Chapter 12

  His voice is deafening in the silent halls, shaking the group to their very bones. None of them replies, or makes a move. They are anxiously staring at the unknown man in front of them. But the more they see of him, the less he looks like a normal man. He turns around slowly to face them, sword arm lowered in a battle-ready stance. His cape smoothly follows his movements. It has an ethereal feel to it. Like it is trying to hide as much as possible before dramatically revealing the figure.

  On top of the earth mound, amidst withered plants and the occasional rain drop from above, stands a muscular male humanoid. His skin is dark-blue with white patches splattered about. It looks more like the patterns on a deep-sea fish's body than a human. The "helmet" he is wearing is indeed fused to his scalp like a bone growth protruding from his temple, nose bridge and forehead. The shape it forms resembles a shark's skull, but morphed. The lower half of his face is covered in a long and shredded cloth that is connected to a frame. It goes from one ear to the other and looks to be from the same material as his helmet. The cloth itself seems to bear patterns on it, but they are hard to make out. The ears are elongated and bent backwards; they seem to have several short spikes with thin skin in between them, like a fish's webbed limbs. Furthermore, he is wearing black cloth under light armor that, too, looks like his helmet. If anything, all of this creature's armor is fused to his body. Only his arms are exposed and show a beastman-like mix of human muscles and bone appendages. He truly looks like what fairy tales would describe a monster from the depths. But standing right in front of them, that monster is way more threatening than what any story could put to paper. Every square centimeter of this thing screams danger.

  Several heartbeats are spent in silence. Everyone has their eyes locked on the enemy in front of them. The only sound is the heartbeat in their throats and the ringing in their ears. They carefully observe the man, waiting for his next move. His aura is overbearing.

  'Who in the abyss is that', Minot whispers inaudibly. Sweat runs down his forehead. He has been in dangerous situations before, but for the first time he is experiencing life-threatening dread. He looks around to see the reaction of the others, but they all seem to share the same thoughts. Only one stands out, Velophine. Her expression is not simple unease, danger, anxiety or panic. It is immobilizing, soul rending horror, pure and deep-seated fear of whatever that creature is. Velophine doesn't just seem scared, she is on the verge of fainting. Tears forms on her eyes, her mouth agape, her whole body trembling. Face as pale as death. It's the same reaction from before on the Cloudbreaker. She is completely paralyzed.

  "A-... a-.. tl.. At... la..." In between her short breaths she mutters fragments of words. She can't form a full phrase. The rest is consumed by her fear.

  Minot wants to get her to snap out of it. But right now the man takes priority. Whatever it is he wants, Minot has to react to it. He studies him carefully. Standing straight, sword ready, head lowered because of the elevated position, distance to him not even 30 meters. He looks down between his feet and notices a hole in the mound, as if something used to be there but has been removed recently. Maybe this is what he is after.

  As he observes the man, he notices something that worries him. He is doing the same with them. He is scanning and analyzing them. The look in his pale golden eyes is that of an experienced predator stalking his prey. Minot gulps instinctively.

  Hagen stands in the middle, Carton to his right and Mons to his left. They stand with their weapons drawn. The former two are steady despite the fear washing over them, Mons' legs are shaking. The halls are quiet, but full of oppressive anticipation. Hagen whispers some military code to Carton that Minot doesn't understand.

  Suddenly the man locks eyes on Carton and dashes inconceivably fast. The roughly 30 meter distance is reduced to nothing in an instant. The dash throws up the earth mound's top like a small explosion. They are so surprised by the sudden move that no one manages to see the man strike.

  Soft dripping noises sound out while several drops hit the ground, as if to compete with the rain. The drops form black stains, then a small puddle. Pained groans follow the dripping. Following it a loud crash of metal falling onto the stone. Carton has been pierced in his chest.

  "Ya looked tough", the attacker speaks nonchalantly, as if killing a man is nothing to him. He rips his sword out. "Guess I was wrong." Blood spurts from the open wound, splattering on the ground and onto the man. Down his sword Carton's blood flows and collects at the tip, forming drops and falling. The once white stones are being painted in Carton's sudden death. His legs give in and he falls forward, lying motionlessly on the ground.

  No one says anything. They just stare in disbelief. Down onto the man who mere seconds before was standing full of life. Now that life has been taken without a second thought. The killer even seems displeased by his act.

  Mons starts hyperventilating and collapses to the floor screaming. The fear and shock makes him gag and throw up. Hagen still stands in disbelief, but his sword is drawn and he intends to swing it. Out of duty as a soldier, but also to avenge his crew mate and friend. His hands tremble slightly, but they keep the blade pointed at the enemy. His brain screams for his body to act, but it refuses the call. Memories of Carton play through his head. His rough but friendly demeanor. Him always being around when anyone needed help with heavy equipment. Him always supporting his crew mates when clients dared to be rude.

  He had joined the Cloudbreaker crew around the same time as Hagen. He had said he also was a soldier, but never talked much about his past. Hagen wishes he could've asked him more about it. Every memory and thought plays for a fraction of a second, but feels like hours.

  Through gritted teeth he exhales sharply. One part to calm himself down and gain control over his body, another part to prepare his attack. But he doesn't get to strike back. Instead, Minot suddenly appears in front of him.

  The stranger takes his eyes off Carton and switches his attention to Hagen. Out of nowhere Minot comes swinging. He lands a direct hit on the man's face with his club. A disgusting 'thud' echoes throughout the halls. The man takes two steps back. He doesn't look hurt, but surprised. His eyes are ripped wide open. He straightens up and touches the side of his face that got hit.

  "Dirty Depths!", Minot shouts. "This bastard's tough as shit!"

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  The man lowers his hand and stares at Minot. He doesn't say anything. But his eyes tell everything they need to say. It's a look of recognition and determination. Also, respect?

  "Minot!", Hagen shouts while helping Mons up. The dark stain on his pants implies the young man has wet himself. "I'll deal with this guy! You take the others and get the fuck outta here!"

  "And you?", Minot replies without taking his eyes off the enemy.

  "I'll hold him off until ya're out! Tell Cap'n Temperal to prepare for emergency departure!" Hagen looks down to Carton. He wishes he could take his deceased friend back to the ship so he could be buried properly, but there is neither time nor opportunity.

  Minot nods. Despite his combat experience Hagen is the seasoned soldier and can probably deal better with this inhuman enemy. "Aye. But don't make me bring ya corpse back to Schalk."

  "Tsk. If I die it'll be far away from the ship."

  Minot turns around and Hagen moves in front of the group to cover their escape. Mons has already begun fleeing. Velophine is still frozen in terror. Iv has been trying to wake her up for a while now. She looks at Minot, pleading. He protests for a second, then sighs. They have no time to waste there, so he picks Velophine up, throws her over his shoulder and rushes out. Iv closely following him and trying to reach the unresponsive woman.

  "Y're in my way." is heard coming from the central building while the group flees.

  At last the group gets out of the temple. They leave the oppressive atmosphere and claustrophobic walls, hoping that Hagen somehow also gets out. Outside they can breathe, collect their thoughts and calm down again. But the environment around them isn't giving them that luxury. It has changed into something worrying. The rain has picked up. It's not a light drizzle like it was before. It is properly raining now. They fear it might lead into a full on downpour.

  On top of that, the cloud bubble seems to be destabilizing. The somewhat intact cloud barrier is allowing more and more dark-grey tendrils of the Storm in. Inside the beast's jaws, the walls are closing in on them.

  Mors loses his balance, then gets up again. "W- ... we need-d to get out of here!", he stutters, still shaken. "Back i-inside the ship!" The others nod. Minot puts Velophine down. She is slowing recovering from her fear induced paralysis. Her face is gaining its colors back. Relieved he sighs and looks back, trying to see anything from within the darkness of the halls. Muffled clashes of steel and rock are heard, but not clear enough to make out who's winning.

  Suddenly, several loud and heavy crashes burst out from inside. Heavy stone collapsing on the ground and crumbling. Dust clouds bellow out through the gate. Startled, Minot grabs Velophine's arm and rushes towards the ship. Iv flying besides them and Mons trying his best to keep up.

  We can't be out in the rain much longer, Minot thinks. Even with their equipment the amount of rain will inevitably accumulate on their exposed skin and wet clothes. Their mind will get clouded by the effects of Rain Fever. When that happens there is no way they can escape the creature inside the temple. Assuming Hagen doesn't defeat it.

  "Say", Mons asks in a shaky voice. He slows down and comes to a stop. "Hagen will k-... k-kill that thing, right?" He has known Hagen for way longer than any of the others have. But him having to ask means Mons himself has lost any hope. "This... thing, it might even... the Cloudbreaker... Cap'n..."

  "..." Minot struggles to reply.

  Iv yells back at Mons: "Stop cryin' and get a move on!" The unexpected loud voice of the fairy catches him off-guard. "Ya only get the right to whine once we get on the ship! I won't allow a sad mess to besmirch the good name of the Cloudbreaker crew! Got it?!"

  Mons straightens up, as if berated by his own captain. "Aye aye!", he replies instinctively. The yelling seems to have helped. The man is now running as if a crab has pinched his rear. Still with shaky legs, but moving again. Minot looks at Iv, opens his mouth, but closes it again. They should keep moving.

  They finally get near the ship. It is still hovering several meters above them, this titan of a vessel. The rain is pouring, hissing like a feral beast. The once mesmerizing patterns of clouds have turned hostile. Darkened and misshapen they speed up as the wind blows. For the first time since landing on the island wind is blowing. The Storm is approaching, threatening to devour them.

  The sailors near the ship are calling for them. They don't know yet why they are hurrying so much, but they recognize danger when they see it. A few steps away from safety the group stands still. They gaze up, confused, shocked and horrified. The other sailors follow their line of sight and also look up. Somehow, way above the ship, the stranger floats in the air. His cloak and hair now furiously fluttering in the ever-increasing wind.

  Everyone stands with their mouths agape. For a few moments they don't care that the rain is striking them. The impossible sight of a floating man daring them to get on board robs them of their hope. Velophine's legs give in and she collapses onto the wet grass and stone.

  The man locks eyes with Minot. He has a look of 'Fight me' on his face. Minot replies to the challenge by gripping his club tightly with both hands and assuming a fighting stance. The man does the same. He swings his sword sideways and holds it horizontally to his side, without breaking eye contact. That slice feels like it cut through the rain and caused it to pause for an instant.

  Minot has seen the man dash and expects another one towards him. He readies himself for such an attack. What happens next neither he nor anyone in the vicinity predicted. The stranger lifts his arm up, turns the blade down towards the ship and dives into the Cloudbreaker with blinding speed. As if a lightning bolt has struck the vessel he strikes it with a loud crash. The sheer power of the impact forces the floating ship to slam into the ground with earth-shattering force. Tons of stone debris and dirt flies up and across the island. Cold wind escapes the impact zone. Dust clouds rush over the ground and cover it in an eerie veil of destruction. The ship is titled forwards, the bow hidden inside the earth.

  The sound of the rain and pebbles landing on the ground. Broken machinery clanking and cluttering inside the ship. But the people are silent. For the first time they realize that this is not a normal enemy or just a strong warrior. It's something else. Their gaze is locked onto the ship that turned from floating in the air to half buried in mere seconds.

  "... The... The Clou- ... break- ..." Iv is at a loss for words. The energy with which she previously motivated Mons is gone. The ship of legend has been attacked, violated and ruthlessly forced onto land. Her wings slow their flapping. She descends quietly in shock and mourning.

  Loud bangs come from inside the ship. This snaps everyone out of their trance. The sailors near the ship run away and hide behind pillars and stone debris. As does Mons. Minot grips his club so strongly his hands turn white. Anger and anticipation color his face. Sweat and raindrops run it down. Whatever happens next, he will be ready for anything.

  More bangs. The hull begins to show dents. Someone is fighting their way out of the ship. Another set of strikes and the hull breaks open like a flesh wound. Everyone's gaze is fixed onto the opening. With his head lowered the man steps out, unharmed. In one hand, he holds his bloodied sword, in the other, the bloodied body of a female sailor. Her lifeless body hangs like a doll whose strings have been cut. Iv loses all color in her face. Tears form as she clutches her self-made dress.

  The man who has utterly broken whatever reality the sailors believed in steps forward, then stops. With a calm and slightly annoyed voice he mutters: "Two sunk." He looks at Minot again, with the same challenging look in his face. Without a second thought he throws the dead woman off the island. Silently, her body descends into the clouds. No recognition or malice from the man towards the sailor. Just 'another one' in his path, like Carton.