After successful tests across various sites, Dr. Philippe had deployed MECCP staff to assist in calming the berserk Coralites at all the affected reefs, but this one, way out from Atlantis, had me on solo duty.
I checked the speaker setup one more time, double-checking every dial and switch. A single mishap out here would mean scrambling for hours to fix it, precious time we couldn't afford.
The tide was due in two days, and once it does, tackling the coral issue underwater will be a hassle. Every minute counts.
I straightened up, satisfied everything was set, when suddenly—a massive wave slammed into me out of nowhere, scattering my equipment like a child's abandoned beach toys.
The force sent me sprawling, salt water filling my nose and mouth as I was dragged under the turbulent water. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novel⁂fire.net
I fought to stay upright, but another wave crashed over me, this one even more massive. I barely had time to catch my breath before the current yanked me back down.
I struggled, the weight of the ocean pressing in on all sides. My vision blurred as the world spun in dizzying circles, darker and darker until—
Something rough and powerful caught me by the waist, hauling me upwards. Through bleary eyes, I saw a gigantic tentacle coiled around me.
My heart froze, terror squeezing every last ounce of strength from me. The last thing I glimpsed before blacking out was that enormous limb pulling me towards the surface.
I sputtered awake, my body sprawled unceremoniously on the sandy shore, tangled in slimy seaweed. Coughing up seawater, I flopped onto my back, the shock of air flooding my lungs. For a moment, I lay there, dazed and disbelieving.
"I'm… I'm alive?" I choked out.
Scanning the beach, I spotted my equipment strewn around the sand like the aftermath of a storm. With a groan, I sat up and checked for injuries, but there wasn't a scratch on me. I had to be the luckiest intern in all of Mythica.
"What was that? Why did a tsunami hit here out of nowhere?" I muttered, bewildered.
A shadow loomed overhead, stretching across the beach like a dark omen. I froze, swallowing hard as I turned, craning my neck upward to see a towering, inky figure silhouetted against the sky.
My heart thundered in my chest.
"K-Kraken?" I stammered, dread twisting in my gut.
The colossal creature gave me a piercing look, its massive eye narrowing before the corner of its mouth slowly curled up into... a smile?
Oh, fantastic. It's thrilled to see me, which can only mean one thing—I'm it's food.
In that instant, a mental obituary flashed in my mind. "Carl Suis, Devoured by Kraken. Services to be held… well, nowhere."
"Oh, thank goodness, man! You're alive!" boomed a deep, surprisingly friendly voice. "I thought you'd drowned out there. Good thing I scooped you up in time, huh?"
"Huh? What?" I stammered, feeling a rush of bewilderment.
Is this really THE Kraken?
The legendary terror of the seas, the monster that sent Olympians scrambling in the myths? Or… could it just be an abnormally large octopus?
I stared, dazed and slack-jawed, at the Kraken towering in front of me, its eyes the size of boulders. And then, of all things—it blinked, twice… no, three times, as if sizing me up.
Finally, it spoke. "You good, dude?"
The creature's tone was so casual, so genuinely concerned, that I stared at him in total bafflement. "You… you're a Kraken?"
The sea monster let out a booming laugh that rattled the water around us. "Yeah, I'm the Kraken," he confirmed, his voice dripping with casual cool.
"I know what you're thinking—'A Kraken? Friendly? But I thought you terrorized sailors or something!' Ha! Nah, man, I don't get into all that. I'm just here to dance, you know?"
"Dance?" The words felt strange in my mouth.
"Yup!" he beamed. "But call me OK. It's my B-boy name." He winked, as if I should be impressed.
I blinked. "Uh… okay, OK."
He chuckled, clearly amused by his own joke.
"Those rumors about me terrorizing people? Nah, man, total misunderstanding. I was just breakdancing. But, uh… turns out breakdancing can cause, you know… a little destruction when you're my size."
That's why the tsunami hit. He was probably throwing down some coffee grinders or windmills, and the ocean just couldn't handle it.
"I was working on some new moves out in the trench, you know, deep enough that nobody would notice. But I, uh, might've gotten carried away."
Yikes! Imagine when he tries a B-boy move, it'll be like a natural disaster—each flip and spin sends shockwaves that could sink an island if he's not careful.
You've gotta give him points for commitment, though. Breakdancing in water, with tentacles, while making sure not to cause too many tsunamis? That's next-level dedication!
He scratched the back of his enormous head with one tentacle. "See, I'm technically banned from dancing ever since that, uh… incident."
He shifted, looking a tad sheepish. "It was at the Mythica Got Talent audition in Atlantis. I was pumped! I thought, hey, why not show my skills? And… let's just say, things got a bit, uh, turbulent."
Okay. Pause right there.
Who in their right mind accepted a Kraken to breakdance??!
Right? Imagine the logistics! I mean, how many limbs does he even have to coordinate? A Kraken doing a windmill would be, like… an everything-mill!
I'd heard about that show. The grandest in Mythica, with every creature from dragons to sirens vying for fame. And he thought bringing his colossal moves there was a good idea?
I started to imagine it. OK the Kraken has his eight massive tentacles splayed out, spinning like a tidal top, each one alternating between support and flair.
He's got that "headspin" move down too—except his head is the size of a small house, so it's more like the whole stage's getting pulverized.
And he's definitely got that power move where he flares his tentacles out in a perfect circle, making the whole stage swirl like a blender on high speed.
"Oh, man… no way," I groaned, imagining the chaos.
"So, what exactly happened?" I asked, not sure if I really wanted to know.
"Well, it started with a sweet backspin," he said, enthusiasm gleaming in his eyes.
"The crowd was into it, the judges were giving me nods, and I'm thinking, 'Oh, yeah, I'm totally nailing this.' But, uh… then I went for a head spin. Which, in retrospect, was a bad call. When I spun, I spun big. The waves crashed through the audience stands, the judges were screaming—Pandora the Harpy nearly lost a wing."
"Yikes," I murmured, envisioning the pandemonium.
"Yeah, so… banned." OK's shoulders sagged. "They told me no more dancing in public. I was crushed, man. This is my dream!"
There was a vulnerable look in his enormous eyes, the kind that you only see in creatures that really believe in something bigger than themselves. And as ridiculous as it sounded, I felt for the guy. Here was a Kraken, a creature legendary for terror and chaos, who just wanted to groove.
"Listen, OK," I said, mustering my courage, "I get it. I really do. But… maybe hold off on the tsunami-inducing moves just for a bit? The corals here are in serious trouble, and I'm supposed to calm the Coralites with some soft tunes, not traumatize them further."
"Whoa, no way. I didn't realize!" He looked mortified. "Man, I'll help however I can. You got yourself an ally in OK."
"Actually…" An idea began forming. "If you can keep the tides steady around this site, I might just get this Coralite situation under control. A little peace and quiet goes a long way with them."
"Peace and quiet?" He scratched his head, looking doubtful. "Not exactly my specialty, but I'll give it a shot."
As we worked together setting up my equipment again, he shared more about his thwarted dreams of dance stardom.
From the sounds of it, he'd poured his whole kraken heart into becoming the best dancer in Mythica. Listening to his story, I realized how easy it was to misjudge creatures based on rumors alone.
"So, OK," I asked as I adjusted the speaker, "what's your plan? Keep practicing in the deep until Mythica finally allows you back?"
He shook his massive head. "Nah, that's not gonna cut it. I need to learn control. If I can manage a subtle dance, maybe I'll get my second chance." He sighed, looking out at the ocean wistfully. "But until then, I guess I'm the rogue Kraken b-boy. Outlaw of the deep."
I chuckled, his grandiose self-description catching me off guard. "Outlaw or not, you've got a good heart."
"Same to you, Carl. You're not like most humans I've met."
We both fell silent as the first soothing notes from the lullaby I'd set up began drifting through the reef. Almost instantly, the Coralites responded, their pulsing glow softening, as if the imagined battle cry had finally dissipated.
"Looks like it's working," I said, relief flooding through me. "Thanks, OK. You might've saved an entire ecosystem today."
"No problem," he grinned, a shy pride in his massive eyes. "Hey, if you ever need me to keep the peace again, just holler. Maybe I'll figure out this whole 'delicate' thing one day."
He gave me a casual salute with one of his tentacles before slinking back into the water, his enormous form blending into the depths.
"I have a bad feeling about this..."