked through the air. I watched wide-eyed as the lightning shot into the appendage and detonated. The image was seared into my retinas from the blinding light. The appendage was blasted in half sending a rain of blood and gore everywhere.
Then the severed appendage hit the water next to us and the boat bucked. My grip on the steering handle tightened and I grabbed my seat with my off-hand. My grip was torn free and I flew into the water as the boat was crushed under the wave of water.