Aldritch quickly caught up to Sophia and fell into line with the compartment. He found the way the Kraken flew to be extremely fascinating; Its body moved in a ‘mostly’ straight line. This was due to the linear movement of the capsule, rather than the motion of Sophia’s body. However, that didn’t stop her from flourishing her tentacles as if she were trying to swim through the air.
Aldritch wondered if the ‘swimming’ motions were a conscious decision, or if they were unconsciously performed out of habit? Squids, even giant ones like Sophia, had instincts ingrained within them from birth; It goes without saying, but the knowledge and experience of ten thousand generations of ancestors was tough to ignore.
By comparison, the act of flying through the air is something that only happened within the last millennium. And with the Kraken’s legendary longevity to consider, it was possible Sophia was only the second or third generation able to leave the ocean for the skies.
“Remember the pufferfish we saw the other day?” Oakairo asked curiously. “It was much larger than the pufferfish I remember, and they could also fly through the sky like a hot air balloon.”
“Yes, I remember… Hm. I suppose the mutation could also explain why it could act the role of an air transportation vehicle.” Aldritch replied while flying circles around Sophia’s body. Everywhere he flew, he inspected the Kraken’s body for anything else that differed from the Kraken’s he’d fought before.
“That’s interesting, but not really what I was thinking.” Oakairo muttered and chuckled softly. “I was wondering if any other aquatic predators had also evolved to fly. You know, sharks, whales, fish… imagine the chaos if a dolphin learned to fly. Oh! Or a massive jellyfish colony.” At the thought of ten thousand jellyfish floating through the sky, Oakairo couldn’t hold back a sound of disgust. One of his siblings swore jellyfish were delicious. He’d go on and on about the endless ways you could prepare a jellyfish for eating; stews, soups, pot pies, the tentacles were supposedly a great noodle topping if you fried them. But no matter how much his sibling tried to cajole him, Oakairo could only ever see the brainless creatures as floating snotbags.
“Do you think that hurts her?” Aldritch asked, his eyes were moving up and down one of her tentacles. He’d found the reason the sun glistened off her tentacles, but not the rest of her body. Ice had begun forming along the parts of her body not protected by the capsule, which caused the odd reflection he’d seen earlier.
“If it does, it doesn’t hurt much. Krakens normally live in the darkest depths of the ocean, away from the sun and many other forms of heat… Come to think of it, I faintly recall a Kraken variant that lived beneath the ice caps of the northern ocean.” Oakairo replied while trying to remember the name of that particular variant. He’d tried some of their meat once upon a time- It was a surprisingly delicate taste for such a robust creature and left him feeling like he’d swallowed something so cold it burned his tongue. “Of course, I’m not entirely sure those things were actually Kraken. They were more like Kraken people, since they’d already developed a rudimentary language of their own and could project their thoughts directly into your mind… Come to think of it, I stopped hearing about them around the same time that pompous Beion and his crusaders started the 'Mind-Eater' witch hunts. I really hope he didn’t drive them to extinction. They were quite tasty.” Oakairo muttered wistfully.
Aldritch quickly rotated his body to the left, spinning away from a densely packed cloud formation so he could maintain his visibility. Sophia didn’t bother, she just barreled through the clouds at speed and came out the other side with even more ice forming across her tentacles.
“Unless they could also survive the miasma, then I’m not sure how they could’ve survived even if he didn’t drive them to extinction first. That was the fate of everything else the miasma touched.” Aldritch replied and projected the last image of Mag Ársa to the Dragon God. At the end, nothing remained.
The miasma killed off insect population first, their inability to naturally gather mana meant they had no protection against it. The birds were the second victim to fall to the miasma, only surviving a few days longer than the insects due to their larger bodies. And without the birds and insects, landlocked plants were the next to go. The miasma tainted soil and water was simply too much for them to fight without the aid of pollinators.
It came as no shock that without healthy plants to eat the herbivores either starved to death or mutated into monsters and attacked anything that even remotely resembled food.
The rest was easy to predict: a complete collapse of the natural cycle, followed immediately by the fall of ‘decency’ and ‘morality’ that’d kept the various kingdoms from tearing each other to pieces. It was easy to wave away the effects the Miasma had in the beginning, because it didn’t affect the people… Until it did, and by then it was too late to fix.
“Ah…” Oakairo said. It wasn’t that he’d forgotten about their home, it was just that, ever since he’d lost the majority of his power, it became difficult for him to follow the countless strands of time. He’d lived so long, experienced so much, sometimes entire ages got switched around in his mind. Which was quite frustrating for an immortal being like Oakairo. It was one thing to forget where he’d stashed that princess once upon a time, and quite another to forget about the extinction of an entire planet- temporarily or not. “I need to get my powers back.” Oakairo sighed. “I’m starting to sound like a senile old bat.”
“Don’t say that my Lord. You aren’t senile.”
“Thanks, Aldritch. That means a lo… Did you just agree I was an old bat?”
“We’re here.” Aldritch replied, ignoring Oakairo’s question. He followed Sophia’s body as she descended through the lowest cloud layer. When they emerged on the other side, Sulika and several other people inside the compartment gathered around the windows so they could see the island for the first time… What they saw couldn’t really be called an island anymore.
It was a ruin, plain and simple. When it was whole, the island was probably three times the size of Azuris island. But now, broken as it was, the only piece they could likely use was also its largest. It alone would possess enough bedrock to survive the reclamation process, since the smaller pieces would collapse under their own weight the moment they left the water. But looking at the island from above. Sulika wasn't actually sure if it was worth the effort.
A huge ravine had been carved through the center of the island that was a few thousand feet wide and partially filled with water. Luckily the ravine appeared to be relatively shallow, or it really would have been a lost cause. At some point in the last few days. Scattered wildfires had overtaken much of the island, purging the miasma tainted flora and fauna from the world. Leaving only the burned-out husk of a half-destroyed city and the ruptured, ash covered landscape.
“Gods…” Ralocan muttered, breaking the horrified silence that filled the compartment.
“Sulika,” Max said in a low voice, so only she and Faeyra could hear. “When we return to Azuris, I need you to convince Aldritch to come to the guild so we can evaluate him.” He finished, staring down at the island with a disbelieving look in his eyes. Most of the people present didn’t know the whole story. How could they? They weren’t there when Garr was explaining how Aldritch unleashed his personal brand of hell on the demon occupiers. But Max, Sulika, and Faeyra were, and they did know the whole story. They knew the island’s current state was almost entirely due to Aldritch’s involvement… And that scared Max, more than he’d ever admit- even to himself. This kind of destruction wasn’t something a person could cause on their own, it just wasn’t.
“I can ask him to head to the guild. But that doesn’t mean he’ll go.” Sulika replied, laughing nervously to soothe herself. The sight of the island had shaken her as well. Not too long ago she struggled to create a mud pit big enough to cover a warehouse door, fight off a few cultists, and chase a guy through the city. And she was utterly exhausted the next day. Yet Aldritch had done this in the same length of time and came back the next day like nothing had happened- like he’d just gone for an early morning jog and enjoyed watching the sunrise… Sulika’s heartbeat sped up. Could he show her how to acquire this level of power? Would he teach her his ways if she asked?
“Don’t give me that, Sulika.” Max hissed under his breath. “You may not control him, but he does listen to you. If you ask him to go, he’ll go.”
Sulika blinked at Max two times before responding. “I don’t know what kind of relationship you think we have, but you’re wrong. Yes, he does listen to my suggestions. But not to the extent you’re implying.”
Now it was Max’s turn to blink at Sulika in surprise… “I assumed you were dating. Was that wrong?”
“Yes! Very Wrong!” Sulika shouted. Her voice thundered inside the compartment, surprising everyone inside with its volume and intensity.
Max’s ears folded back in a show of regret, then he looked to Faeyra- “Nope. I’m not dating him either.” Faeyra responded, conveying her unspoken thoughts with a look and a slight shaking of her head.
“I see.” Max replied, moving only his lips and not projecting his voice at all. “Then I apologize for jumping to conclusions. I assumed since you were forming a guild with someone you’d only known for a few days; you were in some kind of ‘whirlwind romance’ situation.” He explained. Max looked properly embarrassed with the situation, a sight none of the hunters had ever seen before.
“The captain’s not looking for a whirlwind anymore… But I imagine she’d be quite eager to help the giant make a little bedrock.” Oladi muttered. She was trying to hide her grin behind the book she’d been reading, but Sulika saw it. And she sent the Druid a look of unfiltered annoyance. Oladi’s grin grew into a full-blown smile, and she stepped behind Zarud and Derrik, using their bodies to shield her from Sulika’s piercing stare.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Hold on everyone!”
Sulika rolled her eyes and turned away from the three of them- Faeyra wrapped her arm around Sulika’s shoulders and pulled her into a tight embrace. Sulika froze at the sudden contact and panic started to set in. However, before anyone could react to the sight of Faeyra hugging Sulika, Sophia’s body hit the water with enough force to create a small, fifty-foot tidal wave that spread out in every direction- part of it even crashed into the island, destroying and pulling down a few rundown buildings along the southern coast.
The Kraken’s body shook violently for eleven seconds before finally settling down and resuming a smooth forward motion.
As Sophia swam up the southern coast, Max stood up from his seat and moved to the door. And the moment Sophia hit the bank, he released the wards and popped open the door. “Shake it off and get a move on, everyone. Sophia can’t stay here long-” There was a loud *thud* behind Max as Aldritch landed a dozen feet away; the impact sent dozens of pounds of sand flying in every direction, buffeting the Kraken’s body with granules and even getting a bit through the compartment door.
“I apologize for the disturbance, everyone.” Aldritch said before dismissing Oakairo’s wings. As the divine wings winked out of existence, there was one last rush of Divine Mana that flowed out of Aldritch’s body and into the sand beneath his feet.
After a few seconds the hunters snapped into action and began filing out of the compartment at the behest of Max.
Derrik was the first to launch himself off the Kraken’s back; his short legs and bulky body caused him to flail as he fell towards the sand- he touched down with all the grace of a miniature donkey. The weight of his body caused his boots to sink through the loose sand almost without resistance, which was unfortunate, since he’d tried to mitigate the damage of falling by tucking his head down and rolling at the moment of impact… The result was the dwarf losing his footing and falling onto his beard in the sand.
Aldritch hurried to Derrik's side but stopped just before reaching him. “Thank the Gods above and the Lords below for land…sweet, sand-covered, land.” Derrik cried into his beard while grabbing fistfuls of sand and pulling it towards him.
“Ah.” Aldritch chuckled quietly to himself. He’d almost forgotten Derrik’s fear of heights. Grabbing the much smaller man by his belt, Aldritch pulled Derrik out of the sand and sat him on his feet with his back to the Kraken.
“Is he okay?” Sulika yelled from the compartment doorway.
“He’s fine.” Aldritch replied before patting the Dwarf on the shoulder and guiding him a short distance away.
“Thanks, kinsmen.” Derrik muttered. It took him a few seconds to get his emotions under control and straighten himself up. But thanks to the distance he and Aldritch had walked from Sophia, that was all the time he had before the next person leapt from the Kraken’s back.
As soon as Captain Reszu hit the sand, she quickly rolled out of the way so the next hunter could land- though Zarud landed almost as gracelessly as Derrik had, at least his height allowed him to catch himself before he left a faceprint in the sand. Which was a good thing for Zarud; as a half orc with long teeth, it was almost impossible to fully close his mouth. Face planting would’ve been much more uncomfortable for Zarud than it had been for Derrik, whose magnificent beard kept most of the sand away from his mouth.
Faeyra and Oladi were the next duo to leap from Sophia’s back. And unlike their Dwarven and Orcish friends, the elf ladies jumped like acrobats; Oladi crossed a distance of almost fifteen feet before she started to lose height, while Faeyra did the same for eleven feet. Both women landed without stumbling and easily transitioned from landing to walking without so much as a break in their stride.
Aldritch watched this with an interested eye and wondered about the difference between the four. Sure, it was a widely known idea that Elves were often more graceful than other races. But that wasn’t always true… “Wisdom of the Great Sage.” He cast the spell non-verbally and glanced at the members of his guild, choosing to focus only on the system information and ignore the medical screen for the time being.
He focused on Derrik first.
Status
Class
Great-Weapon Fighter
Level
28
Ability Scores
Strength
18
Dexterity
13
Constitution
17
Wisdom
12
Intelligence
13
Charisma
12
A second later, after memorizing Derrick's ability scores, he switched his focus to Oladi.
Status
Class
Moon-Bound Druid
Level
27
Ability Scores
Strength
14
Dexterity
18
Constitution
16
Wisdom
20
Intelligence
15
Charisma
14
“Oladi’s dexterity is five points higher than Derrik’s. If I’m reading this correctly, then each point causes a much larger change in athletic ability than I first assumed… How odd. I thought I knew what each ability score meant, but it seems I underestimated the true extent of each point the Thaniea system was gave someone. I think I’ll need to run a few experiments once we return to Auris and see how each score reflects on the body.”
“What I’m curious about is why there hasn’t been any changes to your abilities since we came to Iolara.” Oakairo muttered. “The idea of ‘levels’ and ‘scores’ would seem to indicate the possibility for people to grow stronger over time. But that hasn’t happened for you- why?”
“Maybe it's just a matter of time? Or perhaps I haven't achieved anything worthy enough to increase my power? I also recall Thaniea saying something about a ‘Maximum level’ back when it was first installed. Maybe the reason I haven’t gotten any stronger is because I’d already exceeded the system’s abilities?”
“... As amusing as that idea is, I hope it's not true. I was looking forward to experiencing what the system had to offer. But if you’ve already outgrown it, then it’s useless to us.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. We’ll see once we get back.”
As more and more hunters leapt from Sophia’s back, the members of Mag Ársa, plus Max, formed one group around Aldritch while captain Reszu beckoned the third scouting team over to form a second group around her. This pattern continued until the compartment was emptied and every hunter was ankle deep in light brown sand- wasting no time once the hunters were safely ashore, Sophia turned around and quickly moved back into the waves; her large body slipping soundlessly into the water with practiced ease. Within seconds, the massive Kraken disappeared beneath the waves and the two groups were officially stranded on the unknown island until the mission was complete.
“Where’s she going? Is she going to come back for us, or…” Faeyra asked while staring after Sophia’s retreating back.
“She’s going to hide.” Oladi replied without looking away from her book.
“Hide from what?” Aldritch asked.
“Predators, most likely. The ocean is brimming with mutated wildlife who’d love to make a meal out of a Kraken her size.” Oladi explained- realizing what she’d said, Oladi looked up to see Aldritch staring down at her with an intrigued look in his eyes.
“Yes?” He said, prodding for her to continue.
“Sorry, um… The main reason we mainly use flying creatures to travel from one island to the other is due to how dangerous the ocean has become over the last few centuries. There are these creatures, most simply classify them as ‘Sea Beasts’, that grew to humongous proportions after the miasma began mutating them. Now, they rule the ocean, and the smart people stay as far away from it as we can.” Oladi explained before shooting Sulika a concerned glance.
“Interesting.” Aldritch muttered and looked out over the ocean. A part of him wondered if he dove into the water and made some noise, would one of these ‘Sea Beasts’ come to investigate? “And these creatures are larger than Sophia?”
“Some are smaller, most are far larger.” Max replied. “Occasionally we also see Kaiju class beasts…” His body shivered slightly at a memory. “We usually redirect the island’s flight path to avoid passing over one of those.”
“Sounds like you’ve seen one.” Aldritch said while looking down at him. “I’m fascinated by the existence of such creatures, but I’m curious to know what you mean by ‘Kaiju class’. That word doesn’t exist in Dwarvish.”
“It means,” Max said with a smile on his face. He patted Aldritch on the side as he walked past him towards the scouting team. “If you ever find yourself looking at a mountain and it starts to move- you’re about to come face to face with a very angry, and likely hungry, beast who won’t care how sparkly your wings are.”
“Sounds incredible.” Aldritch muttered with a smile across his face.
“Sounds like dinner.” Oakairo agreed.