RS 44: The Beautiful Briny Sea

Chapter 44

The Beautiful Briny Sea

Fred blinked.

[Ding! Congratulations! You have become one with the ocean!

Isn’t it better now that you’re wetter? Let’s find out. All party members + 100XP]

The water was warm and everything was blue. It was peaceful and very, very quiet. Sounds were present, but muffled. The hull of the Heart of the Ocean was a dark shadowy bulk above them, bobbing as lazy waves slapping against it. Down below he could hear the gentle guzzling of parrot fish on coral. All these sounds reached his ears as if through a thick, fuzzy blanket.

Fred could see easily twenty metres in all directions. The sea faded to a deep azure in the distance, where nearby it was a bright turquoise paling to glass. Seaweed and coral crusted the ocean floor which fell away in a deep decline from the shallow harbour.

Fred opened his mouth to call out and a stream of bubbles poured free, cascading up to the surface. Unlike the last potion his transition had been painless and natural. He breathed easily, his heart pumping in excitement rather than fear. Fred swished his powerful tail backward and forward and was propelled forward at such speed he performed an unintended flip. He laughed and did it again.

Still laughing, Fred turned to see how his friends were faring.

Maris’ tail was less a tail and more a gelatinous skirt of see-through frills and trailing coils. Her black hair flowed out behind her as she watched the others try out their tails with a faint smile. The tendrils glowed with faint luminescence, the edges pulsing as she floated.

“A jellyfish?” asked Fred, in some awe.

“Yes,” said Maris, primly. “Be careful not to get too close. I sting.” She cast a look at Fred’s gently waving lionfish fronds. “I suspect you might too.”

“I’ve always been venomous when vexed,” said Fred, with a broad smile. “You should hear me when I’m in a pet.”

Alice shot past, seemingly having trouble controlling her direction.

“Swim horizontally!” yelled Maris, after her. “Don’t try to keep your body upright! That tail was not meant to be used vertically unless you want to go up! Yes, that’s right.”

“Ha!” said Alice, “oh no- '' She smashed headfirst into a piece of the reef, righted herself, tried again. This time her long taping tail drive-piled her into the sandy bottom. She shook herself off and gave a thumbs up. “Got it.”

Epic was swimming easily after a tentative start. A look of awed bemusement was plastered across her face as she looked around. Hans, unsurprisingly, was a natural, despite being encumbered by a rather large backpack. His tentacles were, Fred had to admit, rather intimidating. However, it was hard to be intimidated by an extremely posh man who seemed to be struggling to see.

“Jolly good fun, I do say,” said Prince Hans, grabbing Fred by the hand. “Epic, my love, could you see if you can find my goggles? I thought I could manage without my glasses but I seem to be mistaken.”

Epic rolled her eyes and dug in his bag. She found his goggles, apparently prescription and strapped them to Han’s face and he smiled up at her. “Much better!” He looked down at Fred’s hand. “Ah, sorry about that old chum.”

“I have to ask,” said Fred, gently disentangling his hand. “Where did you pick up that accent? I had got the impression that your family was vaguely…er…” he gestured in a circle. “Nordic? Danish? Something like that?”

“Ah,” said Hans. “Boarding school. Shipped off as a wee minnow, you know how it is. Mum and dad didn’t want to get their hands dirty.”

“Ah,” said Fred, although he didn’t really. “And what’s in the bag?”

“Oh, some of my inventions and whatnot!” Hans said with enthusiasm. “Cracking opportunity to try some of them out, what! Would you like to see?” Without waiting for a response he pulled a small, metallic contraption out of the bag and showed it off proudly. It had a pointed nose on one end and what looked like a small propeller on the other.

“Very nice,” said Fred. “What is it?”

“A swimming device!” he said. Hans fiddled with it, tapping the end and adjusting a knob. “Aha!” he said, and pulled on a chain. A small motor started up and the contraptions started to pull Hans through the water very slowly. “Ahahah!” he said. “It works!”

“I mean,” said Epic, swimming alongside him. “It’s a bit slow isn’t it?”

“A valid point,” said Hans. “I’ll leave it on the boat.” He did so.

Once Hans had returned Fred raised his voice.

“Are we ready, then?”

“Which way?” said Alice. She grinned. “Do you think we can summon the Incomplete Guide to Some Things down here? Should we find out?”

“I believe,” said Epic, “that Hugo said they were running out of air? We probably should get cracking. We can play with the Guide later.”

“Spoilsport,” said Alice. She sighed, not looking at all sorry. “I suppose you are right.”

“South to the edge of the reef,” said Joan, “and then down towards the chasm. There should be a shipwreck somewhere nearby we can use as a marker. And I assume the chasm is quite visible.”

They set off, smiles on their faces. Their tails made light work of the swim. All in all, it was very pleasant. The seabed dropped away beneath them as they excited the harbour and entered the deep water of the open ocean. They angled themselves downwards and swam deeper till the sun was a distant gleam on the surface above.

“Keep your eyes peeled,” said Maris. Fred noticed she swam with her long spear firmly gripped in her hands, her eyes darting around as they went.

“What for, exactly?” said Fred.

“Sharks?” suggested Alice.

Maris shrugged, her jellyfish tail pulsing with her movements.

“Sharks, sea serpents, sirens. Flesh eating slime blobs. That sort of thing.”

“Great!” said Fred.

“What did you expect,” said Joan with a laugh.

“You shouldn’t be smiling,” said Fred. “Somewhere down here there is a dirty great kraken with a grudge and a few sore tentacles.”

“Ah,” said Joan. “You make a good point.”

Everyone kept their weapons handy, but all they could see were brightly painted tropical fish and multicoloured coral. They made good time, all of their tails powerful and eating up the distance.

Fred kept an eye on the ocean floor and another overhead. Having to keep a look out in every direction was making him rather twitchy.

Once a large shadow passed overhead, but it was just a whale singing a rather mournful song. The sound echoed around them long after the whale was out of sight and they swam on, the enchanting and rather eerie sound fading into the distance.

“Somewhere around here,” said Joan. She frowned, looking down at the seafloor beneath them.

“There,” said Alice, pointing. “A shipwreck!”

The seaweed and barnacle encrusted corpse of a ship lay below them in two pieces. Fred tilted his head. The shape looked rather familiar, but then he supposed one large sailing vessel was much like another.

“Anyone see the submarine?” he yelled.

“No,” shouted Alice.

“It must be here somewhere,” said Joan, looking around in frustration.

“Look at that,” said Epic, in hushed tones. They had found the chasm. It ran like a jagged slash of midnight across the ocean floor. Even from where they swan they could feel the cold current stirring in those depths. Occasional bubbles rose in desolate streams to pop on the gleaming surface above.

“We do not want to fall into that,” said Joan, thoughtfully.

“Nooo,” said Alice.

“Ha,” said Fred. “I give us less than half an hour till we find a reason to go in there. Any bets?”

“Hush,” said Joan. She frowned, twisting around with a powerful thrust of her orca tail. “Hugo and Michael must be here somewhere?”

Beneath them rippled a sea forest of grass and algae. It moved in hypnotising waves, breathing in and out with the ocean’s lungs. Small fish darted in and out of the gently swaying grasses, while larger shoals circled the coral that peeked out here and there. All of them stayed well away from the deep water of the trench.

“Let’s check out the shipwreck,” said Fred, “carefully.”

They swam down. Fred gripped his trident, expectantly. He was fairly sure something would come bursting out of the dark interior of the shadowy ruin. From the look of the thing something ghostly or ghoulish. The sole remaining mast was draped in kelp, stringy and black. It gave the uncanny impression of a ship still in motion, listing to one side as it sailed the seabed for all eternity.

“This ship looks really familiar,” said Joan, cocking her head on one side.

“I was just thinking that,” said Fred. They both stared at the rotting shell. Some crabs scuttled sideways across the deck as they drew nearer.

“It’s The Heart of the Ocean,” said Joan.

“What?”

“How can that be?” said Epic. “We just left The Heart of the Ocean at Black Powder Bay? This wreck must have been here for ages?” She poked tentatively at a seaweed encrusted plank.

“Maybe a sister ship?” suggest Fred. “Built to a similar spec?”

“That’s possible I suppose,” said Joan, frowning. “Come on, there must be treasure or something.”

“There is sure to be something,” said Maris.

While the others inspected the rest, Fred swam over the bow. He looked at the crusty planks, and the curve of the once proud vessel, trying to remember where the name should be. He scraped away at the barnacles and goo, and after a few minutes managed to reveal the ship's name.

“Joan?” he said, and she swam over.

“Okay,” she said, looking at the ship's name ‘The Heart of the Ocean’, clearly worked into the wood. “That’s uncanny.”

Their contemplation was interrupted by a scream from the interior. They swam over, ready to fight but instead found the other others clustered around the tilting floor of what would have been the captain’s cabin.

“Everything okay?” asked Fred.

“Fine,” said Epic. “Just a couple of fish with big teeth and an electric eel.” She pointed to the corpses. They were in the process of being absorbed into the rotten planks.

“So what was the scream?” asked Joan.

“I got startled,” said Epic, “when I saw them.”

They followed her pointing finger to a shadowy corner where a single chest lay surrounded by six skeletons. They were just sitting there, Fred was pleased to see and showed no signs of reanimating. He looked a little closer. Four of them had human tops and fishtail bottoms, two had human top halves only. The tallest skeleton was clutching a trident; a trident identical to the one Fred now held in his hand. He looked at his trident and back to the skeleton. The others were likewise familiar. One of them was wearing goggles.

“What the fuck,” said Alice.

“Some kind of fuckery,” said Fred, staring at the bones. “That’s for sure.”

“Should we open the chest?” murmured Joan. “I’m not sure we should. This feels…”

“Creepy?” said Epic.

“Like a trap,” said Fred. He borrowed Maris’ spear and poked at the chest experimentally. Nothing happened. “Hmm,” said Fred. “The rest of you get back, just in case. I’ll open it and run. I mean swim.”

Once everyone was outside and Fred had the shadowy cabin to himself he looked down at the chest, being careful not to disturb the skeletons. Made from rusting brass, its leather was eaten away by the salt and time, the lock was pitted and marked with algae. He smashed it with his trident without any problem, and darted back looking at the skeletons nervously. They lay there, unmoving, the sightless skulls grinning up at him. He flipped the lid, and moved backwards hurriedly as a cloud of darkness flowed into the water, filling the cabin with velvety black.

Fred swam out of the cabin and floated outside peering in. He could see nothing, everything obscured in momentary darkness. He couldn’t hear anything either.

“What is it?” asked Alice, peeking over his shoulder. Maris lifted her nose and sniffed.

“Squid ink,” she said.

“Ew,” said Fred. “But not harmful?”

“Shouldn’t be,” said Hans. “But I’m not sure I would trust it.”

They waited for it to dissipate. When they peeked in again the ink cloud was gone. So were the skeletons.

Shoulder blades twitching, Fred swam into the cabin, clutching his trident tightly. He floated in the middle of the dark, claustrophobic room but nothing squeezed out of the shadows. Nothing attacked him, and nothing moved apart from the restless stir of the ocean. He peered into the chest.

It was empty save for a single key resting on an obsidian plinth. It was very smooth, and almost white. Made out of pearl, if Fred was any judge. He pocketed it without a word.

“Let’s get out of here,” he said to the others, “and find that submarine.”

They left the unsettling wreck behind them and swam over to the seagrasses searching for some hint of the stricken sub.

“Maybe there’s another wreck,” said Maris, after some time.

“The seaweed says it’s here,” said Joan, “but won’t tell me where exactly.”

“This stuff is thick enough to hide the entire cast of Love Island,” said Alice in some despair.

“Of what?” said Joan. “An island?

“Thick enough to hide a whale,” said Alice, “or Amelia Earhart in a yeti costume.”

“Who?”

“Or a Lochness monster and Princess Anastasia. Or the Mary Celeste, ten phantom scuba divers and the MH370. Oh, look there it is!”

Alice swum eagerly and pulled aside an undulating tuft of kelp revealing some metal panelling, brass screws and gleaming glass. Together they cleared the seaweed to reveal the sunken form of the small submarine.

“I see them!” squealed Epic, peering into the interior. “there’s Hugo!”

They clustered around the bulbous glass nose of the submarine waving to Hugo and Prince Michael. The pair responded enthusiastically. Fred looked at Hugo’s boyfriend. The young prince was an enthusiastic looking lad with wide brown eyes and a distinct green flush to his skin. He had tightly curling blond hair and just a hint of gills. Fred could see why Hugo had fallen for him. Although it probably wasn’t the gills.

Both men looked delighted to see them. Hugo was pointing and exclaiming at their tails. He mimed vomiting as Alice twirled by showing off her tail. She ended off the movement with a flourish and two middle fingers brandished for Hugo’s benefit.

Hugo laughed, then his eyes went wide, and the smiles fell off the boy's faces. Hugo banged on the glass. He was shouting but they couldn’t hear anything, just see his mouth moving. Michael was frantically tapping the glass.

“What?” said Alice. “What is it, we can’t hear you?”

Fred looked over his shoulder, and then grabbed Alice by the arm. She cursed as he swung her out of the path of an enormous sea serpent. It thundered past, missing her by a fingerbreadth. Silver scales glittered as it passed by with a flash. The seagrass streamed away with the force of its passing and the party scattered with yelps and screams.

[Silver Serpent NPC Level 30]

“Where did it come from?” shouted Fred.

“The chasm,” said Joan.

“It’s coming back!” yelled Maris, hefting her spear.

Fred turned to face it, his heart pumping. The thing was easily a hundred yards long if it was an inch and as thick as a bus. Silver and turquoise scales rippled on its sides. They looked as hard and sharp as polished metal. The serpent turned in a furious undulation, bearing down on them, fangs bared and narrow eyes gleaming with malice.

Fred held his ground for as long as his nerves could bear. At the last possible moment, he flung his trident at the serpent’s neck with all his might. The trident hit, sticking into the serpent’s neck.

[Sea Serpent -25HP]

He threw himself bodily out of the way, narrowing avoiding the snapping fangs. The serpent whooshed past, leaving a fuzzy trail of crimson.

Maris threw her spear, and it too lodged in the creature’s scales. Joan got in a strike with her staff and Hans hurled his harpoon. It turned with a roar.

[Sea Serpent -25-15-30HP]

Fred tried to grab it but the creature moved too quickly. Epic did better and managed to grab hold as the serpent streaked past, clinging with one hand and beating at the metallic scales with her morning star.

[Sea Serpent -20-5-15HP]

The beast hissed, snapping its tail through the water, sending the wreck flying into splinters. Epic lost her grip and went somersaulting.

[Epic Failure -20HP]

Twisting in a loop the serpent snapped at them, narrowly avoiding biting Alice in two and bowling Joan over. She fell against the reef with a crash and lay still for a heart stopping second. Epic threw herself against it with her morning star, and was sent flying.

[Alice69 -25 HP; Joan of Arc -40HP; Epic Failure -85HP]

[Sea Serpent -30HP]

The serpent was streaming blood from its wounds but not slowing down.

It opened its mouth wide to let out a bone shaking roar. Its tail snapped through the water, ripping weed and rock from the ocean floor, stirring the waters into whirlpools. The submarine shifted, sliding sideways through the rocks and coral with a rending tear of metal.

“I’ve got an idea,” shouted Fred, as the serpent opened its massive jaws, bellowing its wrath.

“What?” said Joan. She seemed to be a little dazed.

“Epic, throw me your war axe!”

Epic heaved it at him, but misjudged the way it would respond in water and it sank straight down. Fred dived for it, hands scrabbling in the seaweed. He narrowly avoided the serpent as it barrelled past overhead, grasping Joan in its teeth and Fred’s heart nearly stopped.

[Joan of Snark -70HP]

Joan rammed her staff into its eye with all her might and it dropped her before biting down, hissing with pain.

[Sea serpent - 35HP]

“Oi!” shouted Fred, waving his arms. “Oi, you great oily twit!”

The serpent twisted, its eyes flashing. It bore down on him with the speed of a tornado, giant maw opening wide. Fred gripped the war axe with all his might, gauging the angle of attack, breathing hard through his nose. Its jaws closed over him with a clack. Fred had a quick view of Joan’s stricken face before he was enveloped in darkness.

Fred flared his poisoned barbs and hacked at the sea serpents’ tongue with his war axe.

[Sea serpent -90 HP]

The serpent bit down, but he moved backwards. The massive teeth crunched down harmlessly. Fred’s axe bit into the soft flesh of the serpent’s mouth once more. Hot blood spurted in the darkness.

[Sea serpent -10 -28 -25 HP]

The serpent thrashed, shaking its maw from side to side. Fred ricocheted off the teeth, flaring his venomous barbs and hacking.  The serpent reared back and spat. Fred went shooting through the water, flying head over tail and landing on the seafloor with a crash.

[The Fredinator -45HP]

“You idiot!” screamed Joan.

The sea serpent shuddered, bleeding heavily from the mouth. It whipped its tail through the sea grass, smashing into the submarine and dragging it sideways. Oozing crimson fog the silver beast vanished into the trench.

“The sub!” shouted Epic.

Slowly, inevitably, the submarine fell towards the yawning chasm. Hugo and Michaels’ faces were pale, as they beat on the glass, their mouths open in soundless screams. Fred and Alice tried to grab at it but the metal was too slick, too heavy. The sub slipped through their hands and plummeted into the depths, swallowed by the darkness.

“Hugo!” screamed Alice as she hovered over the trench, staring down.

They swam out over the darkness, staring down at the pitch black beneath them. The cold current flowed up. A few bubbles belched out of the tar coloured water.

Fred shivered, then looked up at Joan with a smile.

“Told you,” he said. “Shall we?”

“You idiot,” she said. “Next time you decide to throw yourself into a serpent’s mouth I’ll kill you.”

Fred rubbed at the gash on his upper arm where one of the massive teeth had grazed him. He grinned at her.

“It worked, didn’t it?”

“I don’t see a dead serpent,” said Joan.

“How will we be able to see?” asked Alice, her voice a little unsteady as she peered down.

“Have no fear, dear lady!” said Hans.

He reached into his bag and drew out a couple of lanterns which he switched on. He handed one to Alice, who took it gratefully. “Also,” he said. “I believe Epic and Maris will be able to illuminate our passage.”

Epic’s face was a picture. She looked down at her scales.

“Are you sure?”

“Let’s find out,” said Fred.

He dived forwards into the darkness. The others followed him and together they sank, slowly into the chasm.