While searching for the bead, Professor Krolock had seen D hurrying toward the town office, so he’d followed the Hunter at a safe distance and reaped an unexpected bonus in the process. Though his cheeks looked ready to collapse from the sheer force of his grin, the professor did nothing to repress it as he hastened off toward the woods, where a waltz was playing.
SURREAL BATTLES IN THE ICY SEA
CHAPTER 4
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I
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It was less than an hour after the trouble at the village office that D called on Su-In.
“Under no circumstances are you to leave,” he told her. Su-In could sense that something was wrong, and asked the Hunter repeatedly to tell her what it was. After she mentioned that she’d witnessed the incident at sea, D explained the situation succinctly.
“So, who was the source of that voice?” Su-In asked, her eyes blazing with anger.
“I’m sure he’ll show himself eventually. But for the time being, all you can do is stay right here.”
“Okay. I’ll do as you say. But how is the Noble connected to that thing in the water—you think it’s something like that crab we saw?”
Making no reply, D asked her an odd question instead. “You said warriors had come to your village in the past, didn’t you?”
Nodding, Su-In immediately replied, “Yes.”
“Are you on good terms with the curator of the local museum?”
“Sure. She’s a great person. And she’s always been very good to me and Wu-Lin. In fact, she’s the one who taught me everything I know about teaching school. Have you been to see her?”
“Yes. Yesterday,” D said, gazing steadily at Su-In’s face.
“What for?” she asked, a dubious expression shaking her girlish naiveté.
“At any rate, don’t go outside.” And saying this alone, D left.
After she’d watched the Hunter and his cyborg horse disappear in the distance, Su-In went back to the room and opened her book before she realized something.
.
D was in the dark. Perhaps due to some defensive system that still remained operational, a true darkness that not even a single ray of sunlight could pierce lingered above him. He could hear the waves. Coming and going, coming and going . . . He was at Meinster’s castle—at the bottom of that colossal pit. But why had he gone back there?
Not even glancing at the wall of bizarre scientific equipment to one side, D began to walk along the shore. The chamber was vast. Although D could see by the light of a single star at night, even he couldn’t see anything down here. Aside from the sound of the waves and the flow of the air, all he had to rely on were his own hyper-sharp senses as a dhampir. Or perhaps he’d already seen what he was looking for by the light of the illumination cord he’d carried last time.
Walking for another five minutes or so, he finally halted just shy of a stony quay. A square holding area had been carved out of the center of it, and a ten-foot-diameter sphere bobbed there with the breaking waves. A globe of flame spread from D’s right hand. The light gave a pale blue tint to the edges of the sphere, revealing the seat fixed in the center of the craft and the bizarre machinery below. The panels surrounding the seat looked more like elegant cabinets patterned after bird wings than controls. The ring around the back half of the sphere must’ve been a stabilizer to control depth. Since no intake valves were visible, it was clear the craft didn’t use water to submerge or to propel itself. This was one of the submersibles the Nobility had once used to “play” in the sea.
Going over to the quay, D touched the purple crystal that jutted from it. Without a sound, a steel gangway rose from the water, linking the spherical craft to the stone quay where D stood. Just as the sphere was locked in place, there was the sound of its motor turning over, and then part of the craft flipped upward. It was a doorway that allowed the Hunter to board as soon as he crossed the steel walkway.
D settled into the seat. The transparent door shut, and the seat turned forward automatically. Actually, the person seated in it could turn his gaze in any direction he liked and the omnidirectional operational system would follow the movement down to a thousandth of a millimeter. The seat then descended to the most ergonomic position, and the retractable control unit in front of it slid out at an angle adjusted to match that of the seat. A three-dimensional holograph of what appeared to be the submersible and its performance figures took shape in the air above the controls.
Shifting his eyes to the control unit, D inspected an unusual bulbous attachment that wasn’t part of the standard equipment. It was a telepathic amplifier. Aside from the normal controls, this craft could also be operated by the will of its pilot. While it was common knowledge that the Nobility’s superhuman abilities also included various telepathic powers, not even their advanced science had been able to incorporate such mental abilities into a machine. No one had, except for the ruler of this subterranean lair. Had it been Baron Meinster? Or him?
Gazing at the holograph for several seconds, D then threw a switch and shut off the display before turning on the telepathic amplifier. The walkway submerged, and the lines stabilizing the sphere came free. The main generator in the lower portion of the sphere set up a force field in front of the craft, and the sphere began gliding forward through the water with zero resistance. The scene to all sides was projected clearly onto window-like screens.
When the force field was set to the bottom of the sphere, the craft quickly began to dive. The depth reached seventy feet. Though the water was pitch black, the image on the screens was clear as midday. Readings from the craft’s sonar were being enhanced and brightened by computers.
Advancing about seven hundred feet at a speed of roughly sixteen knots, the submersible closed on the black bedrock. There was a huge, perfectly round opening in the center of the floor—it must’ve been more than forty feet in diameter. That was the way out to the sea.
At the right edge of D’s field of view, the depth, strength of the current, speed of the sphere, and other data appeared in rapid succession. The submersible entered a cave, and images in the craft clearly revealed the machinery set in the rocky walls. Wave generators, filtration systems, and saltwater synthesizers—everything one would need to make this subterranean sea as close as possible to the real sea, the crucible of life. Gyohki himself had been born here.
Rock walls that seemed to go on forever on all sides vanished unexpectedly. D was out in an incredibly vast area. He’d entered the sea. D turned the submersible toward where the ships had been attacked.
His foe was in these waters. According to eyewitness accounts, it was probably the same metal monstrosity that’d attacked him by the Nobles’ resort. But what was it? Did D know, or didn’t he? From the look on his handsome face as he watched the screens, there was no way to tell.
In roughly two minutes’ time he reached his destination. The area was packed with schools of fish—it was a sight that’d make any fisherman’s mouth water. The depth was thirteen hundred feet. It was another twenty-three hundred feet to the sea floor. D took her straight down to the bottom.
The comparatively smooth rocks were adorned by multicolored seaweed that swayed like submarine flowers. The riotous mix of hues made it look like a vast ocean garden on his sphere’s screens. No doubt this place had been specially made by the Nobility for their pleasure outings. As proof, skulls could be seen half-hidden among the roots of the seaweed as it rocked with the current—almost as if the human remains feared the Nobility even now.
Colossal bones passed by. No doubt these were the remains of creatures that’d been spawned by the Nobility only to die in struggles against others of their kind.
D switched on the sensors. For three miles in any direction there was nothing save schools of fish. The larger shapes that occasionally appeared in the distance must’ve been giant killer whales.
The submersible continued to the north. Three power boats became visible between the rocks—each of them had its hul
l torn wide open. Not displaying the faintest interest in the wrecks, D had his submersible continue straight ahead.
The sight that lay before him was chilling. It looked like a vast, deep mortar that stretched on forever. As the slope descended smoothly, even the rocks and seaweed lost their colors, until the entire field of view went white. There was no more unsettling paleness in the world than this—the stark white of bleached bones. Though the conical depression was several miles in diameter, every last inch of it was completely blanketed by human skeletal remains. Surely these must be the remains of victims of a thousand years of the Nobility’s “games” in the water, all swept here by the tides. The vacant sockets of countless scattered skulls were all turned toward D, and their mouths seemed to unanimously chant a curse on their cruel fate.
Following the slope of the depression, D slowly descended in the submersible. Ahead of the craft, the bleached bones were crushed by its force field and eddied all around it. The flesh of any ordinary person would’ve crawled at such a sight. Beneath the skulls that were raining down like balls, a black chasm yawned. The data informed him that its overall length was nearly a mile and a quarter and it was fifty feet across at the widest point. It was almost two miles deep. That was just about the limit of the submersible.
Points of light blinked on the sensor, becoming a three-dimensional image. Something was buried in the mud that lay at the bottom. A box. And it was shaped like a coffin. An abode of the dead, resting on the sea floor two miles underwater? No doubt the person D sought was its inhabitant.
The force field shifted under the sphere. The craft advanced at a speed of twenty-two knots. At the depth of eight thousand feet, the warning light went on. Disregarding it, the Hunter continued to descend.
The force field was positioned almost directly above a point on the sea floor that was slightly depressed. The whitish mud flew up.
At the bottom of the deep blue sea, a coffin rested peacefully. A bit larger than normal, it was ten feet long and seven feet wide. Sensors informed D that there were indications of machinery inside. But none of it was functioning now. Above it and around it, bleached bones that’d been disturbed from their sleep floated down like an unearthly snow.
D activated a remote manipulator that was mentioned in the performance data. A metallic arm stretched from the bottom of the sphere and removed the lid of the coffin. Sensors had already relayed the fact that the lid was made of steel.
Miraculously, the material that lined the box—satin, by the look of it—remained completely unscathed. The machinery that hemmed in an area large enough to protect a single sleeping person consisted of a variety of metabolic regulators and energy transformers. Judging from the propulsion unit nozzle set on the bottom of it, the coffin had most likely been intended as an emergency escape pod. As the situation demanded, the power for life support systems could be drawn from the seawater, and the coffin should’ve been able to protect its sleeping occupant for a millennium or two.
But the sensors provided D with a look at the force that’d rendered all the coffin’s systems inoperable. The thick steel lid and box both had a straight horizontal slash through them right near the center. No doubt the energy that’d split the lid had served the same purpose as that which had given rise to this massive trench at the bottom of the sea.
The gold emblem on the lid consisted simply of the letter “M.” It was Baron Meinster’s.
When summer called, did he slip out of it and swim off to the village? The mud that was raining back down on it now said that no, he did not. Perhaps when he’d fled to the sea, someone had seen to it that tragedy befell him. And it had come more swiftly than anyone could’ve ever imagined.
Saying nothing, D sent the submersible climbing. It exited the chasm. A speck of light flickered on the left side of the display. And as soon as it did, a black form pounced on the craft, and something that looked like a leg impacted the view screen. For a second, the lights went out, and then the warning bell began to wail insanely.
.
II
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Just as he crossed the boundary of summer, Dwight turned up the collar on his thermal jacket. It was terribly cold—and although he’d been accustomed to such temperatures until a day earlier, the cold was rapidly killing skin cells that’d just gotten used to warmer weather. About seven hundred feet ahead of him, there was already a string of ice chunks. Something colder than the wind hit his cheek, and at the very same moment his field of view was filled by what looked like a shower of white confetti. Only it wasn’t paper—it was a genuine snowstorm. Ten minutes earlier, the summer sun had been shining down on the village as he pulled away in his power boat, but a mere six miles out to sea he was right smack in the middle of a winter storm.
“That’s a hell of a change,” Dwight grumbled, quickly swinging the bow of his boat around. Although he’d cruised over the line between the seasons while occupied with thoughts of Su-In, he wasn’t exactly keen on the idea of plowing straight into the heart of winter to lure the menace out of the sea’s depths.
Hold on, Su-In, he bellowed in his heart of hearts. You’ve got yourself mixed up with sea monsters and dhampirs and all kinds of trouble, but I’m gonna set everything right. First, I’ll take care of the monster and chase the pretty boy off. After that, I’ll get the rest of them to recognize your character and all the good you’ve done. I can even replace the boats that got sunk out of my own savings. I don’t know what the deal is with that friend of yours, but he’s kind of won me over, too. I get the feeling I know how you felt when you hired him. It could be that driving him off is gonna be the most painful part of all.
With darkened eyes that hardly suited such a broad-minded and frank-speaking young man, he gazed toward land.
It was just then that the water splashed off to his right. The loud smack that echoed was the sound of a sizable fish tail hitting the water.
Dwight moved with lightning speed. When he whipped around, he already had his spear gun braced against his shoulder. Although it held six shots, each weighed three times as much as the spears used by the average fisherman. This gun could punch through the skull of a seven-hundred-pound rumble tuna with just one shot. But as a result, the amount of gas pressure required and the weight of the weapon itself were beyond the bounds of common sense.
The sound of the splash faded away. It wasn’t his imagination. And this wasn’t where the schools of fish were. Could it be a lone fish that’d strayed from its school? Or was it something else?
Dwight cut the engine. The wind had gotten fairly strong in the afternoon, and the sea was rough. Miserable conditions for trying to locate fish.
“Come and get me,” the man muttered, licking his lips. The will to fight became an energy that burned in his muscles—there wasn’t an iota of fear in him. He was a fighter to the core. If he hadn’t decided to make fishing his life’s work, he might’ve been a warrior of some distinction out on the Frontier.
On the other hand, the thought of Su-In made his blood hot. They’d known each other since childhood, but in a tiny village like this, the same could be said for everyone around the same age. His memories of good-natured play with her were far outnumbered by instances when they’d squared off. If he hit her once, she’d given him two shots in return. When he’d teased her and said she was fat, she’d called him a Neanderthal and a whale boy. Strangely enough, that was probably what’d fostered his feelings for her. The girl was always looking straight ahead. After her parents died and they’d had the funeral, he couldn’t ever remember hearing her reminisce about them. Su-In was always standing there on her own two thickset legs, solid as a rock. Still, there was a mighty gale blowing. And Dwight figured the time had now come for him to give her some support.
To his rear, there was a splash. Dwight turned around. Ripples were spreading between the crests of the waves.
“You’d better stop fucking with me,” the fisherman spat.
“Hey,” a sober male voice then c
alled out from behind him.
As surprise and fighting spirit filled him, Dwight looked around three times. The well-formed face of a woman rested on top of the starboard gunwale. Her golden hair and alluringly pale skin were both glistening wet. For a second Dwight thought she might be a survivor of some shipwreck, but a certain incident quickly sprang to mind. The night before, his friends and the Vampire Hunter had seen a mermaid from the beach where the Noble had vanished. Was this it?! But the voice he’d just heard was that of a man . . .
“What are you staring at?” lips as red as a sunset clam spat in the same voice as before. “I don’t know what brings you out here, but I’m glad you’re here. I went out for a swim last night, but I’ve grown so weary of the taste of fish. I yearn for human flesh, like long ago.”
Not one to be intimidated, Dwight asked, “You the one that sank those boats?” He quickly added, “Long ago? What the hell are you?!” His right index finger had the trigger of the deadly weapon pulled back as far as it would go.
“I don’t believe I’ve seen you before, have I?” said the woman, or someone with a woman’s face, at any rate. “Nearly a thousand years ago, I’d drag striplings like you down into the water and devour them. That was always a tasty treat.” Laughing, she added, “I’ve restrained myself the last thirty or forty years, but as soon as I hit the sea here in my hometown, the taste of it came back to me.”
“Save it for someone who cares!” Dwight barked back. “Are you a man or a woman, you bastard? I’m not much for killing women, but based on what you just said and the voice you said it in, I’m not about to stand idly by, either. So, were you the one demanding we give him the bead?”
Mysterious Journey to the North Sea, Part 2 Page 10