Dungeon Sniper

And we were not alone.

Something exploded on the water surface nearby. It was a cannonball, and it did not just hit the surface.

"Boy, tell the whales to disperse, NOW!"

Baha grabbed my shoulders and barked at me. I did not understand what he meant until the fog suddenly cleared and I saw it.

A thousand Black Whale army had gathered around us overnight. I was not aware that the whales had mobilized so quickly, but Baha must have known it through the different sounds of the sea.

But now was not the time to be impressed by the sight of shiny black backs glistening belligerently against the common enemy: Lord Cephalos. Instead, I realized slightly too late what Baha was worried about.

The last cannonball had slaughtered half a dozen Black Whales with just one shot. And I had a feeling more would come.

"Disperse! Dive! Don't clutter yourselves together!" I screamed in panic. But the whales did not budge. They heard me all right, but they were adamant for some reason.

They would not stand back, not at this stage, and while that was an admirable stance, it was also frustrating to watch at the moment.

Then another cannonball flew in out of nowhere, killing another dozen Black Whales with a bloody explosion.

"F.u.c.k.i.n.g monsters!"

Hermana cried viciously, pointing to the unforgettable monstrosity of a ship emerging from the water before our eyes.

A hundred yards away from us was Drowning Salamander, slowly showing itself as it rose from under the sea.

I saw all too clearly the familiar faces on the deck: Laracroft, Shef, Liamesh, Paterpen...

Captain Laracroft was grinning from ears to ears, enjoying the massacre at hand. She then beckoned one of her crew to come near and spoke something to him. The crew nodded and inhaled deeply before bellowing out a loud message that traveled the great distance between the two groups.

"Line up the whales so we can land on Crab's Victory. Otherwise, we start shooting, and more whales die!"

"How did even they find us?" cried Hermana bitterly, with tears welled up in her eyes.

I figured a large-scale mobilization of the Black Whales must have attracted a lot of sailors on the sea. The Floating Salamanders and the traitors at Doby Mick II had just lost us to an unusually well-organized group of Black Whales. They did the math, took the chance, and followed the whales, ending up where they were right now.

It was also clear that the strong currents surrounding Crab's Victory were preventing the submarine-ship from getting closer. That did not mean, however, that they could not hurt us, and the whales, from distance.

Another cannonball flew, but this time it landed short and no whale was harmed. A warning shot, sparing the whales not because they felt pity, but because they wanted to give us a taste of hope, the sweetness of giving in.

"What do we do?" panted Hermana impatiently. She looked at me, and I looked at Baha.

"... It's your call, boy."

"Oh, for f.u.c.k's sake. All of a sudden I'm the captain?"

"I would save them, but look at them. I doubt they even listened to you when you told them to scram. They have a purpose now. They won't back down, not to some cannonball. I can see that."

I agreed with Baha. The whales kept their tight formation, backing Drowning Salamander. The deaths of their kin did not seem to affect them, at least not now. They would grieve later, but the enemy was near. The true enemy...

Just when I was about to let out another curse at the whales' doggedness, the whales finally turned their heads and faced the despicable submarine-ship. Good, they came to their senses and decided to take care of the cannon problem before facing the real deal.

Or so I thought.

Those aboard Drowning Salamander noticed the change in the whales' behavior and promptly stopped firing cannonballs.

But I knew the whales were not facing the submarine-ship. Because I never asked them to. Because I knew they did not give a damn about some trigger-happy ship with abusive sailors on them.

There was only one thing the whales were concerned at the moment.

All of us except the ones on Drowning Salamander saw it: the reason the whales turned and faced toward its direction.

A giant, spear-like tentacle erupted out of the water, stretching well above the mast of Drowning Salamander, almost grazing the low, gray sky.

I held my breath as the unearthly pillar of destruction reached its pinnacle. It hung in the air for a fraction of second that felt as if time had stopped altogether.

Then it smashed down with a thunderous force that the ship crashed into two large pieces and a thousand splinters and debris.

The ones that survived the initial impact were flung out of the ship violently and braced themselves before landing on the ocean.

Then the terror set in. The ocean was not the safe, welcoming second home to those sailors anymore. At least, not now.

A round, bald-headed monster awaited below with its mouth open—

Crunch.

.

.

.

The survivors floating desperately would scream and then fall silent abruptly as each one got devoured into the Bald Kraken's mouth. I saw one brave Reptil laughing and crying maniacally and stabbing with his dagger at the Kraken's skin futilely. The skin was too thick, and the dagger did not even scratch the surface. A tentacle surfaced from below, leisurely wrapped around the mad sailor, and flung him into the open hole of a mouth in the center of all the grotesque tentacle movements.

I was not worried about the sailors of Drowning Salamander. They probably deserved what they got. I briefly wondered about what had happened to Shef and the others, and more worriedly about how the Black Whales, now swimming toward the Bald Kraken, would possibly fight against such an indomitable foe. Even from the distance, I could feel the power and ruthlessness of Lord Cephalos, the true king of the sea, or even Level Three—

Then the song started. A war song. A marching song.

The army of Black Whales swam gallantly toward the tyrant, humming the words that pulsated with each of my own heartbeat.

TODAY—

WE—

DIE—

TOMORROW—

CHILDREN—

LIVE—

YESTERDAY—

WE—

CRIED—

TODAY—

WE—

FIGHT—

"... Get down now!"

I turned and saw Baha screaming at me, his face demonic with rage and urgency.

"The ship. Tell the whales to get us down there now!"

I blinked uncomprehendingly.

"But the whales, they're fighting to death—

"It's THEIR fight! We do our part and hope they win. What else can we do?"

I looked around and saw that Hermana was watching the march of the Black Whales, rooting for them with her fists clenched tight. Elysia, on the other hand, was staring at me thoughtfully, encouragingly.

"No."

I turned to Baha and said flatly.

"The whales saved me, saved us, for us to help them. We can't go behind their backs and do our 'part' while they're fighting the war of their lives."

"Yeah, but what can we do? You saw what just happened there! You think I like watching the whales die meaninglessly?"

"It's not meaningless."

"It's completely meaningless. A collective suicidal attempt!"

"Not if they win."

"You still have hope after seeing the thing? They can't win! Nothing can win against that abomination of a creature! They're stupid animals, and you are too if you think there's a chance for you out there!"

Baha cackled uncontrollably with flashy, unblinking eyes. I realized that Baha was a different person I had seen so far on the sea. With the goal of his life just beneath his feet, he lost all dignity, humanity, and sanity required of a capable captain, let alone a fellow Human being.

The screams were growing less and less frequent behind my back. Baha, panting unstably, rolled his eyes from my eyes and the catastrophic scene past me.

"Fine. I don't need your help."

Baha spat as he took off his coat and shoes.

"I'm going there myself."

"Just, wait."

"... Boy, I've waited all my life for this moment," said Baha, a hint of sanity back in his eyes.

"Please. It's too dangerous down there. What if the Kraken comes for you if it sees you approaching his hoard?"

"What? You think up here's safe?" scoffed Baha, and then he jumped into the ocean all by himself.

The skilled seaman and a life-long diver made only a small splash as he hit the water. A sound that was practically nonexistent in the middle of all the frantic chaos going on a hundred yards away.

But the screams of surviving sailors hand long stopped, meaning there was no survivor anymore.

The Black Whales, too, stopped singing their war song as they began to charge into the monster, headfirst. They attacked silently, doggedly, determinedly, not letting out a single wimp or cry as they tackled against the steel-like skin of the Bald Kraken.

The Black Whales lacked any viable means to hurt Lord Cephalos. Lord Cephalos did not eat the Black Whales due to their bad taste. The result was a one-sided, lazy massacre on the whales' side. And now that the four tentacles that had been moving continuously to eat the sailors had finished their job, all ten of the tyrants' legs were focused on killing the trifling pest that kept running into its body.

The eight tentacles grabbed the whales while the two spear-like hands pierced the whales alive, pumping its blood into the sea. The water around the Bald Kraken began to turn red from all the spilled, unconsumed blood from the Black Whales. The sailors did not spill any blood as they were eaten whole. The Black Whales drowned in their own blood.

Hermana was crying openly, feeling helpless and hopeless. Elysia remained calm, but she seemed paler than when she had fallen ill from seasickness. The whales beneath our feet trembled in fury and sadness but kept their position, keeping us afloat and ready to escape at a moment's notice.

I was many things. Reckless, unthinking, impulsive, dumb, self-righteous, arbitrary, making the same mistake over and over…

But I was not a runner. There were times when I wanted to bail, like my predecessor Alpha. But I always stuck by, more often than not inadvertently rather than willingly.

Now was the time to be willing.

But how? How could I help the whales kill the monster? I had killed a massive giant before, but I had done that with the help of my friends, with their deaths. I did not have any weapon with me at the moment, except for this grotesque, wrist-mounted starfish that did nothing whatsoever, no matter what I did—

A sigh. Not from me, but the starfish. Yes. The starfish wrapped onto my wrist actually sighed. It was more of a breath, and it was the first time I noticed, but it was breathing. Of course, it was alive so it had to breathe… but it breathed with a noticeable sound. Like an air escaping from a small hole, or holes…

The image of the giant gold starfish shrinking to the size that was on my wrist right now reignited as if a light bulb had turned on inside my head.

Last time I tested the 'gun,' I was standing on top of the Black Whales, dry and breathing as ever in my typical habitat.

But it was not for the starfish.

There was no time to test any theory. So I jumped into the water, much to Elysia's surprise. I caught a glimpse of Hermana's blank, tear-ridden face before I was submerged.

Was it possible to smell underwater? Because I thought I smelled blood down there. And if I was smelling blood, then I wanted it gone as soon as possible.

I could only see about thirty feet in front of me. I had to get closer to the Kraken. As if on cue, one of the Black Whales approached me and brought its fin near my hand for me to grasp.

The Black Whales specifically said that they 'needed' my help. They did not 'want' help. They knew I was capable of helping them.

I grabbed the fin and glided through the water toward the battle scene. The red fog looked darker underwater, and hundreds of Black Whales floated lifelessly near the giant squid moving and killing lazily.

The Black Whale stopped with about thirty yards or so between me and the Kraken. I did not get off the whale, and after patting its head gratefully, I lifted the starfish-tangled wrist forward and aimed at the unsuspecting monster.

A metal knife would not even leave a scratch on its skin. I doubted any bullet or cannon would either. Anything man-made was a no-go for this ugly bald dude.

Could a man make a gold starfish that could shrink and inflate at will?

What did the Black Whales know that they came to call it Bane of Kraken?

… Why a D-Bug made by a runaway hero would have an ability to inflict damage on a sea monster, I had no clue. Coincidentally, an air escaped my mouth. I had been holding my breath for over a minute now. I could think later, but now I had to take action.

Or rather, I had to help the starfish do its thing. It was called Bane of Kraken for a reason. It knew what to do… I hoped.

But unlike most other times that I had been left truly clueless, I had an idea how the starfish would function as a gun that only worked underwater. First, it needed water around it. Second, it would use its inner pump that made shrinking and enlarging possible. And third… that was all I had.

The gold starfish started glowing again. For a second, I feared it would grow large still stuck on my wrist and I would be dangling by it helplessly and ending up drowning.

Instead, the starfish remained in its compact size. It, however, started pulsing, thumping, pumping… as if collecting water and holding it in, compressing it…

It was collecting oxygen in the water. I knew it instinctively.

Another bubble of air escaped my mouth, but this time out of excitement.

The thump finally stopped. More than a dozen Black Whales were killed during those prolonged seconds, but finally, I could help stop it.

Go on. Do you thing, Shrinky.

No, I had not forgotten about the tradition. The starfish was a D-Bug, but it was also a weapon. My weapon. I had to name it.

Shrinky bulged one last time before it was ready to 'expel.'

I knew it worked even before it happened.

I opened my mouth to gurgle out triumphant bubbles.

"(So long, Baldy.)"

A deadly jet of compressed air shot out of the starfish's leg and pierced right through the forehead of the Bald Kraken.

… It turned out squids had no brains. Instead, they had 'three' hearts, all of which I happened to pierce in one shot altogether.

[Perk gained: Aura of Sea King - Level Three]

[Perk gained: Ink Generator]

[Perk gained: Regeneration - Level A]

.

.

.

Several things happened afterward. After I got back on our whaleback station, Hermana kissed me, out of joy and excitement, but Elysia let it go… for now. She, too, seemed relieved that I had come out alive in one piece. Yes, in one piece. The starfish, Shrinky, had finally let go of my wrist, an indication of a job well done and done for good, I guessed.

Baha was rescued by the Black Whales, who found him trapped and unconscious inside the turbulent currents that swirled around the island. He never reached Doby Mick I, but more on that later.

There was another good news. A ship approached us from the distance, and Hermana recognized it right away: Doby Mick II. Queeqa waved at us excitedly and apologetically. It turned out that Queeqa was supposed to turn the ship back and wait at Octoportum for the rest of the crew.

"But you came back. Why?" asked Hermana, half-suspiciously and half-gratefully.

"Not for them. For you. I was alone, and I got to think. I would never be happy cooking at a restaurant set up by the deaths of my friends. Besides, I made a promise with Beta here. He promised he would be a regular at my place, and I would want a live regular, not dead, you see," said Queeqa meekly.

I did not usually hug another man, but this time was an exception.

The Black Whales helped us get on the ship but never left our side. They sang for an entire night. It was a soothing but sad victory song that went like this:

FARE—

WELL—

BROTHERS—

SISTERS—

REST—

IN—

PEACE—

OUR—

CHILDREN—

OUR—

FUTURE—

FARE—

WELL—

.

.

.

Baha woke up in the late afternoon the next day. He ran out of his chamber, looking confused and hazed as if wanting to ask everything was a dream.

"... So you won," said Baha blankly.

"I was going to snap if you said 'we' won... but yeah, we did.," I smiled wryly. There was no need to stay mad at the old man. Besides, we were back on 'his' ship. We needed his leadership, especially for the next important job.

Baha nodded, still dazed, and turned sharply around all of a sudden. He then sighed in relief as he spotted that Crab's Victory was still in sight. We had not moved away from the island, not when there were things to be salvaged down there.

"Good. We're still here."

"Hermana said the salvage should wait another day, when there's enough daylight?"

I pointed to the sky. The dusk had not exactly set in yet, but the sun was not as high up as any diligent salvager would like.

Baha checked the location of the sun and nodded grudgingly.

"I bet it was quite a battle," grunted Baha, too tough to manage a formal apology for his irresponsible action yesterday.

"It was. You want to hear about it?"

"Not without some rum. Boy, go get some... I'll get it myself," said Baha as he stood up humbly.

"Yeah... you'll need some drink before I break this to you."

Baha stopped and blinked at me. Everyone—Elysia, Hermana, and Queeqa—showed up on the deck. Hermana handed Baha a bottle of rum. Baha took it with a wary look on his face.

"Break what?"

"Don't worry. This is not another mutiny."

We all shared a joke and laughed, but Baha did not let go of the tension easily.

"Well, I have the rum. If there's something you have to say, say it. I guess I deserve it."

"... You do deserve, after all those years."

I grabbed a bottle too and showed it to Baha. Unlike Baha's that was filled with alcohol, mine was empty, but capped with a piece of paper in it.

Baha grudgingly took the bottle, his eyes naturally darting to the single piece of paper in it.

His eyes widened with shock.

'To Baha,' the letter said on the front.

"... While you were passed out, I helped Queeqa and Hermana venture down at Doby Mick I. Breaking news, there's nothing much. Shef was right. You were all chasing an empty treasure case. Nothing shiny. Nothing worthy."

"No books either," added Hermana, sounding important.

"Right. But we did recover that... You were never going for the treasure. That, right there, is your treasure. At least we thought so."

The bottle was stuck between a splintered hole by a cabin window. We deduced that the writer wanted to throw the bottle out to the sea at the time of crashing—an abnormal crashing in which the Bald Kraken tried to take down the entire ship as a whole. The writer finished the letter quickly and threw the bottle, but it got stuck between the woods. And it had been stuck for the past forty-five years. Unsearched, unsent, unread.

Baha stood still as if frozen with two bottles in his hands. Queeqa gently took the rum out of his hand. Only then Baha grasped the bottle with the letter gingerly, preciously.

"I—"

Baha closed his mouth and swallowed.

"I can't. I can't read it," Baha shook his head, looking away from the bottle.

I knew he did not mean that he was illiterate or anything nor did he need a pair of reading glasses.

Emotions and undelivered messages, packed up in a small bottle, for more than four decades... it was bound to make a man feel nervous, scared.

"... Do you want me to read it for you?" asked Hermana delicately.

"No—Yes. Yes, please," breathed Baha shakily as he handed the bottle to Hermana.

Hermana took off the cap and let the short note slip on her hand. Her clear eyes ran along the few lines in a second, only to waver unstably for longer seconds afterward. She then looked up and around everyone else. Baha had his face covered with his thick, sea-battered palms.

"... To Baha, my son."

Hermana paused and cleared her throat.

"... Ship's sinking. Not much time left... This is my will. Hope this reaches you. Anyone. If you're reading this, please tell my son."

Hermana glanced at Baha, who still had his face covered.

"That he's free to pursue his own dream."

Baha visibly started. I could see his chin tighten to suppress emotion.

At the same time, Hermana inhaled sharply, to deliver the last, most important line of the message.

"... And that I love him."

An old man in his sixties broke down and fell on his knees, crying out after his long-lost father, now found, with love.