The Dragon's Wrath: Shadows in the Flame

by Brent Roth

  Chapter 98: A Kraken on Record

  (Thursday, January 13th Game Day / Saturday, May 8th Real Day)

  An hour had passed as Kate left to join the other NPCs down by the bar and restaurant, leaving me alone in the room to think. The peace and quiet afforded me a clearer mind as distractions were locked out. After all the time spent dwelling on the possibilities, it turned out there was an answer in plain sight.

  The kraken would have to die.

  That was the original plan and my intentions were to take it slow at first, to observe the creature while conducting small hit and run tactics to judge its strength. I wanted to take my time so lives wouldn’t be needlessly lost… the fight had been one of vanity. There was little reason to kill the kraken.

  Well there were some reasons.

  The price of food had skyrocketed in the upper northern parts as trade had all but ceased. Ships weren’t traveling any further north than Bergenheim and that meant the smaller villages up north would have to rely on land-based trade routes. In the dead of winter… those trade routes were mostly abandoned.

  Fishing had also ceased in those same waters as the shipping lanes were also fishing lanes. The price of fresh fish had risen as well and every meal had nearly doubled in cost over the past month and a half in-game. A true-to-life simulated economy… what couldn’t this game do. Killing the kraken might be a purely egotistical thing to do but it would have a real impact on the populace of the North. Without the cause of their current problems the NPCs and the economy would return to a slightly more positive scenario.

  Yeah, killing the kraken served the greater good.

  My plans would have to be moved forward… with gameplay footage of the first kraken being killed in the game, people would stop and listen. They would watch a video of a world first. Guilds were busy conquering the continent, their dealings based and restricted to the ground. I was the only one attempting to conquer the oceans and rivers.

  At least, as far as I knew.

  A compelling video from my point of view, detailing my story and FWBs involvement with only the slightest of editing to keep my tactics a secret, the truth would be heard by the masses with a world first added in. I didn’t want to be famous in this game… but if I wasn’t careful, the North would be lost to negative public opinion.

  I wasn’t powerful enough to stop the masses.

  Not yet.

  Heading down to the first floor where the NPCs were enjoying themselves on my dime, I decided to let them play for a little while longer as I ventured out to the docks and took a look out at the sea. The waves were calm at the moment and that meant the kraken or krakens weren’t here.

  We called them krakens and popular thought was of a giant octopus or squid, though there were giant crabs that were once thought of as krakens in the very distant past. My guess, was the kraken-types were of various sizes and shapes while most likely belonging to one of those three categories. There were a lot of different types of squid out there… octopus and crabs too, and this was a game. Fantasy monsters didn’t have to obey any rules or laws, one was free to create whatever they wanted from their imagination.

  I had little clue as to the properties of the kraken. What it looked like, how big it was, or even if there were more than one. I had no clue, I was in the dark. I didn’t like being in the dark, short of information… the unknown bothered me.

  “Have you seen the seas to the north?” I asked a sailor onboard a ship that had recently pulled into port, deduced by way of cargo still being unloaded.

  “Ye’ we thought to give it a go,” he replied while pausing to hand a large sack over to the man next to him. “But about three miles from ‘ere the waves are taller than the buildings behind you. We had to turn it around, can’t afford to lose a ship to a dangerous route, not even considering ourselves.”

  “Thanks for the information,” I said with a nod. “Ah, one more question if you can, about how long ago were you out on the open water? I’m thinking of sailing up.”

  “Not long, we pulled in only a little while ago,” he replied. “It’s not worth the risk friend, not worth the chance of losing your crew and ship….”

  “Sometimes, risks need to be taken,” I said sadly. “Thanks again.”

  Walking over to where my two longships were docked, they were both in fine condition and would handle the waves without issue. The main issue for me now, was to decide on how to pack the boats.

  A full complement of troops would leave little room for error onboard ship as the units would be packed like sardines. Every imagined attack would take a member down with it if not more. Spreading them out would give them room to maneuver but would leave me with less overall firepower… it was a hard decision to make with so little information.

  Letting out a sigh, the best course of action would be to leave some of the warriors behind, the ranged effectiveness of the mages would better serve me than the weak bows. Axes might work well too but if the squid or octopus was wrapping the boat up… we were probably already lost.

  “So that’s it huh,” I mumbled to myself as I turned around and headed back to the inn. The mission would start as soon as the units were ready to move. We didn’t have time to waste as every minute that passed, a few hundred more views were added to the stream and a handful of comments filled the now two-hundred page thread.

  I was public enemy number one right now.

  Entering the first floor of the inn and walking into the restaurant area, talk around the room hit my ears as the players were discussing the local events. Sliding in unannounced and with casual clothes and armor equipped, not a soul could recognize me as the man with the dire wolf pelt and red glowing eyes. The night had helped to keep me anonymous for now. Yet even so, I was already being discussed.

  “We should meet up with that guild and lend a hand, they say they’re forming a coalition,” said the bearded man while leaning forward with elbows resting on the table and his hands folded together.

  “Eh it’s a long way from here,” replied the robed individual.

  “That video looks shady though, it’s clearly edited,” said the archer as he leaned back and relaxed. “Hey remember, they attacked him first so now that they’re losing they’re making a big scene. Shady shit bro, I’m telling you.”

  “Come on grow some balls,” said the bearded guy with a smirk and shake of his head. “The guy is clearly a loner who has lost his shit, you saw what was said, he was planning to attack everyone up here, he was going to kill everyone. They were standing up for what was right, we have a right to play here too man. This is about freedom.”

  Standing only a few feet away from them, I could have easily interjected but then my face would be known. If doable, the idea was to keep my face concealed for as long as realistically possible. To get involved here would be a step backwards.

  “Your discussion, who are you talking about?” asked the old man barkeep that had assisted with Annalie’s situation. “You seem to be describing a very evil individual.”

  “Uh, a player like us, up north a ways from here,” replied the bearded one, clearly confused by the interruption from an NPC.

  “Another adventurer from the North?” said the barkeep as he folded his hands together and nodded silently. “Do you mean the First of the North? He is the only adventurer that is known to inhabit that region.”

  “What…” mumbled the bearded man, as he didn’t understand my title.

  “Who’s the um, First of the North?” asked the archer.

  “You do not know of him?” said the old man with a peculiar grin. “If you’re discussing the adventurer from the North, there is only one. You may want to reconfirm your source of information, for he is not one who wishes to push anyone out of the North. He is regarded as a kind benefactor around these parts. The man you describe is not the one I know nor is it the one any of the inhabitants here know.”

  As the old man finished his explanation, he turned to me and gave me a wink as I laughe
d quietly, keeping it between us. Motioning to my NPCs to follow, I headed out of the inn as I heard the very last of the conversation between the barkeep and the players.

  “You know who he is old man?” asked the bearded one immediately.

  “Oh, of course… he was here but a moment ago,” said the barkeep with a laugh. “Does it not seem awfully empty all of a sudden? Well, certainly it is less crowded hah!”

  “H-he was here?!” was heard, shouted from within.

  Heading towards the docks with forty-four NPCs in tow, a few would be left behind but the details would be explained to them all. This was an outdoor PvE raid out on the open ocean and it would be conducted with only a single player and a large group of NPCs.

  Nothing of the sort had been attempted before.

  Out on the open ocean with Katherine and Annalie by my side, each longship had a total of sixteen people onboard as every caster was brought along plus one sailor. Warriors filled the rest of the positions with bow, axe, and shield at the ready. Their shields couldn’t be used properly with the two-handed bearded axes that had been issued to them but it could be left on their backs or attached to the side of the ship for extra protection.

  It was about as good of a setup as I could imagine with what was available.

  “Rough seas ahead Sigurd,” said Eindride as he helmed the ship.

  “Ready yourselves!” I shouted across to the other ship.

  Entering into the disrupted zone, the environmental effects of the kraken reminded me of the frost trolls that inhabited the northern side of the continent. Calm seas from Bergenheim then suddenly rough seas as far as the eye could see. It wasn’t truly that large of a zone but the effects seemed to almost blur your vision. The waves were only bad for a mile out and in the center there appeared to be a calm spot, much like the frost troll.

  “Head to the calm water!” I yelled out as a cold splash of ocean water hit and spilled over the side of the boat. Soaked all the way through, the chilly salt water immediately woke me up as the cold shock forced a bodily reaction. Shrugging it off as every man and woman did the same, we continued to row as if our lives depended on it.

  Keeping our boat at an angle to the motion of the waves we continued to ride the large swells up ten to fifteen feet at the crest before the bow would cross over and come crashing down into the trough. The rough impact sent vibrations through the wooden hull and through our wooden box seats but the danger came immediately after as the boat began to turn slightly with the momentum. All hands were rowing hard to steer the boat back on course as we had to keep the bow relatively straight with the oncoming wave.

  If we were hit by a breaking wave while sideways… the best outcome would be a few missing men, water in the hull, and a list that wasn’t enough to sink us. If the ship were to broach… we would all be lost. The longship simply couldn’t be allowed to roll over.

  Maintaining our near forty-five degree angle as we alternated our speed to match the movement of the swells, motion sickness had kicked in as I began to gag. Resisting the nauseating lump in my throat and stomach, I kept it in and held it as I focused on the task at hand. Continuing to row as our sail had been taken down, we only had half a nautical mile before we would reach the calm water.

  And then as if out of a horror movie, the ocean appeared to move in a way that was uncharacteristic and completely unnatural. The calm zone was rapidly approaching us at a speed far greater than we had been traveling. What should have been fifteen minutes at the quickest was now maybe ten, then it was five. Two minutes later and the calm zone was nearly upon us as the seas fell still and silent, all except for the gulls.

  The seagulls with their auh-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah shrill laughs. Cawing as they flew above and around us, as if they knew our dead bodies would soon be ripped apart and left for them to feast on. As if we were dinner about to be served.

  The calmness of the ocean sent shivers down the spine of the troops as fear entered their minds. Eyes wavered as hands grasped and clutched their weapons. Oars pulled in, we were sitting dead in the water with no sail or propulsion available.

  We needed all hands.

  And then the shadow of a body appeared beneath the surface as the dark blue ocean water began to change to black. Taking a deep breath while backing into Katherine, I had second thoughts of bringing her along but I needed her firepower. She was the strongest NPC I had… she was necessary for our survival.

  Then the moment hit.

  A small hit, a bump that sent the ship shifting to a side as our sister longship inched closer with their crew beginning to draw their bows. Lightning bolts and shadow flares were visible in the preparation stages as I dared to lean over the side. One look into the giant eye of the beast as it stared back with its pure black eye.

  An eye bigger than my body and an armored head as large as the ship, it didn’t blink as it had no eyelids but it continued to stare as I froze in fear. Mentally in a state of shock that I couldn’t hope to understand, the monstrosity beneath me had me locked in place.

  I was going to die here.

  Movement out of the corner of my peripheral vision brought me back to the present as an arm silently broke the surface of the water and immediately wrapped itself around the ship. Seven other arms followed as the crew remained in a state of shock, with a thickness of my head, suckers near the size of my palm, and hooks like daggers, it latched onto the boat with all eight arms and began to squeeze.

  Creaking of the hull unnerving us even more, I drew my axe and released it into the thick flesh as lightning and shadow magic flew through the sky. Barely cutting into the armored arm of the squid, I stole a glance at my petrified crew and bellowed.

  “ATTACK OR DIE!”

  In a flurry of movements, magic was shot forth as thunder cracked the air around me and screams and shouts were heard. Consumed by the moment and instinct taking over, I blindly attacked the arms attached to the ship as I managed to hack off a three-foot section. With the arm violently retracting back into the ocean, two massive tentacles with large clubs adorned with serrated hooks, barbed hooks, and swiveling hooks erupted out and began to wildly swing about as it tried to grab whatever it could, blind to what was behind the wooden sides of the ship.

  In an instant a man was knocked overboard by the backside of the club as another was wrapped up. Extending my hand and shooting out a pulsating tether of electricity, my arc lightning immediately repelled the creature as it dropped the severely wounded man and pulled back.

  Golden hands aglow behind me as axes were swung ferociously around me in an attempt to dismember the creature, sections and chunks of the kraken’s arms fell to the deck of the ship as blue blood splattered about. Pulling my axe back once more, I attempted to meet the tentacle club as it swung by and clashed with the insane weight and force of the creature. The impact dislocated my shoulder and broke my arm as the axe lodged deeply into its flesh.

  Retracting its tentacle in a blur that could hardly be seen amongst the white water that was splashing all around us, the axe handle was ripped from my hands as an intense sharp pain shot through my body and nearly turned my vision entirely white. Emanating from my arm and shooting up through my shoulder and down through the forearm, I clenched my teeth as my vision started to return only to witness another man being knocked overboard and into the cold waters.

  Leaning over the side of the boat as I stared back into the eye of the beast, I jumped overboard and into the water. Hitting the water headfirst, I immediately opened my eyes and took one stroke in order to position myself in front of the gigantic black eye. Raising my functional arm and opening the palm of my right hand, I continued to hold my breath as I shot an arc lightning straight into the eye of the monster.

  The dissipating energy barely reached as I kicked and swam closer to the eye of the monster, only to suddenly be jerked to the side as I struggled to hold my air from the impact. Sharp burning sensations registered all over my body as I was whipped from side to side beneath t
he waves and arrows and magic continued to rain down.

  Then as if by chance or luck I was released and thrown to the surface with my head breaking out and gasping for air. Choking on the water that had managed to enter my mouth, I turned back down and faced the creature that appeared to be shifting its position. Releasing its arms from around the ship entirely, it retreated down into the depths as anger filled my mind. It was running… it was escaping.

  My eyes burning a bright red, I used a flash step underneath the waves and quickly appeared directly in front of its eye once more, pulling a knife from a sheath on my chest, I reached out with my broken left arm as the pain nearly did me in and grabbed at the lip around the eye. Holding on as it dragged me down with it, the pain forced my left eye shut as I winced and plunged the dagger into its eye with my right hand.

  Twisting my grip and pulling on the dagger as it sliced down through the open eye, odd sounds of a high-pressure liquid being squirted out could vaguely be heard as numerous arms wrapped around me and overwhelming pain enveloped me. Dozens of intense burning sensations filled my entire body as the hooks stabbed through me and my vision turned black.

  Pulled into a cloud of ink with thirty or forty holes throughout my body, my mind was starting to shut down from the pain as I somehow managed to hold my breath. Barely conscious, I could sense the creature moving me about as I traveled rapidly through the water. Clipping something hard with my waist, I could no longer feel my legs.

  My dagger still in my hand but with hardly any strength left, I found myself surrounded by soft warm flesh that constricted and hugged me at every turn. With the presence of the hooks no longer able to be felt and with a texture different than the arms and tentacles, my mind was lost as to what was going on.

  I couldn’t feel anything but the mushy flesh… of the insides of the squid. Realizing the situation, the miraculous epiphany brought me back as I took the knife and ran it along the interior of the squid. The hard surface being the beak of the squid, I had been swallowed whole sans my legs and was now traveling through the mouth and down towards the esophagus and eventually into the stomach. Then another light flashed before my eyes as I let go of the knife. The brain of a squid was near its mouth… between its eyes and behind the beak or jaws. The heart was further down by the stomach.