The Dragon's Wrath: Shadows in the Flame (25 page)

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 laughed 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.