As it turns out, most projectile weapons don’t function so well underwater. Either their launching mechanism is unable to handle the environment, or the projectile is slowed down by the water so much it is practically useless. Bows, crossbows, even guns don’t work properly when their strings and powder get wet. As a result, anything more advanced than a throwing spear was ignored by most murlocs, instead choosing to train in more melee focused styles of combat.
In such an environment, it made sense they hadn’t invented slings yet. There was just no drive to produce such a land-focused weapon back when murlocs were a more aquatic race, using small islands in the ocean as spawning grounds only. But now that they were expanding onto the shores, more permanent settlements sprang up outside of the water, and those communities would benefit from a superior way of fighting than just hitting whatever was closest with a big stick. Migration had always brought disparate peoples into conflict, and we had a long way to go when it came to land fighting.
The sling was probably the best weapon for the tribe at the moment. Easy to make, relatively quick to learn, and not restricted to the more physically fit hunters. You only had to take a strand of rope and tie the middle to create a pouch large enough to hold stones. With just that simple step, you had a weapon able to throw stones with enough force to fracture bones. It was a good thing Brgllrm’s scout leader was a bit of a history buff, because she had shown them how to make a sling while they were practicing their knots. Boy, a lot of the parents were not fond of that. The other girls in the group had fun with it though, building a makeshift target and having an impromptu tournament.
But as Brgllrm had learned back on Earth, it would take skill to throw those stones accurately, and Glrmgrlr was the most experienced member of the tribe when it came to combat. If anyone would be able to become proficient with a sling, it would be him. The fact that it would also distract him from the turtle, letting Brgllrm swoop in and get the poor boy out of there, was purely coincidental. At least, that was what she would tell anyone who asked otherwise. The only obstacle in front of her was convincing Glrmgrlr of the glory tied up in the little loop of string she handed to him.
“Think about it, Glrmgrlr. If you learn how to use this, then teach the other hunters and foragers, anything they manage to do with it is because of you. Because of your martial prowess and intellectual might. You would be a hero, the man who provided for the tribe long after his passing!”
Man I was laying it on thick, but stoking his ego was probably the best way to grab his attention. Provide some alternative source of prestige, one that would eat up his time, and I would be free to move the turtle to a safer location.
Plus, with the threat of another gnoll attack, it would be good to have some more effective ways of combating them. Slings could be given to the adults and worn as belts, so they would never be without some kind of weapon. The older children could even be given smaller slings to practice with, so they would be familiar with it when they became adults. With the disadvantages murlocs face when fighting on land, mainly slowed movement and relatively weak strikes, it was always dangerous for anyone short of the Tidehunters to engage in melee combat with anything larger than a cat. But if everyone was able to use a sling, they could launch waves of stones at whatever approached the village with hostile intent.
Glrmgrlr seemed a bit hesitant, but stepped forward and took the sling I had made a few days ago. He took a good, hard look at it, gave it a good shake, and turned back towards me.
“This is a piece of rope. Not even good rope, just the stuff we give to the kids to practice making nets.”
“Yah well, I didn’t want to waste any quality rope on a proof of concept. And it’s not just rope, I made it into a deadly weapon.”
He took another look, leaning forward to get a detailed view of the sling. “I guess you could strangle something with it, but a spear would work much better in that situation.”
I grabbed the sling out of his hand and walked over towards the forest, shaking my head. “No, no. You’re not getting it. Here, let me demonstrate its capabilities.”
As I walked, I was scanning the ground for a properly sized stone. Once I found one, it went into the pouch and I planted my feet firmly on the ground. Pushing against the stone so it kept in place, I started swinging the sling a few times to build up momentum. After the third rotation, I released the loose end and watched the stone sail through the air. It struck roughly where I was trying to aim, by which I mean it hit something at all. The tree it collided with had a chunk of its bark ripped off, with the stone ricocheting further into the forest.
Turning around, I could see Glrmgrlr looking a bit stunned. I guess he didn’t expect it to actually work like I said. With my little demonstration, he should be more willing to attempt to become skilled with the sling.
After a few silent seconds, Glrmgrlr rushed towards me and snatched the sling from my awaiting hand. He seemed a bit flustered, with his eyes bulging out more than normal. “How did you come up with this? You’re not even an adult yet!”
Hey now, even if I look like this, I’m still an adult at heart! And that was your first concern? I guess it makes a little sense. If a six year old back on Earth invented a new weapon, I would be shocked. But ‘new weapon’ on Earth meant something like a laser rifle or satellite cannon. Not some rope tied in a specific way.
Oh, he’s still looking at me. I better say something, anything, to make him move on. “Well, I was bored the other day, so I started swinging my arms around. Then I realized my hand was moving pretty fast, and if I could throw a rock with that speed it would probably go pretty far. Like, far enough to knock some fruit off a tree, right? But I couldn’t spin my arm all the way around, so I thought it would be better to use some string. Tried that, but it didn't work. Couldn’t figure out a way to keep the rock in without tying the string around it, and that kind of defeated the whole purpose. So I tried rope, because it was bigger. Turns out, it worked pretty well, so I was looking for you to see if you would be able to use it.”
Shaking his head, Glrmgrlr responded. “Right. Okay, sure. How do you use this thing?”
“Oh, first you have to stick your finger into that little loop at the end. Then put a stone in the pouch and keep the rope straight. Then spin it a few times and let go.”
Glrmgrlr looked at me with a look of slight incredulity. “That’s it?”
“I mean, that’s it for basics. It’s pretty hard to aim though, so watch out for that.”
He followed my instructions, and soon had a fist sized stone resting in the pouch. After a couple swings, he released and I watched the stone sail… right into the ground. Looks like he let go a bit too early on that try. One his second go, he managed to get a high arc, sending another rock crashing through the leaves of a nearby tree.
As I was about to give him a few pointers on proper release timing and aiming, Glrmgrlr dropped to the ground and started scavenging more stones to practice with. Seeing as he was thoroughly distracted, I made my way back to the center of the village, where his son was still trying to move the giant turtle out of the square.
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Moving up to the shell, I gave it a few raps to catch the Tidehunter’s attention. I craned my head up to see him staring down at me. “Hey, you might wanna go help your dad out. I get the feeling he’s gonna need someone to make sure he doesn’t hurt himself.”
The murloc stared at me for a few seconds, then nodded and leapt off the turtle’s shell. As he walked past me, he handed me a pouch half full of various leaves and plants. “Here, some food. We haven’t figured out what it likes, so just keep giving it stuff until it stops whining.”
WIth that brief comment, he broke out into a light sprint and left the village proper, moving towards the forest. Good. Now that those two idiots are busy, I can get this big boy to a safe location. First, I have to get it to want to move. Force was already attempted, and judging by what Glrmgrlr said, it had yielded no results. Threats and acts of violence would not work in the long term. I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t work in the short term either, plus that would mean hurting a creature as majestic as this turtle.
Now that I was able to focus my sole attention on it, the titanic scale of Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum’s fuckup was clear to see. They had been constantly piercing the same spot on its leg, and all that repeated damage had caused it to heal improperly. There were massive patches of scar tissue along the knee and shin, and from the way the turtle tried to keep pressure off of it, the bone probably suffered a hairline fracture, or perhaps a complete break.
If they had continued with their ill thought out plan of ‘keep stabbing until the thing listens to us’, it would have lost the use of its right front leg completely. They would have probably given up and slaughtered it when that happened, because what good is a pet if it doesn’t impress whomever sees it, especially the ladies.
There was a lot of work to be done if I was going to nurse this thing back to full health. First things first, a nice meal to soothe the mind. I know whenever I feel down, whether here or back on Earth, some good food always cheers me up. Now granted I have never been imprisoned and tortured before, but any comfort would go a long way right now.
Rummaging through the pouch I was given, I found a… gourd of some kind? It was a light yellow and around the size of a baseball, but its stem reminded me of a squash, or maybe pumpkin. I held the plant in front of the turtle’s face, making sure it was paying attention. I didn’t want it to be startled by my offering and chomp down on my arm. Bringing it to his mouth, I just lifted it to be level with his OH MY GOD.
Jesus, he just stretched his neck out and snapped the whole thing right out of my arms. Almost took some flesh with it. You silly turtle, hands are for murlocs. It probably wouldn’t have been great for the digestive system to have some murloc meat introduced, given how turtles are herbivores. I assume. I mean, I never really was all that interested in turtles back on Earth, but I don’t see how anything that slow could catch prey. I guess it might be able to scavenge some meat, plus turtles back on Earth weren’t 10-feet tall with fangs. Maybe I should try feeding it something from the dinner pile later.
It seemed to enjoy the gourd though, and I passed it another from the bag, thrown this time. It caught the snack midair and proceeded to chow down, with more enthusiasm this time. After the meal, it seemed to relax a bit. I slowly approached, making sure to stay within its line of sight the entire time. It watched me quietly, but didn’t stop me from placing a hand on its skin. The texture was coarse and leathery, with small horns jutting out towards the side of its head.
As I gently stroked its skull, it started to produce a low, rumbling sound. After a minute, it layed its head back on the ground and closed its eyes.
The poor thing must have been tired, having to constantly fend off Glrmgrlr and his son. I imagined having to be constantly vigilant, always watching for the next spear strike. It must have been horrible, a living nightmare. Thinking back to when I had my first child, he woke me up in the middle of the night many times with his crying. The only thing that would let him sleep again was if I picked him up and sang a lullaby. I couldn’t do the picking up part right now, but the singing was easily done.
Closing my eyes, I started to hum the melody. I placed my cheek on the turtle’s head, so the vibrations would travel easier. Then, I started to sing a song I had first heard from my own mother.
Hush little baby, don’t say a word,
Momma’s going to buy you a mockingbird.
And if that mockingbird won’t sing,
Momma’s going to buy you a diamond ring…
~
As Mrgglr and Glrrm drew closer to the shore, the situation revealed itself further. The local village, another one of the Murkfin offshoots, was being assaulted by gnolls. That was not unexpected, and Mrgglr knew that the same messenger that had brought word of the grand council had also given instructions to fortify and prepare for attacks. That message had been relayed up and down the Longshore coast,, so they were probably not taken by surprise.
Unfortunately, the gnolls had struck with more than just a small scouting party. They seemed to have learned their lesson from the middling success their previous ventures had achieved, and brought a force of 30 gnolls to bear. A good half dozen were already laying dead on the sand, but the murloc corpses numbered twice that, and they were being surrounded. It was strange that the murlocs were not retreating back into the waters, until Mrglrr noticed the large, artificial pits they were positioned around.
“They’re protecting the spawning pools, there must be an unhatched clutch.”
“That’s not good. How many frostbolts can you summon?”
Mrgglr shook his head, a frown forming on his face. “Maybe 5 at most. I had to heal that tadpole two villages ago, and I am not who I once was. Age has not been kind to me.”
That remark drew a chuckle from Glrrm. “Nor to me. I already feel fatigued from swimming alone. But we must do our best to guide the future generations, and one of those generations is in mortal peril as we speak. We cannot allow ourselves to fail.”
They had reached the shore at this point, but were still within 50 meters of the main battle. The gnolls seemed unwilling to charge straight at the murlocs, who were warding them off with the points of spears and a few swords. Periodically, one would try to rush a gap that had been overlooked, and the murlocs would break formation for a second to keep him away. Any time now, the gnolls would find the courage to attempt a full assault, and the murloc line would collapse.
“So how shall we approach them? You were always good with plans.”
Glrrm had unbundled his net and was unhooking a javelin from his belt while watching the ongoing fight. “We need to distract the gnolls, give our people an opportunity to smash into their formation. The goal here isn’t a crushing victory, it’s just survival. If we can break their morale and cause them to flee, it will give us time to retreat and relocate the clutch.”
“So what, I just start flinging icicles into their backs?”
“It would be best to go for leaders, the ones who can keep the rest in line. Like, see that big one, with the shield?”
As Mrgglr scanned the crowd, a loud crack came from the gnolls. “The one that just smacked the guy next to him?”
“Yah, that was probably a threat. You know, ‘attack or I’ll kill you myself.’ Which means we are running out of time. I’ll try and tangle as many of them as I can, you just do your thing.”
With that, Glrrm started rushing towards the group of gnolls, net at the ready. Once he was a third of the way there, Mrgglr started drawing water from the ocean. The spell was completed as Glrrm threw the net, the weighted ends causing it to open midair, and Mrgglr released the icicle towards the back of the large gnoll.
A chorus of surprised yelps erupted from the gnolls, as five were brought to the ground in a mess of thick rope, stones and bodies. The large gnolls turned around, just in time for the icicle to smash into his head. It seemed to collide at an angle, crushing his nose instead of piercing it, but the gnoll felt it either way. He fell to the ground, clutching his face and screaming.
With their attention obtained, Glrrm raised his javelin and let out a warcry, launching it towards a cluster of three gnolls. Before they could react, an answer came from behind the attackers. The murlocs had rallied and charged, stabbing and cutting with wild abandon. It was less an organized advance and more a desperate hail mary, but it worked. The first few gnolls were pulled down and killed without even turning around, and the rest didn’t stick around to try their luck.
The tide had turned, and Mrgglr was going to take full advantage of it. These gnolls had come and attacked his people, attacked his own village. He would not allow them to regroup and strike again, silencing tadpoles in the dead of night.
He drew as much water as he could, thinking of a wave, a crashing wall of water. The small, carved bone hanging from his staff shook, glowing blue with elemental power. A wave, no taller than 2 feet, started to form around him, constantly churning and moving in place. He was not strong enough to freeze such a large amount of water, not completely, but he was able to drop its temperature considerably.
When the bulk of the retreating gnolls passed where Mrgglr was standing, he released the wave. It smashed into the group's flank, the force causing many to lose their footing and fall to the ground. With the combination of cold water, additional obstacles in the form of falling gnolls, and now wet sand, the murlocs easily caught up to the routing gnolls. Most of them received a spear to the back, with a few lucky ones merely being trampled underfoot.
As the murlocs dealt with the surviving gnolls, wrapping them up in more layers of weighted nets, Glrrm approached Mrgglr and placed a hand on his shoulder. He was breathing heavily, the spell seeming to fatigue him more than usual. But Glrrm could see that, even through the exhaustion, Mrgglr was smiling.
“I didn’t know you could do that, the wave thing.”
Mrgglr grinned and gave his temple a few taps. “Turns out you can teach an old bird some new tricks, or at least you can to this one.”
Glrrm stared at Mrgglr for a few seconds, then broke out into laughter. “You smug…”